Loyalty in voice-over. Loyalty in the gig economy. Loyalty in a virtual world. Does loyalty even exist anymore?

Well, I've always said that there is no loyalty in voice-over. Except when there is. But, mostly, there's not.

I wonder, however, if I used the phone more to connect with clients, if there would be a little more loyalty or trust in relationships. Would building relationships through the phone benefit me, keeping me top of mind?

The logical voice in me says yes, but the experienced voice, says… probably not.

I can't tell you how many clients I've worked for, whom I've never spoken with on the phone.

Fourteen years in business this coming January, and I've had clients for as long, whom I've never spoken to in "real life."

Whether this is a reflection of the fast pace of the broadcast world, or the low place voice talent are on the totem pole, or the types of people who hire me (quite often techy, and not the most social types), using the phone is simply not something I need to do often.

It's ironic that my business mentor and closest personal friend has a entire business teaching people how to be effective phone communicators. Clearly, there is still a need for that skill.

Case in point. I reached out to a client after not hearing from him for a few months. Not hearing from a client in a few months is not uncommon. However, when you are paid on a monthly retainer and they don't request your services month after month… not so common.

So, since I hadn't received any scripts, but was still billing the client, I thought I'd reach out to find out what was going on. Turns out, my contact – the person who sends me scripts and whom I'd worked with for a very long time – was told by his supervisor that they wouldn't be using my services any more, they were going in a different direction.

Except, they didn't tell me. Through no fault of my contact – he was told the supervisor would handle me – a company I'd worked for monthly, for almost 14 years, just decided to end things.

The thing is, if I'd picked up the phone and talked to someone, I don't know if the result would have been any different.

Nearly 14 years is a VERY long time to be with a client, and I am so grateful to have been on their roster for so long.

I suppose the moral of this story is to continue to do good work and provide great customer service. Clients will come, and sometimes go. That's the nature of the freelancer's business.

The winds of change blow all the time. That is my mantra.

I'm always okay with the change that is inherent in my business because, inevitably, it will change again. A door closes. A door opens. Always.

What are your thoughts about this subject? Are you building strong connections? Do they matter in your business? Does the phone help you?