How to create a stellar visitor experience when you’re both remote

Your team knows the importance of a well-curated visitor experience: Research shows that  83% of people say a negative interview experience can change their mind about a role or company they once liked. And that’s only interviewees: the experience of visiting your office impacts how customers, investors, and your employees see your company as well.You've likely invested hundreds of hours getting the details of welcoming and wowing office visitors just right. But what happens to your fine-tuned visitor experience when every meeting suddenly moves online?

Working from home is new territory for many of us, but that doesn’t mean you need to build a new process from scratch. Here are some ways you can adapt the stellar experience you provide to office guests as visits move online.

Opt for video meetings over calls

If you’re not doing so already, add a video conference line to all meetings with external guests. Video calls humanize an otherwise impersonal situation, help you pick up on non-verbal cues, and let you show off your personality.

Paint a picture of what to expect

Just as you would for a meeting at your office, put guests at ease by sharing detailed information about who they’ll meet, topics of discussion, and any time scheduled for breaks in advance. If they’re scheduled to meet multiple people back to back, explain how these transitions will go. For instance, will they need to dial-in to a different conference line for each meeting? Explaining the who, when, and what in advance will free up more meeting time for the topics you intend to discuss.

Get guests comfortable with your conferencing tool

According to research by OWL Labs, more than half of video conferencing users waste 10 minutes per meeting on meeting setup. Set video guests up for success by sending instructions on how to download your conferencing tool and how it works in advance. As Zoom users here at Envoy, we like to send this short video on how to join a meeting from Zoom’s help center. Sending instructions on how to do common actions in the product, like muting yourself, adjusting the volume, and sharing and unsharing your screen, can also help guests feel more comfortable once the meeting starts.

Send your NDA in advance to safely share information

A lot of information that was once only shared in your office behind closed doors is now being shared over video conference. Make sure you’re protecting yourself and your guest by signing an NDA in advance of the meeting. To cut some of the awkwardness and ensure your employees don’t forget to send your NDA, use a visitor management system to send your NDA automatically when you register guests. This way your visitors will have ample time to review it. It also takes some pressure off employees who may feel unsure about bugging their guests to sign legal documents.

Show off your company culture

In-person meetings let visitors get a feel for your brand and show how your team operates. An easy way to make video guests feel like they’re in your office when they’re not is by selecting a virtual background that shows your office. Provide your employees with a few snapshots of your workspace that they can use on calls. Take this a step further by inviting candidates to attend any company-wide weekly rituals—like your company-wide meeting or a happy hour—virtually. If that’s not an option, consider sharing video footage of past office events before or after the meeting.

Ask for feedback and iterate

Meeting remotely is a new thing for many of us. One of the best ways to learn how the experience could be better is by asking your virtual guests for their feedback. Here are some questions you might consider asking:

• What additional information would have made the online meeting smoother?
• How could we have better prepared you for the call?
• What was your impression of the company?
• What did you not get from this online meeting that you could have experienced in person?

Visitor management systems make this step easier by automatically sending a survey to guests after their visit, which takes the manual work out of asking for feedback. And, because it comes from the company instead of an individual, the guest feels more comfortable sharing their thoughts.