Client Care Flashcards
What is good client care?
Good client care is about understanding the client’s commercial objectives and delivering clear, timely, and tailored advice. It involves effective communication, managing expectations, and acting in the client’s best interests while complying with RICS standards. Key elements include transparency, responsiveness, and maintaining professional conduct throughout the instruction.
Why is it important to prioritise the client’s needs?
Prioritising the client’s needs is essential to delivering a service that aligns with their objectives, builds trust, and ensures long-term relationships. It helps to provide relevant, timely, and commercially focused advice, ultimately adding value. By understanding and focusing on their goals, we can tailor our approach, manage risks more effectively, and meet or exceed expectations, all while upholding professional and ethical standards.
Why is it important to ensure accurate information is provided for client care?
Providing accurate information is essential to maintaining trust, supporting informed decision-making, and reducing the risk of misunderstandings or disputes. Ensuring accuracy reflects professionalism, complies with RICS standards, and helps to manage risk effectively.
In your example, you state if you are unable to fulfil a service, it may be necessary to decline the instruction. In what circumstances is it acceptable to complete the instruction?
In a circumstance where the company you work for is able to fulfil the service competently, you may pass the service to them but the client needs to be informed of this an confirm agreement.
When would it be appropriate to decline an instruction?
- Lack of Competence - Where the instruction falls outside of my area of expertise and I would not be able to provide competent, diligent service.
- Conflict of interest - if you would not be able to provide a service due to impartiality or duty of care to another client.
- Insufficient resources - do not have the capacity to complete the work to the required standard.
- Unrealistic expectations - if you are not able to meet the client’s objectives and expectations
- Ethical concerns - if taking the instruction would involve behaving in an unethical or non-compliant way.
When preparing to decline an instruction are there any other options you could consider?
It depends on the reason for the decline, but you could consider referring to another professional or the RICS find a surveyor platform. Alternatively you could consider managing conflicts if possible or clarifying realistic timelines and scope of instruction.
What does the RICS Rules of Conduct (2021) state regarding complaints?
Appendix A of the Rules of Conduct states firms’ obligations to the RICS. One of which is that firms must publish a complaints-handling procedure which includes an alternative dispute resolution provider approved by RICS, and maintain a complaints log.
Where can you find Savills complaints procedure?
A copy will be provided upon request by any staff member.
What is Savills’ Complaints Procedure?
Acknowledge the complaint within 3 days.
A director is to provide a response within 10 days.
Further investigation following this can be requested. If a dispute is not able to be resolved in-house, then it can be escalated to the second stage, which is to report to the Centre of Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
What is the RICS’ Complaints Handling Procedure?
What is Marwood Surveyors Complaints Handling Procedure?
Marwood Surveyors publishes its Complaints Handling Procedure on the website and outlines that all complaints must be provided in writing. An acknowledgement will be received within 7 days, and then an investigation will be completed where a response or an update will be provided within a further 28 days.
If the complaint cannot be complaint cannot be resolved in-house, then the complaint will go to the Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).
What is the significance of dispute resolution?
Dispute resolution is significant as it provides a structured process to manage and resolve conflicts between parties efficiently.
What dispute resolution methods are you aware of?
Examples include mediation, arbitration, adjudication, and expert determination.
What is the RICS Professional Standard on Complaints Handling (2016) outline?
The standard sets out the minimum requirements for RICS-regulated firms to manage complaints fairly and professionally. It outlines that firms must:
1. Have a formal, written complaints policy to be made available to clients upon request.
2. Have a two-stage process where stage 1 is internal review, but stage 2 is to a RICS approved independent mechanism such as CEDR.
3. Acknowledge and response to the claim within a reasonable timeframe outlined in the CHP.
4. Firms must keep a record of all complaints handled and resolved.
What RICS documents are you aware of relating to complaints?
RICS Professional Standard: Complaints Handling (2016)
Why is it beneficial to hold weekly client meetings?
It promotes clear and consistent communication to discuss progress on the clients objectives and supports quicker decision making.
What formats of communication are you aware of?
- Verbal communication methods - phone calls, video calls, in-person meetings.
- Written communications - email, letters, reports and formal notices.
- Digital platforms - such as MS Teams, shared drives
- Visual communication - Charts, presentation, drawings to help convey information.
How does weekly client meeting assist in meeting the client’s expectations?
In your example, the Garage at Cannock, can you provide an overview of the advise you provided?
I advised that we would not be able to take on the instruction due to capacity and not having the relevant expertise in garage lettings.
When the client in Garage Cannock expressed frustration, did you advise your client of the complaints procedure?
Our complaints procedure is available publicly on the website. I did not explicitly advise that a complaint be escalated, but also did not discourage a complaint from being processed.
Why is it important to maintain communication in writing? (Garage example)
To be in line with the RICS Professional Standard: Complaints Handling (2016), where complaints should be made in writing, it also provided a strong audit trail, so should the issue have escalated to a complaint my director would have been able to review all communications.
Why was it important to keep your director informed throughout the process? (Garage in Cannock)?
My director at the time, Sophie Bullock, would be the Complaints Handler for any formal complaints and therefore it would be beneficial for her to be informed prior to escalation in anticipation of providing responses in a reasonable and prompt timeframe in line with the complaints handling policy.
Did you consider any further methods of resolution? (Garage at Cannock)
No as the issue did not escalate to a formal complaint. I did recommend they use another company, however I was not aware of any companies specialising in single resdiential garage lettings.
What is the definition of a complaint?
RICS Complaints Handling 2016 standard defines a complaint as any expression of dissatisfaction.
