Client Care (Checked)

Question 1

What is client care?

Answer 1

• Identifying all clients, colleagues and third parties who are your clients and the behaviours needed to build good relationships
• Requires the collection of data, analysis, and definition of client needs

Question 2

How do you manage client expectations?

Answer 2

• Build relationship that goes beyond client / consultant
• Communicate regularly and address problems directly
• Agree on strategy
• Offer advice, direct to someone else if can’t

Question 3

Why is client care important?

Answer 3

• Maintain high level of professional conduct
• Secure repeat business
• Strengthen reputation in business to secure more work
• Industry is small and long term, need to establish trust
• Links to duty of care

Question 4

What are the key principles of client care?

Answer 4

• Identify clients, existing and new, to maintain relationships and bring new work
• Know different client types and understand their objectives
• Refer to RICS Code of Conduct when building/maintaining
• Complaint’s handling procedure
• Collect and respond to client feedback
• Manage client accounts (if client money, ringfence it and name it client money)

Question 5

Who are Lendlease’s clients?

Answer 5

Freeholders of land:
- Greater London Authority
- Birmingham City Council

Local Planning Authorities:
- Southwark Council
- London Borough of Newham

Investors:
- Build to Rent team

End Customers:
- Retail operators
- Residents

Question 6

What system / procedure is important for client care?

Answer 6

Complaint’s handling procedure

Question 7

How do you maintain a good relationship with a client?

Answer 7

• Understanding objectives
• Seek formal / informal feedback
• Understanding client’s long term goal
• Quick responses / regular reporting

Question 8

What action should be taken if a client raises a complaint?

Answer 8

In line with RICS Rules of Conduct (2021):

Stage 1 (in-house):
1. Issue CHP inc. The Complaints Handling Officer
2. Receive written complaint
3. Acknowledge within 7 days
4. Investigate within 28 days

Stage 2 (ADR - 3rd Party Resolution):
1. Utilise an independent redress scheme as below
2. Provide name to client (RICS Dispute Resolution Service)

Question 9

Provide an example of good client care?

Answer 9

Aligning to the FF&E Client Brief

1. Reviewed client’s brief to understand objectives
2. Monthly meetings with client and interior designer to allow client to provide informal feedback
3. Ensured client’s objectives were met

Question 10

How often did you have the meetings between the client and interior designer?

Answer 10

Monthly

Question 11

How was informal feedback given?

Answer 11

Verbally

Question 12

What were the client’s objectives?

Answer 12

• They were delivering the amenity space for the BTR block
• Each room had a different theme (e.g. the lounge was winter, the kitchen was autumn)
• High specification

Question 13

Provide another example of good client care?

Answer 13

Client relationship with BCC

1. Responsible for updating BBC client team on the date each planning deliverable would be submitted
2. Shared tracker with them every other day
3. Enabled them to allocate internal resource and manage the workload of officers
4. Ensured it was reviewed within determination period

Question 14

What is a determination period?

Answer 14

The date from which a planning application is considered valid until it is consented

Minor - 8 weeks
Major - 13 weeks
Major with EIA - 16 weeks

Question 15

What is the Smithfield masterplan?

Answer 15

• 17 hectares, 3,000 homes
• BBC landowner
• LL development manager
• HPA submitted in December 2022
• Approved in June 2024
• Key Officer is Rhiannon Hill
• Bordesley & Highgate ward
• Objections from Historic England and changes to the Building Safety Act; Manor Square and the Bull Ring markets relocated to sit around buried moat and house of the de Birmingham family

Question 16

Name some types of clients?

Answer 16

• Members of public
• Internal service provider
• Third party commercial clients

Question 17

Name some of Lendlease’s clients?

Answer 17

• Public: Local communities and groups
• Internal service providers: BTR / Internal experts
• Third parties: Stakeholders

Question 18

To provide good client care, what legal and RICS requirements must you be aware of?

Answer 18

• PI Policy and limits
• Transparent fees
• Forms of appointment
• Identification of stakeholders and their relationship with you
• Formal communications
• Complaints handling procedures
• Key performance indicators

Question 19

What is LL PI Policy and limits?

Answer 19

Low risk: £2.5m
Medium Risk: £5m
High Risk: £10m

Question 20

What is the purpose of PII?

Answer 20

Protects firms against negligence claims (to cover compensation or legal fees) that leads to damages

Question 21

What are LL KPIs?

Answer 21

Share Price

Question 22

What is guidance for Client Care?

