Building relationships with clients: managing expectations

One challenge we come across often when it comes to residential projects, such as renovating or extending an existing home, is that apart from a few exceptions, our client is quite unlikely to have any experience of being involved with a construction programme.

This means that they may not have any understanding of the build process and the length of time that each stage takes, nor the unavoidable constraints that may be placed upon the construction team and the implications of making any changes or alterations to the scope of work, and the knock on effect these may have, such as increases in time and costs.

Without this understanding, as a project manager, it can be possible to end up in a really tricky situation, constantly caught between overseeing and driving forward the construction schedule and managing the client, who can become frustrated that a programme of work is not proceeding as they thought it would.

To help overcome this, in the course of working for a huge variety of clients, and managing a whole range of tradespeople carrying out work for them, I have come to realise the importance of prioritising the management of client expectations correctly from the start. This helps ensure that the client is happy with the service received and all work is completed to their satisfaction. To that end, this is my eight point checklist which I have found extremely helpful and try to adhere to when starting work with a new client.

1. Clear Communication when it comes to having building work or improvements carried out,

• Initial discussions: establish clear objectives and goals during the first meetings. Make sure the client understands what can realistically be achieved.
• Ongoing updates: regularly update the client on progress. This helps in managing their expectations and keeping them informed of any changes.
• Transparency: be honest about potential challenges, limitations, and timelines. It's better to under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse.

2. Set Realistic Goals

• Scope of work: define the scope of the project or service in detail so that the client knows what is included and what is not.
• Timeline: provide a realistic timeline and always avoid committing to tight deadlines that could compromise quality.
• Budget: discuss the budget openly, including any possible additional costs that might arise

3. Document Everything

• Contracts and agreements: ensure all expectations, deliverables, timelines, and costs are documented.
• Meeting summaries: following a meeting, send a summary of what was discussed and agreed. This helps avoid potential misunderstandings.
• Change requests: if the client wants to make changes, document them and discuss how they may impact the timeline, budget, and scope of the project.

4. Deliver Quality

• Attention to detail: ensure that the work delivered meets or hopefully actually exceeds the standards agreed.
• Consistency: naintain a consistently high level of quality throughout the project.
• Client feedback: Regularly ask for feedback from the client

5. Manage Mission Creep

• Define boundaries: clearly define what is included in the project and what would count as additional.
• Charge for extra: explain that additional work will incur additional costs and potentially make the project longer.
• Flexible but firm: You should always be willing to accommodate reasonable requests but don’t let the project run away with you.

6. Problem Solving

• Anticipate issues: Identify what may turn into a challenge early on and address it before it has a chance to turn into a problem.
• Speedy response: respond quickly and provide solutions promptly.
• Keep the client in the loop: keep the client informed about what is being done to resolve any problem that comes up.

7. Build Trust

• Consistency: deliver what you promise as this will build trust.
• Empathy: show that you care and understand the client’s concerns.
• Partnership approach: The client is more than just a customer. Collaboration builds positive relationships.

8. End of Project Review

• Evaluate: review the project with the client.
• Ask for Feedback: encourage honest feedback on what could be improved for future projects.
• Future Planning: discuss how to build on the current success.