Improved practices for client contact management in a crisis during restrictions on personal contact as caused by Covid-19

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to explore, over the course of the current pandemic and the corresponding contact restrictions, changes to client communication practices in professional services and the lessons that can be learned from the process. The overall aim is to explore how business consultancies have developed crisis responses around client communication, what their experience with these measures were and on the basis of this, to evaluate which could be used in order improve crisis management and preparation in the future or improve practice in general. While much has been said about communication about a crisis, current research lacks information on crisis management around client communication, especially in the business sector the thesis investigates and with a focus on interactive communication modes. There is also very little material on what is likely to become improved practices. The present thesis seeks to address this gap. Adopting a Critical Realist paradigm and an abductive research logic, a case study on the consulting industry was conducted, with qualitative interviews as the main source of primary data and thematic analysis as the method. Interviewees were professionals from different types of consultancies from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The industry was chosen because for it, regular client contact and continuous close coordination are key, and this exchange has been done in person in the vast majority of instances. Key outcomes are a framework of recommendations for client communication in a crisis and first insights into how current crisis management measures might affect the workplace design after the crisis ends. Recommendations highlight in particular the importance of infrastructure and preparation, the need for rapid and pragmatic decision making, the usefulness of a project by project approach where possible, the central role of stakeholder involvement and the potential need of also supporting clients. This contributes to theory by presenting a more comprehensive framework on communication with clients in a crisis than hitherto published. It contributes to practice by providing a set of implementable recommendations for upholding and managing said communication. This might also be applicable for crisis communication with other stakeholders than clients and beyond the consulting industry.