Working with clients beyond the office

Many clients are surprised to learn that about half of our clients reside outside of Washington State. Although we have only one office in downtown Seattle, we are able to bridge the distance gap by using an online tool called WebEx.

When combined with the typical communication channels of phone, email, and fax, WebEx offers our clients a robust interactive experience without the need to ever step foot into our office.

Through WebEx, I can share my computer screen with clients anywhere in the world as long as they have an internet connection. It provides for a more interactive meeting because we can look at the exact same thing on the computer screen, and clients can see my mouse pointer move in real-time when I highlight a certain section of a report, chart, or graph. WebEx is extremely easy to use; there is no advanced setup needed and we can usually get a new user up and running in less than five minutes. It’s so easy, in fact, that I’ve been able to use it with clients who have very little computer knowledge! Best of all, WebEx doesn’t cost a thing for our clients to use.

So, the next time you schedule a meeting or review with us and you will have internet access during the meeting, be sure to ask us about WebEx. Of course, we always enjoy meeting clients face-to-face, and we encourage you to stop by when you’re in the Seattle area.

Written by retired Merriman advisor Phuc Dang