What is client care?
- The principle of client care is looking after the clients best interested and providing an appropriate level of service that satisfies the clients needs and achieves value for money
- Client care can be provided through
Professionalism
Competence
Punctuality
Trust
Reliability
Presentation
Regular communication
Why is client care important for surveying firms
- Majority of work is developed through repeat business from existing clients
- Therefore it is important not only for the client to achieve their requirements but also for the company to encourage repeat business where possible
- Providing that the clients satisfaction is maintained, positive testimonials can be achieved and work of mouth recommendations will be generated
- however dissatisfied clients can be very damaging as negative feedback and experiences can spread quickly
- providing excellent client care can also reduce the potential for negligence claims to rise
What is CPF
Client performance feedback is the process of gathering and acting on feedback from the client, this compromises of
- Gathering feedback during and after project completion
- This is usually carried out by an independent person
- the feedback sets the standards for the company and identifies areas for improvement
- it encourages open discussions with the client to ensure satisfactory service is delivered and the goals are achieved
- it also provides an opportunity to gain future work
- CPF is usually carried out at regular intervals to ensure problems can be rectified
How would you identify the needs of a client?
-I would look to achieve this by holding client account planning sessions
- Each client and project is different and their needs would be assessed on their own merit, this could be achieved by
-Holding discussions regarding project key deliverables and the scope of services required
-Reviewing past CPF scores and identifying key areas for improvement
-Reviewing any complaints to identify mistakes and best practice methods of working
What is a client brief?
- The purpose of the client brief is to provide a firm foundation for the initiation of the project
- It is a formal statement of the objectives and functional and operations requirements of the finished project
- it should be in sufficient detail to enable to integrated project team to execute the specification and detailed design of the work and is therefore an essential reference for the team
Please provide and example of client care skills
- Despite working on multiple projects i always try to ensure that i prioritize each clients needs accordingly
- My approach is to always make the client feel like the only project i am working on
- Through organization and communication i can meet the deliverables of each client in advance of the agreed deadlines and i am always sure to deliver work to a high standard
When should you decline an instruction from a client?
- If there is a conflict of interest
- i the appointment is not in the best interest of the client
- My firm may not be able to resource the job adequately
- If the project is outside of my skill set
- if the work is unlawful
What do you need to consider when preparing a fee bid
- My firm has its own procedure for preparing fee submission
- Find out the clients requirements and identify if we can provide these services
- A bid or no bid form is populated to identify if this is suitable for the business by considering the risks involved
- There are varying levels of sign off depending on fee value prior to submission
What makes up a fee bid proposal
- Executive summary including reference to the scope
- Identification of the clients needs and key deliverables
- identification and analysis of project issues
- Communication of key benefits for the clients
- References to relevant experience
- The conditions of engagement
- methodology
- An organogram
- Proposed fees
- Supporting CVS
How would you limi the risk of working with a client who may be financially unstable
I would use a screening process to check the clients finances, this could include:
- A company search using companies house to obtain financial accounts
- a credit check
- internet search for reviews and testimonials to and to look for additional information
If your clients asked you to lower your fees what would you do
- The client would have to pay the required price for the required services, a reduction in cost would mean a reduction in service
What is your companies policy on handling feedback
- We undertake formal project reviews with the client every 2 months
- In my day to day involvement with the client i look to obtain regular informal feed back through verbal and email communication
- We undertake a formal feedback review questionnaire at the end of the project
What is your companies CHP
A 2 stage complain process in line with the RICS
How do you identify you clients needs and expectations?
- I am always sure to ask questions and listen to the client on key challenges and issues they are facing
- I also use clients briefing checklists where applicable
- There have been times where i have not recieved an adequate briefing from the client
How do you establish trust?
- I am transparent and honest about my actions
- I learn about my client and their long term objectives in addition to key challenges they are facing
- I only act inside of the parameters of my expertise
- I always act in a professional manner
- I always provide a high level of service
How do you encourage repeat business?
- By providing high levels of service
- Acting on feedback
- by dealing with complaints honestly and effectively
Through keeping in touch with clients even when we have no live projects - Organizing business development activities and attending social events