Answer 22

RICS Professional Standard: Countering Bribery and Corruption, Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (2019)

Question 23

What is ISO 9001: 2015 Quality Management Systems

Answer 23

Not a requirement of the APC but helps understand:

• People
• Business infrastructure
• Monitoring and measuring resources
• Working environment

E.g. Covid affected all of these systems, people at home, working environment at home, business infrastructure through the home

Question 24

What does the RICS Royal Charter set out?

Answer 24

Profession must maintain and promote the usefulness of the profession for the public advantage

• Delivery of quality of services and quality care

Question 25

What does ISO 9001: 2015 set out?

Answer 25

Must: 1. Monitor 2. Measure 3. KPIs Plan --> Do --> Check --> Act The quality manager will do this

Question 26

How do you manage clients?

Answer 26

- Complaint's handling - Day to day relationship - KPIs - Work with statutory authorities for approvals - Fee proposal - Confirm client brief

Question 27

What does beneficial ownership mean in relation to new clients?

Answer 27

The person who owns or controls the legally defined % of shares or voting rights in that entity

Question 28

How would you check who a beneficial owner is?

Answer 28

Identified through key documents: - Certificate of Incorporation - Annual Return

Question 29

If a RICS regulated firm receives a complaint over the phone, what is the first thing that the firm should do?

Answer 29

- Repeat back what they are hearing to show they have understood complaint - Following call, record in log - Establish who the communication is with

Question 30

After evaluating a complaint, within how long a time period must a RICS regulated firm respond to the complaint?

Answer 30

RICS guidance: 7 days - acknowledge 28 days - investigate Could be different for your firm, whatever is set out in the CHP (at LL we acknowledge within 5 days)

Question 31

What happens if a complaint to a RICS regulated firm cannot be resolved?

Answer 31

ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution service, e.g. a redress scheme

Question 32

Give an example of a business to business ADR provider approved by the RICS Standards and Regulation Board (SRB) for UK based firms?

Answer 32

RICS Dispute Resolution Service

Question 33

What would you do if a long standing client asked you to carry out work that you weren't personally competent to carry out?

Answer 33

1. Decline 2. Define scope of services within limits of experience and PII

Question 34

What information can you collect to measure and analyse the needs of a client?

Answer 34

- Scope of works required - Timescale required - Geographical location - Staff resources - Does the instruction meet requirements of PII? - Ask if you can deliver the work

Question 35

Give an example of a KPI to measure client satisfaction?

Answer 35

- Is work on time - Is work carried out to scope - Is work carried out within budget - Any re-works required?

Question 36

Which of the RICS Rules of Conduct relates to you providing a good-quality and diligent service. Give an example of how you meet this?

Answer 36

Rule 3 - Understand clients needs and objectives before accepting works - Agree with scope, timescales and budget for work

Question 37

Talk me through your L2 example of the Client Brief?

Answer 37

- Managed FF&E installation - Reviewed brief to ensure I understood their objectives - Set up monthly meetings with interior designer and client - Provided ID with opportunity to present material, texture and furniture - Client provided informal feedback to ensure objectives were met

Question 38

Talk me through your L2 example with the client relationship with BCC?

Answer 38

- Managed relationship with BCC during submission of HPA - I kept them updated on date each deliverable would be submitted - Managed through a tracker which I shared every other day - Enabled them to allocate internal resource and manage workload of officers

Question 39

What is a peer review and how is it carried out?

Answer 39

Involves someone not directly involved in a project undertaking a review at key milestones to pick up early warnings. - Ensures services are delivered to a high standard - Ensures internal quality assurance procedures are being followed - Identifies SWOT - Identifies lessons learned, can share to other projects

Question 40

If your client was unhappy with your performance, what would you do?

Answer 40

- Address issue in person - See if I could address it - If not then escalate to director - If that fails then refer to complaints handling procedure

Question 41

How do I establish good relationships with clients?

Answer 41

- Regular facetime - Listen to needs - Incorporate feedback - Be professional - Build personal relationships and rapport

Question 42

What is LL's complaints handling procedure?

Answer 42

1. Acknowledge receipt of complaint within 5 days 2. Inform complaints handling officer 3. Notify PII 4. Offer solution within 28 days 5. If client still dissatisfied, offer adjudication 6. Report complaint in complaints handling log 7. Undertake audit to prevent issue recurring

Question 43

Is there any RICS Guidance on Complaints Handling?

Answer 43

RICS Professional Standard: Complaints Handling (2016)