Client Care

Question 1

What do you understand by client care?

Answer 1

a continuous process of understanding client’s requirements, suggestions, complaints etc. and analysing to enhance service delivery. This can include:

• Understanding client needs and requirements.
• Complaint handling procedures (CHPs).
• Quality assurance (QA) procedures.
• Key performance Indicators (KPIs).
• Client satisfaction questionnaires.
• Looking out for client’s best interests.
• Client feedback meetings.
• Lessons learned workshops.
• Identifying the appropriate scope of service.
• Defining the client brief.

Question 2

What is a stakeholder?

Answer 2

A person or organisation who has an interest in a project.

Question 3

Why is client care important?

Answer 3

• To retain existing clients and secure repeat business.
• Reduce the likelihood of conflict.
• Maintain a strong reputation within the industry and so attract further clients.

Question 4

How do you conduct yourself with a new client?

Answer 4

• Well mannered
• Well presented
• Respectful
• Friendly and enthusiastic

Question 5

How do you build trust with the client?

Answer 5

• Learn about your client and their objectives.
• Only act within your level of competence.
• Always act in a professional manner.
• Always provide a high level of service.
• Be transparent.
• Being open and honest.

Question 6

What is the difference between a client and a customer?

Answer 6

• Client - One who is under the protection of another
• Customer - One who purchases a commodity or service

The main difference between a customer and a client is that a protective, ongoing business relationship is formed with a client, but not necessarily with a customer.

Question 7

What is the term ‘soft landings’ referring to?

Answer 7

A strategy to ensue the transition from construction to occupation is ‘bump-free’ and operational performance is optimised.

Question 8

Please detail some of the quality management systems (QMS) you have implemented on your projects?

Answer 8

• Project execution plans (PEPs)
• Project control plans (PCPs)
• Contractor Payment Schedules
• Using Standardised contract administration forms
• Procedural checklists
• Reporting templates
• Following industry guidance and advisory notes
• Following company policy and procedures

Question 9

What is a lessons learnt workshop?

Answer 9

• Review a recent failing or success on a project:
• Put a procedure in place to prevent it happening again, or
• Review the success and share with others.

Question 10

What is your company’s procedure for obtaining formal client feedback?

Answer 10

Client satisfaction surveys are issued at key project stages.

Question 11

How do you act upon feedback received from a client?

Answer 11

• The feedback should be recorded in some way.
• Share the positives and discuss how negatives can be improved upon.
• If the feedback is negative, then it needs to be verified and the necessary course of action taken to correct going forward
• Ensure the feedback is fed back into the company though the lessons learned process.
• Review the improvement in 6 months or another suitable period.

Question 12

What are KPIs?

Answer 12

• Key Performance Indicators
• Can be used to measure supply chain performance
• Can be used to benchmark business performance against others.

Question 13

Can you provide examples of KPIs?

Answer 13

• Number of defects/snags
• Construction cost/overrun
• Achieving programme milestones
• Profitability
• H&S scores
• Environmental scoring
• Use of local labour

Question 14

Why is it important to maintain existing client relationships rather than just building new ones?

Answer 14

• A large percentage of commissions are ‘won’ through repeat business.
• Maintaining and building existing relationships will promote a positive image of the individual and the company.

Question 15

How do you manage your client’s expectations?

Answer 15

• Agreeing on strategy, goals and timelines.
• Being open and honest always.
• Offering advice ad direction within the scope of service.
• Being a good listening and understanding expectations
• Regularly communicating and addressing problems directly.

Question 16

What is a complaint?

Answer 16

An expression of dissatisfaction. Complaints generally arise when expectations have not been met.

Question 17

Does the RICS have any rules associated with complaints?

Answer 17

Rule 7 (for firms). A Firm shall operate a complaint handling procedure and maintain a complaints log. The complaints handling procedure must include an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism that is approved by the regulatory board.

Question 18

You receive a formal complaint form a client in writing, at what point should you firm notify the insurance company?

Answer 18

As soon as possible.

Question 19

How would you deal with a complaint from a client?

