If you’ve ever left a professional conversation thinking, ‘Now What?’ then this article is certainly for you. The way we follow up after a scheduled appointment and meeting with other parties is oftentimes more crucial than the actual contents of the meeting itself.
By following up successfully after scheduled or instant meetings you not only create opportunities for future productive engagements but also ensure that what needs to be done actually gets done and that everyone involved is aware of expectations.
Here are a few strategies you can implement to make sure you’re following through and staying on top after your scheduled appointments and follow up meetings:
When meeting with teams inside your organization, the point of the conversation is usually concerning next steps and setting up meeting and scheduling structures for a project to flow successfully. If you’re meeting with others at regular intervals of sessions longer than 10 minutes, you need to be taking notes, hitting that record button or sending Looms.
What can seem like crucial information in the moment and something worthy of your attention can be superseded by the next sentence in a flash.
Documenting conversations and points of interest after a meeting is truly the best way to ensure you’re capturing important information and making sure that the next time you schedule with team mates and stakeholders is relevant and follows the previous conversation.
Some things to include in your follow up emails after your scheduled meetings and appointments are:
Whereas internal meetings are all about planning and context, external meetings generally have to do with prospects. Making a positive first impression is always top of mind and a major priority for any initial client-facing activity. Knowing what comes next and how to build on that impression is equally important and can bode extremely well for your future prospects and relationships if executed correctly.
If you’re someone who deals with large volumes of scheduled meetings that require additional interaction after they conclude, might we suggest the following tips to make sure you’re hitting that after-sales service sweet spot:
Set your ego aside and start making a habit of re-introducing yourself or your service post meeting or appointment or even remind people of the reason for meeting in the first place in a follow up email. Maybe the person you met with is forgetful, maybe they need some reminding or maybe they themselves deal with loads of other meetings every day.
When done in a non-condescending way, adding some context and relevant info pertaining to you and your services can help them to categorize their experience with you and refer back to it either in conversation or by searching their own mailboxes for future reference, furthering your chance for a follow up meeting.
People like to have a bit of control over their schedule, calendars and how they go about their affairs. If you’re planning to develop your professional relationship with someone beyond the first scheduled meeting, suggest ways in which you can do so by giving them some autonomy in directing the course of events.
Maybe you have a booking page that allows them to select their intended slots or perhaps you can refer them to a routing system to better understand their exact needs and add context to your next engagement or appointment.
If you have found that your follow ups all generally follow the same ground with very little needed in terms of variation, why not spend some time perfecting it and subsequently automating it to make sure you’re always responding with a well-timed follow up post-engagement?
If you’re looking for an automated message as well as to present your prospects with a range of options to qualify and route them accordingly for your next scheduled interaction, Pages by OnceHub is a great solution.
You can set up your Pages to act as a digital assistant that allows for conversational marketing that adds context and provides relevant options depending on inputs and flow. Try it out here.
As we deal with appointments and engagements that require our attention and care, let’s try to be mindful of other people’s schedules by following up and making sure to check in and provide relevant information after meetings as they happen.
It's an undeniable fact; if you want to make sure a scheduled meeting was successful and fruitful, sending meaningful follow up emails is essential.
Not only does it help to repeat and clarify any information that may have been lost or misunderstood during the course of the meeting, but it also demonstrates a level of professionalism and care that will keep your clients or colleagues engaged and interested in what you're doing and secure their attention for future appointments.
It's no wonder why sending meaningful follow-up emails after meetings or appointments are so important - they can go a long way in making sure everyone involved has had their expectations met! So remember - sending thoughtful follow-ups is always worth your time. Happy emailing!
If you have any additional tips for how to stay abreast and think ahead please let us know and remember, if you’re struggling with your approach to follow up emails after scheduled meetings, we have a feature that allows you to automate it.