Preparing technology and agreeing next steps

Technology should be invisible to the customer. Before an important call, test your camera, microphone, lighting and connection, and know how to share a single window rather than your whole screen. Use the customer's preferred platform where possible, and send the link and agenda in the same message.

Have a fallback: a phone dial-in, a second device or a PDF of your material sent in advance. If a technical problem happens, solve it calmly or move to the fallback quickly; long troubleshooting wastes the customer's time.

The most important output of any interaction is a clear next step that both sides have agreed. A good next step is specific (what), has an owner (who) and a date (when), and moves the customer's decision forward rather than just keeping contact. "I'll send some information" is weak. "You will share the current process with Anna's team by Thursday, and we will meet on Monday to review two options" is strong.

Confirm the next step in writing shortly after the call. This short summary also helps the people who were not there.