Answer 19

• Acknowledge the receipt of the complaint.
• Notify the appropriate person in the business (complaint handling manager)
• Appoint a person to carry out an investigation.
• Identify the outcome and course of action to rectify.
• Formally respond to the client, communicate the outcomes and course of action for correction.
• if the client is unhappy with the outcome, they have the right for separate review or mediation.
• Communicate the lessons learned internally
• Review at a predetermined date in the future.
• Inform the PI insurers of the complaint at each stage of the process.

Question 20

Has RICS published any information on handling clients’ money?

Answer 20

Client money handling - professional statement - effective January 2020.

Question 21

What are the objectives of the client money handling professional statement?

Answer 21

The overall objective of this professional statement is that RICS members and RICS regulated firms understand their obligations to ensure:

• Client money is kept safe
• Client money accounts are used for appropriate purposes only
• RICS-regulated firms have the appropriate controls and procedures to safeguard client money.

Question 22

What is meant by clients’ money?

Answer 22

Money of any currency (whether in the form of cash, cheque, draft, or electronic transfer that:

• An RICS-regulated firm holds for or receives on behalf of another person, including money held by a regulated firm as stakeholder and,
• Is not immediately due and payable on demand to the RICS-regulated firm for its own account.

Question 23

What information would you expect to see in a client’s brief?

Answer 23

• Services required.
• Insurances required.
• Terms of appointment.
• Duration of appointment.
• Client procedures and policies.
• Key drivers for success.

Question 24

What might be excluded in a consultant fee proposal?

Answer 24

• VAT.
• Disbursements.
• Dealing with claims.
• Services which are not required.

Question 25

What might be included in a consultant fee proposal?

Answer 25

- Scope of service. - Terms of appointment. - Basis of pricing. - Information on team including CV's and qualifications. - Project details. - Timescales. - Insurances. - Exclusions. - Assumptions (programme for example).

Question 26

How would you go about calculating a professional fee for a new commission?

Answer 26

- Understand client requirements including project scope, key project details, budget and scope of service. - Identify the seniority of resource and number of people required to deliver the service. - Assess the duration required to complete activities identified in the scope of service. - Apply a daily or hourly rate against the activities. - Review the total fee as a percentage against the project budget (as a sense check).

Question 27

Assuming you put together the fee proposal; a couple of months into the project, you realise you have underestimated the resources to deliver, would you go back to the client and ask for more money?

Answer 27

- If project requirements (service, scope, value) had increased, then it would be reasonable to ask for the fee to increase. - If the scope remained the same, it is likely to be a mistake, I would deal with the situation and get it right next time, I would not reduce the level of service originally offered.

Question 28

Could there be any issues (from a client perspective) with having all professional services delivered by one consultancy practice?

Answer 28

- Harder to be critical of colleagues from the same company rather than team members from another business. - Perceived conflict of interest - challenging colleagues within the same business on potential errors or omissions. - There are advantages too, if the team are from the same practice, the team are usually more efficient because they work under the same policies, procedures, core values, etc.

Question 29

You have submitted a fee bid to the client. The client contacts you and explains another practice has quoted a lower fee, but they would like you to do all the work. They ask you to reduce your fee to match the other practice. What should you do?

Answer 29

- I would explain to the client how the fee was calculated and the necessary resources to meet their requirements. - I would avoid entering a Dutch auction with another practice. - If the client were looking for an overall lower fee, I would be happy to review the scope of service to understand where services may be reduced in order to provide a reduced fee.

Question 30

Once you and your client verbally agree the services to be provided, what would you do next?

Answer 30

Follow up in writing to confirm terms and conditions, fee and scope of service.

Question 31

What is a consultant appointment document?

Answer 31

- Appointment documents are T&Cs for services being provided by a consultant to the client. - RICS have a standard form of consultant appointment if the business does not have their own.

Question 32

On what grounds might you ask the client for additional fees?

Answer 32

Events such as: - Dealing with insolvency of a contractor (usually excluded from a consultant's standard scope of service) - Delay to the programme due to contractor default. - Increased scope of service.

Question 33

Give examples when you should decline an instruction of work from a client?

Answer 33

- There is a conflict or potential conflict of interest. - The instruction could require an illegal or unethical action. - There is conflict with RICS rules or standards.