Client Care

Question 1

What is a stakeholder?

Answer 1

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

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
• Quality Assurance procedures
• Key performance indicators
• Client satisfaction questionnaires
• Looking out for a client’s best interests
• Client feedback meetings
• Lessons learned workshops
• Identifying the appropriate scope of service
• Defining the client brief

Question 2

Why is client care important?

Answer 2

• 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 3

How do you conduct yourself with a new client?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

How do you build trust with the client?

Answer 4

• 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 5

What is the difference between a client and the customer?

Answer 5

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 6

What is the term ‘soft landings’ referring to?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

Please detail some of the quality management systems you have implemented on your projects.

Answer 7

• PEPs
• Contractor payment schedules
• Using standardized contract administration forms
• Reporting templates
• Following industry guidance and advisory notes
• Following company policy and procedures

Question 8

What is a lesson learnt workshop?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

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

Answer 9

• Inform the client they will be invited to provide feedback on the team
• Identify a feedback champion who will be responsible for undertaking the feedback sessions with the client (should be PD or above and not already involved in the project to eliminate any bias and provide an independent review).
• Complete the form for Project Feedback Survey Request and add your Client’s email.
• Arrange a suitable time and date for the feedback session
• Arrange a pre-meet with the feedback champion to provide a brief overview of the project status, team and any current issues on the project.
• Feedback champion undertakes session and submits the feedback scores and comments via email.
• Arrange a post meet with the feedback champion to discuss feedback received and identify areas for continuous improvement.
• Make the client aware of any actions taken.
• Set a reminder in the diary to repeat the process in a few months.

Question 10

How do you act upon feedback received from a client?

Answer 10

• The feedback should be formally 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 feedback is fed back into the company through the lessons learned process
• Review the improvement in 6 months or another suitable period

Question 11

What are KPIs?

Answer 11

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

Question 12

Can you provide examples of a KPI?

Answer 12

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

Question 13

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

Answer 13

• 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 14

How do you manage your client’s expectations?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

What is a complaint?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Does the RICS have any rules associated with complaints?

Answer 16

Rule 7 for firms. A firm shall operate a complaint handling procedure and maintain a complaints log. The complaints handling procedure must include an ADR mechanism that is approved by the Regulatory board.

Question 17

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

Answer 17

As soon as possible.

Question 18

How would you deal with a complaint from a client?

Answer 18

• Acknowledge receipt of the complaint.
• Notify the 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 outcomes and course of action for correction.
• If the client is unhappy with the outcome, they have the right for separate review or mediation.#- If the client is still unhappy, they have the right to refer to independent dispute resolution.
• Communicate the lessons learned internally.
• Review at predetermined date in the future.
  Inform the PI insurers of the complaint at each stage of the process.

Question 19

Has RICS published any information on handling client’s money?

Answer 19

Client money handling - professional statement - effective Jan 2020

Question 20

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

Answer 20

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 21

What is meant by client’s money?

Answer 21

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

• A RICS regulated firm holds 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 22

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

Answer 22

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

Question 23

What might be excluded from a consultant’s fee proposal?

Answer 23

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

Question 24

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

Answer 24

- 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

Question 25

What might be included in a consultant's fee proposal?

Answer 25

- Scope of service - Terms of appointment - Basis of pricing - Information of team including CVs and qualifications - Project details - Timescales - Insurances - Exclusions - Assumptions, e.g. programme

Question 26

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

Answer 26

- If the project requirements had (services, scope, value 0 had increased, then it would be reasonable for the fees 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 27

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

Answer 27

- Harder to be critical of colleagues from the same company - Perceived conflict of interest - However, are advantages too; team are usually more efficient as work under the same policies, procedures, core values etc.

Question 28

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

Answer 28

- I would explain to the client how the fee was calculated and the necessary resources to meet their requirements. - I would avoid entering an 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 29

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

Answer 29

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

Question 30

What is a consultant appointment document?

Answer 30

- Appointment documents are terms and conditions 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 31

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

Answer 31

Events such as: - Dealing with insolvency of a contractor - Delay to the programme due to contractor default - Increased scope of service

Question 32

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

Answer 32

- 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