Working With Clients – The Pros and Cons of Working Virtually

By Anne Blumer | September 28, 2020 |

The pandemic has thrown a curveball at working with your clients–how to keep both you and your client safe.  If you are not comfortable working with clients in-person using PPE, you might want to consider working with them virtually.  Virtual organizing has its pros and cons to consider for both you and your client:

Pros – Client

  • Saves time/money
  • Shorter sessions easier to schedule on a busy schedule
  • Not location dependent
  • Can be used for maintenance sessions after onsite work is complete
  • Suitable for people who can only focus for short periods of time
  • Accountability
  • Enables people who are ashamed of their home or uncomfortable with strangers in their home

Pros – Professional Organizer

  • Another stream of revenue
  • Less liability
  • No commute/traffic
  • A “greener” service delivery
  • Fewer expenses (bankers boxes, etc.)
  • Physically easier
  • Can schedule more clients in a day because of no commuting
  • Can work if you are a bit under the weather
  • Avoid onsite health issues (allergies, pet dander, viruses)

Cons – Client

  • Mentally tiring for the PO and the client versus physically tiring
  • Mentally challenging for some clients (BTI, ADD, Alzheimer’s)
  • The client needs to access organizing supplies
  • Shorter sessions mean it can take longer in duration to complete a project
  • Takes longer to go through sorting item by item
  • Logistics of holding device (phone, tablet, or laptop) and stuff
  • Comfortable with technology/do a pre-session to get client familiar with it

Cons – Professional Organizer

  • Mentally tiring for the PO and the client versus physically tiring
  • Areas inside of the client site where they don’t have connectivity
  • May not be able to view the entire space; only what the client shares
  • ADD clients will be challenging to keep focused
  • Difficult to read nonverbal communication
  • The client might not do the assignments
  • Takes longer to go through sorting item by item
  • Shorter sessions mean it can take longer in duration to complete a project

You can learn much more about working with clients virtually versus in-person and experience a virtual client practicum by completing our Layer Two program.

Posted in Professional Organizer, Virtual Organizing, Working with Clients

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