Technology has made it easier to collaborate between clients and teams over the years. What can a small business owner do, besides using software?

You must collaborate as a team regardless of the location of each member. Then, you need to work with clients wherever they are. Bad practices can slow down progress, make it difficult to meet deadlines, and even cause you to lose business. Your business will run smoothly if you can learn how to create seamless collaboration both internally and externally.

I spoke to several small-business owners and entrepreneurs about the importance of teamwork among clients and internal teams. Below are their top tips and tricks to help you streamline your business.

1. Be a strong, reliable leader

It can make a big difference to have one person be the leader or project manager for each client. This person is responsible for keeping the internal team on track and moving towards the goals and milestones. They also serve as the primary point of contact for clients.

It is easier to communicate with the client through one person, which not only helps avoid missed messages or poor communication but also builds a solid relationship. The relationship feels more personal when the client speaks to the same person throughout the entire process, no matter how big your company might be. This helps create a smooth communication channel and delivers the client what he or her expects.

–Chris Saviano is the Business Development Vice President of PGM Health Billing

2. Respect the strengths of individual team members

It helps to run a smoother operation and deliver a better experience for your clients. 8 Percent more productive are team members who utilize their strengths.

This applies to all business models. If we create sponsored content for clients, for example, we have dedicated writers and copy editors, as well as team members who research the topics and source free stock images for each blog post. Clients love it when each member of the team is able to contribute their strengths. This makes projects more efficient and clients happier.

–Melissa Thompson is the founder of Harcourt Health

3. A motivating team culture and vision is essential

Motivation is key to motivating teams and helping them achieve their company and client goals. They are proud of team achievements and will push each other to achieve their goals. They are proud of what they do, and will not be satisfied until the client is satisfied.

This kind of culture creates happy client-team relationships. Clients want to work with people who love what they do. A strong company culture makes it easy to identify and facilitates a smooth working relationship.

–Charles Zhong, founder of Azazie

4. Establish trust among team members

Trust builds trust and strengthens the communication channel. This will improve your productivity and deliver better results to your clients.

The trust your company has with your customers directly affects the level of trust they have in you and your products or services. If there is mutual trust, this allows for strong communication which leads to seamless collaboration between the parties.

–Gary Simpson CEO of Face The Red

5. Transparent progress tracking

Transparent project tracking between your client and your team is the only way to achieve seamless collaboration. This will ensure that everyone on your team is on the same page, and that each person is completing his or her task in a timely manner.

Your client can also monitor the progress of their project and see the updates made by your team. This will satisfy them, and it will reduce the number of status updates emails and phone calls. This allows your team to concentrate on the project.

–Troy Boileau is the founder of Delta Growth

6. Each project task should be delegated

“A strong personal relationship between business and client is essential for any business-client relationship” As a home builder, our goal is to make the collaboration process as seamless as possible by delegating all tasks required in order to complete a project or satisfy our clients.

It creates a smooth process from beginning to end by delegating each task associated with a project. Your team members will be more focused on meeting their responsibilities if they know that they are accountable.

–John Rodeman is the Digital Marketing Director at Taylor Morrison

7. Start by identifying your goals

A team and client can only work together seamlessly if they fully understand each other’s goals. Next, identify small goals that will assist you in reaching your ultimate goal.

These goals must be clearly defined. You also need to create a plan to achieve them. It is easier to keep the project on track and moving forward if everyone in the team, as well as the client, agrees from the start.

–Deep Patel is the founder of Owlmetrics

8. Extremely organized

Every business has a core group that is responsible for its success or failure. One team member can make a huge difference in the success or failure of your business. It is important to be organized and help build strong relationships between staff members and clients.

Our business is dependent on scheduling and following-up to ensure our success and provide exceptional service to clients. The team is well-organized and knows exactly what to do to ensure the success of the company and the satisfaction of clients.

–Dr. Zachary Linhart, Linhart Dentistry

9. Communicate with clients through transparent team

For any relationship to succeed, both parties must communicate clearly with each other, including your client and all of your staff. It is possible for everyone to be on the same page and work towards the same goal when all discussions are honest, open, and frequent.

Clients should feel at ease asking questions and not be afraid to ask. An online survey tool is highly recommended and integrated with your customer list. This will help you to determine if your communication channels are transparent enough or need to be improved.

–Paul Denman is the owner of DMS Air McKinney

10. Make regular video conference calls

Regular video conference calls are a great way for clients and your team to communicate visually. Because of its security, Join.me is what we use.

Sometimes, it can be difficult to explain things clearly over the phone or by email. This provides us with a safe environment for face-to-face meetings. Face-to-face meetings allow for better communication and collaboration.

–Stefan Gleason is President of Money Metals Exchange

11. Customer support should be a top priority

“Customer Support is a priority. It eliminates friction between the client and your team that could hinder progress or cause damage to the relationship. Over the years, customer service has evolved dramatically. All customer service issues used to be handled by phone. This is no longer the case.

Clients often look to your website or social media to find the answer to their questions. A dedicated team member will monitor social media, live chat, and incoming contact submissions to ensure that clients are always satisfied with the answers they receive.

Judy Hedreen is the co-owner of Strasser Woodenworks

12. Make the most of mobile apps

It helps maintain a solid relationship with clients if your team can respond quickly to their questions. Mobile apps are now an option in many collaboration tools, so your team can keep clients happy no matter where they may be.

This is the real estate industry. Agents used to answer clients’ questions in their office years ago. Mobile apps allow agents to respond quickly to clients, even if they are not present at a show. Encourage your team members to use mobile apps to improve their internal and client collaboration.

–Mike McCann, The McCann Team

Last Thoughts

As a small business owner, it can be difficult to keep your clients and internal teams on the same page. These tips can make it easier to streamline the process and foster a more collaborative environment. A seamless collaboration helps to complete projects on time, satisfy clients, refers, and repeat business.