How far should we go in pleasing the clients

When it comes to client servicing in Singapore, we all know how ‘dedicated’ we can be. An often unspoken rite of passage that goes beyond gifts and lunches, relationship management has become a full-blown issue. Late night emails, gifting as if it were Christmas six times a year, where does it start and end? The fine line between commitment and over commitment is often invisible and dangerous when it comes to expectations, not to mention mental health.

Running my own team of consultants, the pressure to go above and beyond in order to create points of differentiation is immense. I start to question the phrase, “Money can’t buy you everything” with a newly defined clarity.

In a highly diverse business environment, it is critical that client needs are addressed individually. Ten out of ten times, we will work late hours and go the extra mile in the name of commitment. Cultural sensitivity, personal benchmarks, industry differences all come into play when interacting with respective clientele. Whether it is about winning a contract, securing a retainer or just setting precedence, the stakes are high and dollar signs are foreboding.

The Singapore events arena is growing while third-party vendors and suppliers remain constant. So when juggling the same resources in a limited playground, how do you create an exceptional advantage?

It becomes an auction of cutthroat proportions where dueling agencies bid and clients demand more for their business. Once a contract is won, to honor it becomes a challenge of Olympic proportions. Squeezing dollars that have already been stretched, unexpected deliverables, inapplicable billable hours, it all becomes a part of the contractual mix. A quick p&l will show that strained cost cutting, additional man hours and compliance to all these ‘extras’ will take a toll on profitability as well employee satisfaction.

The natural advice people give is to “manage expectations”. This is easily said when not being a part of the relationship in question, difficult to do when answering to a corporation that has been offered the world by everyone else.

So how do you ensure you are not left scrambling for damage control?

1. Clarify scope of work- listen to what the client really expects. Create a detailed document with estimated hours of input, costs involved, realistic deadlines and task responsibilities. Conduct a review to ensure all parties are clear about the KPIs, delivery points and dates. Also, spell out things that can and can’t be done upfront. Avoid the “but I thought you were going to do this” moment halfway through the project.

2. Create checkpoints- mark your calendar to review progress as compared to the original document. Have deliverables been increasing above and beyond? Take particular note of hours and actions. If progress is under par, what caused hindrance? Annotate with precise comments and dates. Schedule frequent updates when these reviews give merit. An out of the blue, “why hasn’t this been done”, is more of a hassle than an additional meeting.

3. Conduct a regular health check: self-diagnose yourself and ask yourself questions. Am I feeling any physical strain? Are my personal relationships in check? Am I performing? Why am I feeling overwhelmed? What in particular is it? Create a physical questionnaire that’s easy to skim through.

4. Highlight points of concern as soon as they arise: especially if the issues are non business-oriented. This includes high demands during non-business hours, excessive menial tasks, unprofessional conduct and any other matter that is causing a personal strain. Addressing these deterrents immediately will deter emotional decisions or reactions with potentially irreversible repercussions.

We all aim to please by human nature and also by trade. Ironically, it is communication that causes the impending downfalls. The advice above seems so simple. It’s common knowledge but in the end, do we follow through?

Honey Lee, Managing Director, HEAT Pte. Ltd.