What is Client Care?
Looking after the clients best interests and providing an appropriate level of service that satisfies the clients needs.
How do you provide good client care?
- Professionalism
- Competence
- Punctuality
- Trust
- Reliability
- Presentation
- Regular communication
- Review of services provided
- KPIs to monitor
- Client performance feedback
Why is Client Care important to surveying firms?
- Repeat business
- Reputation
- Word of mouth referrals
- Reduce potential complaints and negligence claims
- Professionalism of the industry
- Trust in the the profession
What is CPF?
Client Performance Feedback
What is the purpose of Client Performance Feedback (CPF)
Usually carried out by an independent person every 6 months.
- Gather feedback during and after project completion
- Sets the standards for the company
- Identifies areas for improvement
- Encourages open discussion
- Opportunity to gain future work
How would you identify the needs of a client?
Requirements for each client are unique. To identify their needs:
- Client planning sessions
- Discussions about key deliverables and scope of services
- Reviewing past CPF scores and identifying areas for improvement
- Reviewing complaints to identify mistakes and best practice methods
What is a Client Brief?
To provide a firm foundation for the initiation of the project.
Includes a statement of objectives and requirements.
Provide an example of client care & empathy skills?
- Prioritise each client’s needs accordingly to their specific requirements.
- Provide them with full focus and not to feel like a number within multiple instructions.
- Organise and communicate throughout and ensure deadlines are met with high standards.
When should you decline an instruction of new work from a client?
- conflict of interest
- Appointment is not in the best interest of the client
- Firm not resourced to met clients objectives adequately
- Outside skillset
- Unlawful
What approach should you take when your considering making a fee bid?
- Clients requirements
- Document an assessment to consider the risks involved with proceeding to bid.
- Peer review and sign off before submission.
What makes up a fee bid proposal?
- Executive summary inc. scope & solution.
- Clients needs & key deliverables.
- Analysis of project issues.
- Key benefits for the client.
- References to relevant experience.
- Conditions of engagement.
- Methodology.
- Organogram.
- Proposed fee.
- Supporting CVs.
- Project programme.
- Sub consultants.
- Quality assurance
If your client asked you to lower your fees because of their limited funding, what would you do?
The client would have to pay the fee quoted or reduce the scope of services required.
How would you calculate a fee proposal?
- Review the work involved with the commission.
- Calculate time and number of individuals required and multiply it by an hourly rate.
- allowance for overheads and profits.
What is your company’s procedure for client’s feedback?
- Expect to undertake feedback every 3-6 months
- Survey questionnaire at the end of a project
- regular informal feedback
What is your company’s procedure for complaint handling?
RICS specifies 2 stages:
1. Complaint reported to a senior member of the firm or delegated complaints handler.
2. If complaint cannot be resolved referred to an independent redress mechanism.
- Complete complaints form which is submitted to CEO.
- Investigation and response within 15 days.
- Should they be dissatisfied they can escalate to the RICS independent redress mechanism.
How do you identify your client’s needs and expectations?
- Ask questions and listen to key challenges and issues.
- Client’s briefing checklists.
- Request further clarification.
How do you establish trust?
- Transparent and honest
- Learn the clients objectives
- Act inside parameters of competence
- Professionalism
- High level of service
How do you encourage repeat business?
- High levels of service and customer care.
- Regularly obtain feedback and act on it.
- Dealing with complaints honestly and effectively.
- Keep in touch with clients following completion of project.
- Organising business development actives such as socials or CPD events.
What are the advantages / disadvantages of working from a client’s office?
- Clear and quick communication
- Improved understanding of client’s culture, needs and expectations can be determined.
- Loss of technical support from colleagues and possible isolation from own organisations culture.
