A video call is often the first real contact a customer has with your company, and it is easy to waste. The link does not work, the sound is poor, the conversation wanders, and two days later nobody is sure what was agreed. None of this needs special software. It needs a small routine that takes about fifteen minutes of preparation and ten minutes afterwards.
Set up before the call
Do a quick check ten minutes before the start, using the same device and room you will use for the call.
- Sound first. Customers forgive a poor picture but not a voice they cannot understand. Use a headset or a decent microphone and close the door.
- Camera at eye level, with the light in front of you rather than behind.
- The link. Open the invitation yourself and make sure it needs no installation or account on the customer's side. Add a phone number as a fallback.
- Screen sharing. Close personal tabs and notifications. Open only the documents you will show.
- A second way to reach the customer, for example a mobile number, in case the connection drops.
Security is part of the setup too. The National Cyber Security Centre has advice on using video conferencing services securely, including waiting rooms, meeting passwords and who can share a screen.
Send a short agenda the day before
A three-line message is enough:
- Purpose: why we are meeting, in one sentence.
- What we need to decide or learn: one or two points.
- Length and who joins: for example "30 minutes, you and two colleagues, from our side Anna and me".
This lets the customer bring the right people and the right numbers. If the call is a regular review, the same structure works as in a quarterly review meeting with a key customer.
Run the call
First two minutes. Greet, confirm that sound works for both sides, and say how the call will go: "We have thirty minutes. I would like to finish with a clear list of what we agreed."
The middle. Take the agenda points in order. Ask a question, then stay quiet long enough to get a real answer; on video, silence feels longer than it is. If a new topic appears, write it down and say you will return to it at the end rather than following it now.
Last five minutes. Read back what was decided, who does what and by when. This is the most useful part of the call, because the customer can correct you while everyone is still there.
Keep one person in charge of the time and another, if possible, taking notes. If you cannot spare a second person, make short notes yourself during the read-back.
Recording and notes
Tell the customer at the start if you record the call or use an AI tool for notes, and ask whether that is fine. If they say no, do not record. Recordings and transcripts contain personal data, so keep them in one place with limited access and delete them when you no longer need them. The Information Commissioner's Office has guidance for small organisations on handling personal data. If you use an assistant for notes, check what it stores; see AI meeting notes: action items, consent, accuracy and retention.
Send the follow-up the same day
Write the follow-up within a few hours, while the call is fresh. Keep it short:
- a one-line thanks and the purpose of the call,
- the decisions, each with an owner and a date,
- open questions and who will answer them,
- the date of the next contact.
A fuller template is in a short recap after a client call. Ask the customer to reply only if something is wrong; silence then counts as agreement, and you have a written record if memory differs later.
What to do this week
- Write a ten-minute setup checklist and keep it next to your screen.
- Use the three-line agenda for your next customer call.
- Reserve the last five minutes of every call for the read-back.
- Send the follow-up before the end of the working day, and note the time you spent.
- Decide how you handle recordings: ask first, store in one place, delete after a set time.
If you only change one thing, change the follow-up. It costs ten minutes and removes most misunderstandings.
Sources
- National Cyber Security Centre, Video conferencing services: using them securely: settings and habits that reduce risk on calls.
- Information Commissioner's Office, Advice for small organisations: handling and keeping personal data.
- National Cyber Security Centre, Small business guide: basic security steps for small companies.