Ever had a day that was so frustrating that you were tempted to exclaim: “This business would be great if it weren’t for the clients!” I think everybody in a professional service firm has days like that now and then.

Often, those outbursts are prompted by clients’ expectations being out of sync with your understanding of what the client wants or with the client’s understanding of your way of doing business. Indeed, for professional services firms, managing client expectations is a critical part of the client relationship. Some clients, especially new ones, can have unrealistic expectations that can lead to difficult situations, but every firm can proactively influence clients’ perceptions to try to prevent misunderstandings.

Setting the tone
Your goal in any client relationship is to exceed or at least meet client expectations. So, it’s important to set the parameters for the client relationship early. If the client has never been through the process of designing and constructing a building, for instance, it behooves you to explain the process thoroughly up front. Make sure they understand the scheduling process and have a general grasp of the many factors that can impact the ultimate date of project delivery. Clients should also be aware of the consequences of modifying the project scope, including the possibility of increased costs when new features are added.

Ask the client open-ended questions to gauge how sophisticated they are in their understanding of the project design and delivery process. If you sense that they are uninformed in a certain key area, focus your discussions on that area.

Go over the contract with the client to make sure they understand what you will deliver. Make sure they know what you are responsible for, what they are responsible for, and the roles of subconsultants and your business partners. Misunderstandings can often be traced back to differing contract interpretations. If you clear up contractual misconceptions early, you’ll be much better off later.

Keep lines of communication open
As the project progresses, provide regular updates for the client and be responsive to their questions. When a client calls, make sure your firm responds within 24 hours. If a client perceives your firm as unresponsive, it may provoke resentment and suspicion. If your primary client contact person is temporarily unavailable, he or she should delegate someone else to handle client interactions.

It’s important to communicate with clients in language that they understand. Using technical jargon will confuse them, so be prepared to translate terminology into laymen’s terms. Better yet, use non-technical language to begin with when you speak to clients.

Encourage the client to ask questions. This may lead to longer conversations and lengthier explanations, especially early in the process, but this effort will pay off in fewer misunderstandings. These conversations also provide opportunities to let the client know about challenges the project team faces and how your firm is helping to overcome them. These details will help the client form positive perceptions of your firm’s ability and judgment.

Dealing with the unexpected
Nobody likes unpleasant surprises. When big mistakes occur, it’s better to let clients know right away and be honest with them about what happened. Show what you are doing to solve the problem. Few clients expect perfection, but all expect conscientious efforts to fix mistakes, make necessary adjustments, and keep the project on track.

Try to think of problems as opportunities to provide exemplary service. Clients will be impressed when your firm takes the initiative to understand their difficulties and has solutions at the ready. For example, when the cost of the project goes up due to something like a spike in material prices, be prepared to suggest ways to reduce costs in other areas.

Nobody likes to get complaints, but sometimes you can turn a negative into a positive. Complaints can also be opportunities to showcase good service if you resolve them well. Try not to take complaints personally.

The 80/20 rule
For many businesses, 80 percent of profits come from 20 percent of their client base. If this rule holds true for your firm, it’s critical that your best clients get your very best service. While every client deserves top-notch service, make sure you always go the extra step for your top 20 percent.

Occasionally, though, you’ll find clients that are just unreasonable. No matter how hard you try, you fail to reach accommodations for their demands. In these cases, it’s better just to chalk up a bad engagement with one of these “clients from hell” to experience and move on. These are the kinds of clients that are good to lose.

What do you think? Let us know...

Frank Rivelli is a Project Manager for SullivanKreiss, an executive recruiting firm focused on architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and engineering. He can be reached at 508-393-4933 ext. 19 or by e-mail.