How to leave a client ‘in no doubt’?

Managing Director, Andrew Mather, discusses the key factors which leave our clients’ ‘in no doubt’…

“Last Monday (28 April 2014) the CS2 design team was invited as guests of a leading London private equity firm to an evening reception and dinner at a lovely St James’s restaurant.  Alongside their in-house facilities team, we were there to celebrate the success of their “complicated and challenging” project.  The CEO spoke very highly of everyone involved; design and internal facilities teams, and kindly thanked us all for the attention to detail and delivery of the project.

Clients’ inviting CS2 to celebrate the success of a project is a great endorsement but pleasingly not unique.  The highlight and interesting point was the CEO’s concluding statement “..I was never in any doubt!”

Any complicated and challenging project, that extends over a 2 to 3 year period from inception to completion, is going to have its’ up’s and down’s; they all do. When I look back over the years there are several key ingredients to the success of any project: the skills and professionalism of the design team and contractor, how the project team interacts with the client and their advisers, down to even the weather!

Historically, what CS2 has been aware of but perhaps slightly overlooked, is the absolute and imperative need for client’s to have 150% trust in their surveyor.  Whether a dilapidations instruction or a complex project, there must not even be a ‘Rizla’ between the client and CS2.  If this is the case, any chink of light that might stand to be exploited is extinguished, often with hugely positive outcomes for the client.  I encourage professionals to secure this arrangement; the communication of both good and bad news can take courage but is essential.  Your client’s will respect your honesty and professionalism; and it is the honest information that builds a client’s trust, leaving them ‘in no doubt’.