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Managing Client Service

Most project managers recognize the need to carefully manage the technical, financial, schedule, quality, and resource aspects of a project. But what about actively managing client service? We seem to rely on PMs simply doing the right thing for the client. No planning, little process, few standards, no metrics. Would you entrust your technical work products to such an unstructured approach?

If you want to consistently deliver superior service to your clients, you need to plan for it and manage the activity like you do the other aspects of your projects. This article briefly outlines a basic process for doing so (as illustrated in the figure below). 

1. Benchmark Expectations

Uncovering your client’s hidden expectations is the foundation of managing the service process. That’s because expectations largely define the service experience. Service benchmarking involves meeting with the client at the outset of the project to establish mutual expectations regarding the working relationship. This discussion should address issues such as communication, decisions and client involvement, information and data, deliverable standards, invoicing and payment, management of changes, and performance feedback. The benchmarking process was covered in more detail in the previous article “Uncovering Client Expectations.”

2. Identify Gaps

The focus of the client service plan is meeting the unique expectations of your client. So having completed the benchmarking step, the next activity is to identify where what the client wants varies significantly from what you normally do. This assessment should take into account both the standard practices of the firm and the respective project manager.

3. Create Service Deliverables

The next step is to create “service deliverables” to close the gaps identified. This means treating the delivery of service like the delivery of any other work product. Producing service deliverables involves defining a discrete set of  tasks that can be assigned, scheduled, budgeted, tracked, and closed just like any other project task. This moves client service delivery from the realm of the ethereal to the realm of the manageable.

Some additional guidelines in defining service deliverables:

u Give special attention to those requiring significant resources or coordination. Focus on those involving multiple responsible persons or significant budgets, or those with potential project schedule impacts.

u Alert the client of the costs of special deliverables. Don’t automatically acquiesce to every request the client may make if there are substantial costs or difficulties associated with satisfying the request. Explain the added costs (in terms of budget, time, etc.) and let the client decide if he or she is willing to assume them. Look for other satisfactory alternatives where appropriate.

u Don’t commit to what you cannot deliver. While this seems obvious, there are many PMs who in their zeal to please the client, make promises that they are unlikely to be able to keep. The old adage “under-promise and over-deliver” is still good advice.

4. Prepare a Service Plan

The client service plan provides direction for the project team on how service deliverables will be handled in the context of the project. Preparing such a plan recognizes that client service involves time and resources like any other project tasks, and should be managed accordingly. This plan is typically brief, and is integrated into the overall project management plan.

Since the quality of service deliverables is much more subjective than technical work products, it’s especially important to secure the client’s endorsement of the client service plan. Confirm that the planned service deliverables fully meet the client’s expectations. Delivering great service is largely dependent on the client doing his or her part in making the relationship work. The plan provides a blueprint for key aspects of that relationship, and involves both parties meeting the obligations established in it.

5. Implement Service Plan

The preceding steps of the client service process alone will set you apart from all but a few firms in your industry. But these activities ultimately accomplish nothing if there is inadequate follow-through. Your commitment to superior service must extend beyond the planning stages to the point of delivery. This involves not just implementing the service plan, but being responsive to the client’s evolving needs and expectations throughout the engagement. You should monitor service performance both internally through regular project reviews and externally by soliciting periodic client feedback.

6. Solicit Client Feedback

Getting regular feedback from your clients is critical to ensuring that you are meeting expectations. Two primary means are recommended for collecting this input:

u Ongoing dialogue with the client. You should assign a “client sponsor” to every client. This person serves as a third-party liaison with the client to confirm that the client is being well served. This involves periodic conversations and a final debriefing at the end of the project or major project deliverable.

u Formal client survey. A very brief questionnaire is recommended, administered at the end of the project or every six-months for long-term clients. The purpose of this survey is to track service trends company-wide, identifying areas where a corporate response to service performance might be warranted. It should not be used to replace the more informal, personal dialogue referenced above.

Getting Started

Employing a client service process like the one described here is one of the best ways you can differentiate your firm. This approach is relatively straightforward, but requires a significant corporate commitment to achieve consistent success. To get started, consider the following steps:

u Pilot the process with one or two clients. Pick clients that are willing to invest in the relationship. Doing this with a limited number of clients will enable you to demonstrate the value of this approach, building momentum for a broader rollout.

u Expand the process only as fast as you can deliver. Introducing this process to your clients immediately raises their service expectations. Be prepared not to disappoint them. Don’t be too quick to move to company-wide implementation until you’re confident of success.

u Build it into project planning. The client service process will fail unless it is woven into your project delivery practices and systems. This starts with making client service an integral part of your project planning.

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