Managing Client Expectations
Guest blogs often provide an alternative viewpoint and are always warmly welcomed. This time around, we hear from PCA member Lesley Vachre from Three Shires as she shares her experience of managing client's expectations. Lesley's background comes from the invasive weed sector, but this is a blog that is relevant to all and how we can navigate situations where clients may be hesitant towards the professional advice being offered.
To find out more about what Lesley has to say on the subject, keep scrolling down...
A view from Lesley...
I come across many challenges when surveying and it got me to thinking how every job and every client comes with its own challenges and rewards. No two are ever the same! In my opinion, one of the main challenges we all face is managing a client’s expectations versus the actual requirements of the job at hand.
Client expectations
As an invasive species surveyor and specialist, you can have all the knowledge, experience and tools in your armory to get the job done in the most successful, timely and cost effective way. But what happens when your client wants it completed in a certain way? What are you going to do?
First of all, for me, I ask these questions:
- What is the site going to be used for?
- What is their budget and timescales?
- What are the future plans for the site, if any?
- What does the client want and what are their expectations?
Expertise and knowledge are key
This is where our expertise and knowledge come into play. As PCA trained and qualified professionals, we conduct the survey, write the management plan, prepare the quote, write the method statement and provide the best advice and solution to suit the job and the requirements. But what happens when you have done all that and things still go off track? Do things start to get ignored and omitted?
This could be for a myriad of reasons such as time constraints, cost concerns, shortcuts, misunderstandings, or even sheer stubbornness. In such situations, perhaps we, as surveyors and project managers, could have communicated more effectively? Let's delve into a few real-life examples...
What can we do as specialists?
Recently, I encountered a situation where work commenced without the qualified INNS specialist (me) present for the watching brief. This led to incomplete excavation of Japanese knotweed rhizomes and the neglect of biosecurity measures, increasing the risk of cross-contamination on and off-site. In another example, the client had gone way over their estimated delivery time for a project and wanted to make some cost savings. This included substituting a high quality root barrier with erosion matting...or Jute matting to be precise. I argued my case many times to many different people, but it all fell on deaf ears. The job was going over budget, so they made some cuts. The root barrier for Japanese knotweed was sadly one of them.
In cases such as this, what can we do as specialists? We can argue the case by presenting the facts both verbally and documented in emails pointing out how these changes and omissions are going to cost them more money and issues in the future. We can also direct them to other sources, i.e. the PCA professional pages on invasive weed management for example. Ultimately, you can provide a client with a method statement, toolbox talks, daily task sheets and so on. But unfortunately, you can not make them follow them.
So, what did I do in both cases after exhausting all of the above? I informed the client that I was not going to give them any guarantees, as in my company’s 10 year guarantee or the Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG), as the Japanese knotweed WOULD most definitely grow back and cause more damage to the retaining walls. When a job is fraught with difficulties, you have two options:
- You can work within the parameters of your client's instructions, timescales and budget,
- ...or you can walk away.
Trust your knowledge and expertise
Whilst no one ever wants to walk away from a job, if the client does not want to do it right then it is vital to remember a few key things which I think are important to share.
It’s your name on the reports, it’s your reputation on the line if things go wrong and most importantly as an INNS contractor, you are the qualified specialist expert.
In cases such as those I have highlighted, we should trust our knowledge and instincts. If this means in certain situations we have to walk away, it is probably the right thing to do.
Our thanks to Lesley for sharing...
Our thanks to Lesley for sharing her insights on client expectations. If you are a PCA member and have something to say too, then please do get in touch with our PCA marketing team and our next guest blog could feature you.
For those who want to learn more about Invasive Weed Management, there are a variety of training courses available to you, including our flagship 'Management of Japanese knotweed' surveyors course. To find out more, simply click on the button below.
Find out more >