Client Care

Question 1

In your view, what is meant by the term ‘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 & requirements
- Complaint handling procedure (CHPs)
- Quality assurance (QA) procedures
- Key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Client satisfaction questionnaires
- Understanding and acting in the client’s best interest
- Client feedback meetings
- Lessons learned workshops
- Identifying the appropriate scope of service for the commission
- 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 attract further clients
• Delivering the best possible outcome for the client/project

Question 3

How do you conduct yourself when interacting with your clients?

Answer 3

• I’m well-mannered and presentable
• I’m always respectful
• I adopts a friendly and enthusiastic approach
• I look to understand their requirements to ensure my actions are in my client’s best interest

Question 4

How do you build trust with your clients?

Answer 4

• I never try to give advice which is outside my scope of competence
• I always act in a professional manner.
• I always provide a high level of service
• I’m transparent, open and honest at all times
• I fulfil my commitments
• I admit mistakes and correct them ethically

Question 5

What is the difference between a client and a customer?

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

What is a project stakeholder?

Answer 6

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

Question 7

What is the term ‘soft landings’ referred to?

Answer 7

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

Question 8

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

Answer 8

• 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

Question 9

What is a lesson learnt workshop?

Answer 9

• A lesson learnt workshop is a process to review a recent failure or success on a project.
• The purpose is to put a procedure in place to prevent the failure from happening again or to review success and share it with others for wider implementation on future projects.

Question 10

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

Answer 10

Client satisfaction surveys are issued at key stages in the project.

Question 11

What are KPIs?

Answer 11

• Key performance indicators
• KPIs can be used to measure a company’s or individual’s success versus a set of targets, objectives or industry peers.

Question 12

Can you provide examples of a KPI that might be used in construction?

Answer 12

• Number of defects/snags
• Construction cost overrun
• Achieving programme milestones
• Profitability
• Health & Safety scores
• Environmental scoring
• 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 secured through repeat business
• Maintaining and building existing relationships will promote a positive image for the individual and the company.

Question 14

What is a complaint?

Answer 14

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

Question 15

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

Answer 15

As soon as possible.

Question 16

How would you deal with a formal client complaint?

Answer 16

• Acknowledge receipt of the complaint
• Notify the firm’s 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 the course of corrective action
• If the client is still unhappy, they have the right to refer the dispute to an independent resolution body
• Communicate lessons learned internally and review at a predetermined date in the future
• Inform the professional indemnity insurers at each stage of the process.

Question 17

Are you aware of any RICS guidance in association with complaints handling?

Answer 17

Complaints handling - 1st edition, July 2016. [Note - This guidance was updated January 2022 in line with new RICS Rules of Conduct]

Question 18

How can complaints be avoided in the first place?

Answer 18

• Setting out clear expectations in the scope of services and appointment documents.
• Communicating clearly and effectively with the client and other project stakeholders
• Put everything in writing to ensure there is always documented evidence of conversations and agreements ( for example, meeting minutes)
• Follow company procedures and policies (including quality assurance processes)
• Follow RICS standards, professional statements and guidance

Question 19

Has RICS published any information on handling clients’ money?

Answer 19

Client Money Handling - Professional Standard 1st edition, October 2019.

Question 20

What are the objectives of the Client Money Handling professional standard?

Answer 20

The professional standard provides clear rules for RICS regulated firms and members to have the appropriate controls and procedures to keep client money safe. It provides confidence to clients and consumers that RICS regulated firms are operating to high professional standards.

Question 21

What are some of the key requirements identified in the Client Money Handling professional standard?

Answer 21

The professional standard provides clear requirements such as:
- Client account requirements
- Appropriate accounting controls
- The information that firms must provide to clients
- How to handle client money including rules for managing any unidentified funds.

Question 22

What is the definition of ‘client money’ as noted in the professional standard?

Answer 22

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.

Question 23

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

Answer 23

• 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 24

What information might be included in a consultant’s fee proposal for professional services?

Answer 24

• Scope of service
• Terms of appointment
• Basis of pricing and fee
• Information on the proposed team including CVs and qualifications
• Project details
• Timescales
• Insurances
• Exclusions
• Assumptions (programme for example)

Typical exclusions:
- VAT
- Disbursements
- Dealing with claims (fees are usually extra over for this service)

Question 25

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

Answer 25

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

Question 26

What is a consultant appointment document?

Answer 26

• Appointment documents are terms & 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 27

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

Answer 27

• Understand the client and project requirements, including project scope, key details, budget and scope of service
• Identify the seniority of resource and the number of people required to deliver the service
• Assess the duration required to complete the activities identified in the scope of service
• Apply a daily or hourly rate against each activity
• Review the total fee as a percentage against the project budget (this can be used as a sense check)

Question 28

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

Answer 28

• If the project requirements (for example, service, scope, project budget) had increased, then it would be reasonable for the fees to increase also.
• 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 ensure the level of service originally offered was not reduced or diluted because the original fee calculation was underestimated.

Question 29

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

Answer 29

• Individuals may find it harder to critique or challenge colleagues from the same company (opposed to team members from another business).
• There may be a perceived or actual conflict of interest - potential errors or omissions may be handled in a different manner.
• There are advantages too. If the team are from the same practice, they are usually more efficient because they work under the same policies, procedures, core values, etc.

Question 30

You have submitted a fee bid to a potential 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 would you do?

Answer 30

• I would explain how the fee was calculated and the necessary resources to meet their requirements, this would provide context and ultimately justification for the fees submitted.
• I would avoid comparing the fee to the competing firm’s proposal
• If the client were looking for an overall lower fee, I would be happy to review the scope of service to identify potential areas where scope could be reduced (in order to achieve a lower fee).

Question 31

On what ground might a consultant be due additional fees?

Answer 31

Events such as:
- Dealing with contractor insolvency (usually excluded from a consultant’s standard scope of service).
- Delay to the programme (for example the contractor failing to complete on time)
- Increased scope of service
- Changes to the project brief
- Increased project budget

Question 32

Can you provide examples of when it would be appropriate to decline new work from a client?

Answer 32

Events such as:
- There is a conflict or potential conflict of interest
- The appointment may require an illegal or unethical action
- There is conflict with RICS rules or standards
- The scope is outside the competence of the practice