Client Care Flashcards

1
Q

What do you understand by client care?

A

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 (CHPs).
  • Quality assurance (QA) procedures.
  • Key performance Indicators (KPIs).
  • Client satisfaction questionnaires.
  • Looking out for client’s best interests.
  • Client feedback meetings.
  • Lessons learned workshops.
  • Identifying the appropriate scope of service.
  • Defining the client brief.
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2
Q

What is a stakeholder?

A

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

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3
Q

Why is client care important?

A
  • 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.
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4
Q

How do you conduct yourself with a new client?

A
  • Well mannered
  • Well presented
  • Respectful
  • Friendly and enthusiastic
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5
Q

How do you build trust with the client?

A
  • 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.
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6
Q

What is the difference between a client and a customer?

A
  • Client - One who is under the protection of another
  • Customer - One who purchases a commodity or service

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.

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7
Q

What is the term ‘soft landings’ referring to?

A

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

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8
Q

Please detail some of the quality management systems (QMS) you have implemented on your projects?

A
  • Project execution plans (PEPs)
  • Project control plans (PCPs)
  • Contractor Payment Schedules
  • Using Standardised contract administration forms
  • Procedural checklists
  • Reporting templates
  • Following industry guidance and advisory notes
  • Following company policy and procedures
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9
Q

What is a lessons learnt workshop?

A
  • Review a recent failing or success on a project:
  • Put a procedure in place to prevent it happening again, or
  • Review the success and share with others.
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10
Q

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

A

Client satisfaction surveys are issued at key project stages.

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11
Q

How do you act upon feedback received from a client?

A
  • The feedback should be 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 the feedback is fed back into the company though the lessons learned process.
  • Review the improvement in 6 months or another suitable period.
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12
Q

What are KPIs?

A
  • Key Performance Indicators
  • Can be used to measure supply chain performance
  • Can be used to benchmark business performance against others.
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13
Q

Can you provide examples of KPIs?

A
  • Number of defects/snags
  • Construction cost/overrun
  • Achieving programme milestones
  • Profitability
  • H&S scores
  • Environmental scoring
  • Use of local labour
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14
Q

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

A
  • 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.
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15
Q

How do you manage your client’s expectations?

A
  • Agreeing on strategy, goals and timelines.
  • Being open and honest always.
  • Offering advice ad direction within the scope of service.
  • Being a good listening and understanding expectations
  • Regularly communicating and addressing problems directly.
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16
Q

What is a complaint?

A

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

17
Q

Does the RICS have any rules associated with complaints?

A

Rule 7 (for firms). A Firm shall operate a complaint handling procedure and maintain a complaints log. The complaints handling procedure must include an Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanism that is approved by the regulatory board.

18
Q

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

A

As soon as possible.

19
Q

How would you deal with a complaint from a client?

A
  • Acknowledge the receipt of the complaint.
  • Notify the appropriate person in the business (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 the outcomes and course of action for correction.
  • if the client is unhappy with the outcome, they have the right for separate review or mediation.
  • Communicate the lessons learned internally
  • Review at a predetermined date in the future.
  • Inform the PI insurers of the complaint at each stage of the process.
20
Q

Has RICS published any information on handling clients’ money?

A

Client money handling - professional statement - effective January 2020.

21
Q

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

A

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.
22
Q

What is meant by clients’ money?

A

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

  • An RICS-regulated firm holds for 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.
23
Q

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

A
  • Services required.
  • Insurances required.
  • Terms of appointment.
  • Duration of appointment.
  • Client procedures and policies.
  • Key drivers for success.
24
Q

What might be excluded in a consultant fee proposal?

A
  • VAT.
  • Disbursements.
  • Dealing with claims.
  • Services which are not required.
25
Q

What might be included in a consultant fee proposal?

A
  • Scope of service.
  • Terms of appointment.
  • Basis of pricing.
  • Information on team including CV’s and qualifications.
  • Project details.
  • Timescales.
  • Insurances.
  • Exclusions.
  • Assumptions (programme for example).
26
Q

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

A
  • 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.
  • Review the total fee as a percentage against the project budget (as a sense check).
27
Q

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

A
  • If project requirements (service, scope, value) had increased, then it would be reasonable to ask for the fee 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.
28
Q

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

A
  • Harder to be critical of colleagues from the same company rather than team members from another business.
  • Perceived conflict of interest - challenging colleagues within the same business on potential errors or omissions.
  • There are advantages too, if the team are from the same practice, the team are usually more efficient because they work under the same policies, procedures, core values, etc.
29
Q

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

A
  • I would explain to the client how the fee was calculated and the necessary resources to meet their requirements.
  • I would avoid entering a Dutch 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.
30
Q

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

A

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

31
Q

What is a consultant appointment document?

A
  • Appointment documents are T&Cs 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.
32
Q

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

A

Events such as:

  • Dealing with insolvency of a contractor (usually excluded from a consultant’s standard scope of service)
  • Delay to the programme due to contractor default.
  • Increased scope of service.
33
Q

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

A
  • 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.