1. Power Up Your Internet Speeds
When working from an office, you have the luxury of milking your employer’s or cowork space’s Internet as much as possible. But at home? You’re probably not too excited about paying for super-high-speed Internet when it comes with a hefty monthly cost and it’s only needed for eight or so hours a day. Look at it this way: The faster your Internet is, the more quickly you’ll be able to get work done. Plus, healthy Internet speeds are essential for streaming — and I’m not talking about streaming a funny YouTube video. I’m referring to those Zoom meetings you’re going to have with your clients (more on that below). Keep in mind that Internet costs can be deducted on your taxes. Specifically, you can write off the amount you actually use each day for work purposes. So, some of that money will go back into your pocket come tax time.2. Dedicate Specific Hours to Client Communication
It’s really important to avoid interruptions when you’re working. And clients present a huge opportunity for interruption and distraction if you let them. A study out of the University of California discovered the following about interrupted work:When people are constantly interrupted, they develop a mode of working faster… to compensate for the time they know they will lose by being interrupted. Yet working faster with interruptions has its cost: people in the interrupted conditions experienced a higher workload, more stress, higher frustration, more time pressure, and effort.By dedicating an hour or two to client communication every day — and communicating this policy to clients — you can keep those distractions to a minimum. Oh, and make sure anyone at home with you is aware of this. It might’ve been funny when this BBC News interview was interrupted by kids in the background, but clients won’t be happy if you’ve given them a small timeframe to communicate, only for it to be interrupted.
3. Empower Clients to Schedule Meetings
Even if it’s only you running the show, you want to give off the impression that everything is being handled as well as it would if you had a team behind you. So, this is where your choice of software and your system of automations comes into play. For starters, your website needs to have a meeting schedule link to empower prospective clients to schedule meetings with you. That’s going to save you time trying to coordinate schedules, setting up meeting details, collecting pertinent details, and so on. Here’s how I’ve done it on my website:

4. Use a Client-friendly Video Conferencing Tool
When you’re working from home, it’s important to have face-to-face conversations with clients. It’s not like every call requires a face-to-face meetup, but it’s nice to do it every once in a while, especially if you’re going to be sharing your screen anyway (like for a website walk-through). There are a number of video conferencing tools you can use. Zoom is a popular video conferencing solution that you can use for free. If you’re a paying G Suite user, you can opt for Google Meet. Either of these tools would work well for these purposes as they’re well-known and easy for clients to get the hang of (i.e. they don’t require them to download or install anything). Zoom is the one I would recommend though. As I mentioned before, it integrates with Calendly (and other online schedulers), which makes setting up meetings a breeze. Also, you can change up your background. This is helpful if: a) You don’t want clients seeing into your home like software engineer Andrew Eckel who used a luxury apartment photo as a backdrop. b) You want to have a little fun with your clients like video producer Dan Crowd did when he created this joke background:c) You want to feel like you’re working from anywhere but your home.Today I made a Zoom background of myself accidentally walking in on myself in a Zoom meeting. pic.twitter.com/Rl2AsjfZ7V
— Dan Crowd (@itsdancrowd) April 3, 2020
5. Choose the Right Channel to Communicate Through
There are many different ways you can communicate with clients these days. Email. A phone call. Text. Slack message. Zoom video. Asana message feeds. Google Doc comments. But you need to be careful with this. There’s a time and a place to use each of these channels, so make sure you get it right. If you use them the right way, then your clients will be less likely to abuse or misuse these channels. You know how it goes. First, they email you with a question. Then panic-call you hours later when they haven’t heard back. And then, as a last resort, bombard you with texts until they hear back. Here are some suggestions for picking the right communication channels: Email:- Confirmation emails;
- Templated messages;
- Short responses that aren’t time sensitive;
- Moving Google Doc questions or comments out into a larger space to answer.
- Client kickoff;
- Milestone check-ins;
- Website handoff;
- Any time you have to share your screen;
- Whenever there is an issue or disagreement.
- Unless you have a dedicated phone for business, don’t do it.
- Progress check-ins;
- Milestone delivery notifications;
- Light brainstorming.
It Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult Working with Remote Clients
No matter how long you’ve worked from home, it’s always a good idea to reassess and strengthen your client management strategy. Even if you only tweak things a little bit, you might find it easier to get work done as well as to keep clients happy. Featured image via Unsplash.Suzanne Scacca
Suzanne Scacca is a freelance writer by day, specializing in web design, marketing, and technology topics. By night, she writes about, well, pretty much the same thing, only those stories are set under strange and sometimes horrific circumstances.
Read Next
24 Best Creative Portfolio Websites in 2023
For anyone working in a digital creative field, whether design, illustration, animation, video, or a combination of…
By Simon Sterne
15 Best New Fonts, September 2023
Nothing upgrades your designs like selecting the right font. It’s all too easy to fall into the trap of using the same…
By Ben Moss
Weekly Design News #1
Every Sunday we’re rounding up the best of the previous week’s stories from webdesignernews.com, and in this issue #1,…
By Louise North
The 20 Most Controversial Logos of All Time (Ranked)
When you hire graphic designers to create your company's logo, what do you expect? Professional designs, culturally…
By Robert Reeve
LimeWire AI Studio Generative Art App
If you’re looking for the most exciting way to launch a career in AI-generated art, then you’re in the right place.
By WDD Staff
20 Best New Websites, September 2023
Are you in need of design inspiration? Are you looking for the best websites designed in 2023 to pull ideas,…
The Dangers of Deceptive Design Patterns (And How to Avoid Them)
As web designers, our role in crafting user-friendly digital landscapes is critical. We are tasked with creating user…
By Louise North
10 Best Ecommerce WordPress Themes in 2023 [September update]
You plan to set up shop with an online store. You know there’ll be competition. And to compete with or beat that…
By WDD Staff
5 Marketing Tools Every Designer Needs
Yes, designers do need marketing tools. From freelance graphic designers who need to land more work to designers who…
Exciting New Tools For Designers, September 2023
At the end of another summer, we are all getting ready to knuckle down for some serious work in the fall. But we want…
Elon Musk calls LinkedIn ‘Cringe’—Announces Competitor
Elon Musk recently announced his intentions to create a direct competitor to LinkedIn. Musk’s grand plan is to make his…
Everything You Need to Know to Embrace the Y2K Design Trend
The turn of the millennium was a major cultural shift, and the Y2K aesthetic emerged as a visualization of what the…
By Simon Sterne