The COVID-19 pandemic has brought out both the good and bad in society. We have seen the healthcare industry become overrun and understaffed. Yet we’ve also seen a shift to remote work— a more effective way of working— and the benefits that come with it.

As great as remote work is for many, we’ve learned that people miss connecting with others. Because of this, many have discovered that connection is possible when using technology, despite the barriers of working remotely.  Other benefits have outshined the negatives, with some people’s productivity and mental health improved with remote work.

One thing is clear—the intertwining of technology with our lives is here to stay. So how do we ensure that our relationships remain deep and meaningful even with technology? Read on to find out.

How To Stay Connected

Embrace Technology

Technology fatigue is real. We’ve been relying on apps and software for so long that we may be experiencing burnout. It can be tempting to quit computers, virtual meeting rooms, and other technological innovations that have helped us keep in touch. But when you limit your use of apps and software, you may feel isolated, which can be detrimental to your personal and professional life.

It’s important to embrace technology while giving yourself the space away from it when needed. If you’ve noticed some burnout, be selective with your virtual meetings. If you can meet someone at a coffee house or in an outdoor space, that’s one less Zoom call. That will help you embrace tech when necessary so you can keep up with your networking. 

Have a Dedicated Work Space

Virtual meetings, conferences, webinars, and check-ins have become the natural events of the day. We conduct these meetings on Zoom, Google Meet, Free Conference call, and other virtual meeting software, both from our phones and computers.

While the accessibility is quite convenient, it can be helpful to invest in a dedicated workspace or meeting room where you can separate yourself from the rest of your home life. This can help limit distractions, create more work/life balance, and inspire you with a new creative space. 

Use a Contact Management App

A contact management app, like Contacts+, will help you stay connected and grow your network, even in times of extreme isolation and disconnection. 

Contacts+ lets you store your contacts’ information in an organized and accessible manner. For personal connections, you can keep tabs on who you need to play catch up with, identify contacts you haven’t spoken to in a while, and provide context for what you should discuss on your next reach-out.

For internal operations, it provides a central hub where team members within your company can access contact data effortlessly. It’s much more than storing phone numbers, email addresses, and full names. It helps you create a more efficient system.

When you gather customer data on a spreadsheet, you risk making mistakes from human error. From accidentally modifying existing customer information to having duplicate customer profiles, even small errors can lead to a disaster.

Contacts+ makes your life easier as its platform automatically pulls updated customer information from the web, ensures your information is synced across devices and merges duplicates so you’re address book is as organized as it needs to be. 

Tips for Staying Connected and Building Your Network

Authenticity

Be authentic in all your interactions with people. The pandemic taught people to value human connection, and although we’re networking by way of technology, it doesn’t mean that people can’t smell a fake from miles away.

When reaching out to contacts or prospects, be genuine and let the transaction be relational rather than transactional. Stop focusing so hard on selling, and instead, see what you can do to genuinely help your contacts. That’s the best way to build a lasting relationship. 

Bring Value to the Table

Yes, it’s easier to schedule virtual meetings than physical ones, but you want to be sure you are not asking people to be in meetings for things that are not relevant to them. Make sure your connections are benefiting from you just as much as you’re benefiting from them. Don’t be demanding without offering something in return. Mutually beneficial relationships are the ones that last, and if your contacts do decide to do business with you, they’ll remember all you did for them and spread the word. 

Regular Contact Cleanup

It’s important to clean up your contacts list regularly to ensure you reach out to those who matter. When you eliminate contact duplicates and inactive contacts, you can identify and begin to focus on building the relationships that have the highest potential. 

You can do this manually, or you can use Contacts+ and take some of the burdens off your hands. With the Contacts+ notes feature, you can easily reference your last interaction with each contact to determine if maintaining a relationship is beneficial. 

Follow-Up Regularly

Whether it’s a personal or professional connection, following up helps put the relationship back on track. People feel good knowing others care about them. The personal connections you reach out to will be happy to connect.

Business can get in the way of professional connections, and other activities can be distracting. Following up on previous conversations can help them identify what they need to take action on and how to move forward.

One of the biggest downfalls resulting from the pandemic is isolation. Rather than feel alone and disconnected from others, embrace technology, and continue to stay in touch while nurturing your relationships. Contacts+ will help you keep your contacts’ information updated, organized, and accessible from any location and device. Create an account for free today!