The challenges of managing client expectations, delivery and project management.

1. Client Liaison & Managing
Expectations
Malcolm Pounder
Air Quality Consultant - WSP

2. 2
Malcolm Pounder
Air Quality Consultant - WSP
• Employed by WSP since August 2016.
• Previously employed by Wardell Armstrong
and WYG.
• Over 3 years’ experience within Air Quality.
• Experience focussed on impact assessments
prepared for mainly residential and
commercial schemes involving dispersion
modelling and monitoring of various
pollutants.

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Client Liaison
Client Liaison is a crucial aspect of any
project from the initial inception discussions
through the entire lifecycle of the project
until the delivery of your final assessment.
For you, Air Quality maybe a top priority, but
not for the client, who also has to take the
time (and expense to respond) when they
may have other disciplines and
commitments which they would deem to
be more important.

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Client Liaison
Getting it Right
When you are faced with a project that is going south and seems to be on the verge of
disaster…in many cases it is not a clash of personalities or competing priorities that is to
blame, but communication difficulties.

5. Client Liaison
Keeping things Smooth
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 Keep your client informed of progress.
 Keep a checklist of where your up to on
progressing each project and what
tasks you have ahead.

6. Managing Expectations
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 Managing your clients expectations is a critical skill in delivering
good quality work, which you, your company and more crucially
your clients are happy with.
 Your client’s expectations take
two forms:
— Formal
— Implicit

7. Managing Expectations
What does my Client Expect?
The formal level of service a client would expect from your services are outlined
in the fee proposal and the Terms and Conditions under which you are
operating.
However, the client may also hold implicit expectations which can be based on
any number of things such as:
• Your client’s culture, organisation and standards
• Our industry standards
• Your personal reputation
• Your consulting firms reputation
• Articulation of what is expected

8. Managing Expectations
Understanding Implicit Expectations
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Put yourself in your client’s shoes – what
do you expect when depending on
someone else’s services:
• Active listening
• Communication
• Empathy
• Feedback
• Follow-through
• Honesty
• Professionalism
• Respect

9. It is important to be ‘frank’ with your
clients in regard to their
expectations of you, and what is
realistically achievable and what is
not, by you and your firm.
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Managing Expectations
Setting Limits

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Managing Expectations
Setting Limits
Don’t promise what you cannot deliver!
It is very common for Air Quality consultants
to be put under pressure to deliver
assessments in tight to unrealistic timescales.
Be honest with the client about what is and is
not achievable.

11. Summary
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Client Liaison and Managing Expectations is a crucial part of our role as air quality
consultants.
It does not matter how good we are at undertaking air quality assessments, if we are
unable to build and maintain good relationships with our clients, as this might result in
the inability of retaining them.

12. Thank you!
Any Questions?
wsp.com