Client Care

Question 1

What is meant by client care?

Answer 1

A continuous process of understanding client’s requirements, suggestions, complaints, etc. and analysing these to enhance service delivery. This can include:
- Understanding clients needs & requirements
- Complaint handling procedure
- KPI’s
- Defining the client’s brief
- Client satisfaction questionnaire
- Client feedback meetings
- Lessons Learnt Workshops
- Quality Assurance Procedures

Question 2

What is the difference between a client and a customer

Answer 2

A client is one who is under the protection of another
A customer is one who purchases a comodity or service

Question 3

What quality management systems do I have on my projects?

Answer 3

• All Projects - Project Execution Plan
• R131 Monthly PM Dashboard Template
• R131 Project Management Plan
• Project Wind contract schedules checklist
• Following industry guidance and advisory notes
• Following company policy and procedure (STFC Design Standards)

Question 4

Provide examples of KPI’s

Answer 4

Number of defects/ snags
Construction cost overrun
Acheieving programme milestones
Profitability
Health & Safety scores
Environmental scoring (UKRI Net Zero Strategy)
Use of local labour (Project Wind social value docs example)

Question 5

RICS guidance around Handling Client Money

Answer 5

Client Money Handling Professional Standard (October 2019)

Question 6

What are the objectives of the Client Money Handling Professional Standard?

Answer 6

Provides clear rules to have appropriate controls and procedures to keep client money safe. It gives clients confidence that RICS regulated firms are operating to a high professional standards.

Question 7

What are the key requirements indentified in the Client Money Handling standard?

Answer 7

• Client account requirements
• Appropriate accounting controls
• The information that firms must provide to clients
• How to handle client money

Question 8

What should you do if you need to handle clients money

Answer 8

Keep all funds in a separate account
Ensure that a client can access their funds any time they request
All interest earnt on clients money is owned by the client
A clear record is held of all client transactions

Question 9

What sort of information would you expect to see in a client’s brief for a professional appointment?

Answer 9

• Details of the project and professional services required
• Insurances required
• Terms of appointment
• Expected duration of the appointment
• Client procedures and policies
• Key drivers for success

Question 10

How would you identify and understand a client’s brief at the outset of a project?

Answer 10

Conduct thorough stakeholder analysis
Set out a clear RACI matrix
Regular meetings with the client
Write out the brief and ask the client to confirm this meets their expectations

Question 11

How do you manage conflicting client requirements or expectations?

Answer 11

Map out the stakeholders to understand which ones need to be priortised.
Facilitate meetings to clarify project goals and take part in negotiations if required.

Question 12

How would you manage a situation where a client is dissatisfied with something on the project?

Answer 12

Corrective measures will depend on the the issue.
Think of an example here in my project?

Question 13

How would you deal with a demanding client?

Answer 13

On the Data Centre Project one of the client team was very demanding and wanted to be more heavily involved in the project, this was more than he was required by the client organisation. This particular client requested that they had a regular presence on site and often picked up faults in the site such as mess.
In order to manage this I worked with the contractor to ensure that within the site cabin there was a dedicated area for this individual and agreed the days they would be on site.
I also arranged with the contractor that they would have a dedicated time slot when they would walk the client round the site. This allowed the client to make sure the site was in good condition (free from additional mess) and prevented the client from adding extra demands to the project.
In doing this I was able to build a better working relationship with this client and manage their expectations around the construction site.

Question 14

How would you deal with a change in client priorities?

Answer 14

An example of this is the R131 project Enabling Works Package. As STFC are funded by UKRI they have a very limited budget so the enabling works package cost had to be kept to as low as it could possibly be. However, due to the change in procurement strategy from single stage d&b to two-stage d&b this increased the length of the programme. STFC’s main priority then became programme to ensure the works could be completed during the financial year when funding was secured.
I had to coordinate this change in priority with the whole project team. To do this I had to review the project programme and ensure that the procurement period could be completed during the early part of the 25/26 FY to ensure that the works began before the FY began.

Question 15

What are the client confidentiality regulations?

Answer 15

GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)

Question 16

How do you manage cultural differences within a project team?

Answer 16

Consider the time of meetings, this focuses on location in the world, if an individual has to prey or is celebrating a religious holiday (e.g. Eid and fasting is required)
Be aware and understanding of different cultures
If there is a language barrier be sure to put information in writing so it is clear to everyone

Question 16

How long would you keep a client’s data on a project after the project has finished?

Answer 16

Under GDPR it states data should not be kept for longer than is neccessary. For a construction project this will relate to what is written in the contract.
This is typically 10 - 12 years for constrution projects. This is mainly related to if the contract is executed underhand or as a deed as if a claim is made on the project the data is available to back it up.

Question 17

What measures can you take to prevent scope creep on a project?

Answer 17

Clearly define the project scope
Implement a change procedure to track changes
Constantly monitor project boundaries

Question 18

How do you ensure the project remains within the client’s risk tollerance?

Answer 18

STFC are a very risk adverse client so when working on projects with them I always clearly identify where they will accept risk and share these examples with the project team so they can work within the limits.
I will also work with the wider project team to add in contingencies of time and cost where possible to prevent risks from affecting the projects programme and cost.