SUNANDO DASGUPTA AND ASSOCIATES
In today’s article, we’re going to go over something that’s been on our minds over the years, as we’ve been working successfully with our clients.
Something that’s traditional knowledge is the fact that Architects obtain many of their best commissions through word of mouth, and through referrals from clients who are absolutely convinced that this is the best decision for them.
The way this works is, as an architect, you can complete a project successfully and often your clients will happily recommend your firm to their friends, their family, to co-workers.
Because, as an architectural firm, something we’ve always been grateful for is the appreciation our clients have shown us for our work, in the form of referrals.
And we found ourselves asking, what if more architects and architectural firms were able to more easily understand the fundamentals of client fulfilment so they can naturally implement systems that allow themselves to get more referrals.
And, if you’re an architect, reading this right now, what if your clients not only recommended your firm, but are sure that its the best option for anyone they eventually decide to refer this firm to. What if they were so happy with the services you provided as an architect, as a consultant, as an expert, that they naturally go out of their way to find themselves spreading the word about this firm. And ultimately, what if that could eventually lead to you creating a legion of your own loyal customer evangelists?
And this became the focus for the discussions that ultimately resulted in this article – How, as an architectural firm, can you be able to service your clients better, to be able to sustainably have good relationships with your clients.
And why, if you’re an architect, you must realise how important it is to focus on this now, in addition to your design skills, in addition to your ability to co-ordinate work, this is also a huge area that, if you can convince yourself that this is an area of focus you want to have, then you can naturally be able to see, eventually, over the years you will get more referrals, and that your clients will be happier and get the results that they feel good about working with this firm.
So we summarized our ruminations on this subject into four tenets of customer fulfilment that architects can use as a checklist.
CONTINUOUS CLIENT FEEDBACK
This is interesting because, often I’ve noticed that with younger architects, is that they view client meetings and client communications as an occasional obligation – – however, as a firm that desigs large institutional projects, and hence is completely reliant on a very high degree of client involvement, we’ve learned over the years that one of the best things you can do, as an architect, is continuously maintain lines of communication with your client.
Now, this doesn’t mean you have to always go meet them, necessarily – – in the age of the internet, one can easily achieve this with Skype meetings.
With one of our clients, we have recently been able to achieve just that, and consequently have seen the benefits in being able to shift from in-person meetings, which may sometimes may or may not be logistically convenient, and depend largely on everyones’ ability to set aside the time and space and travel.
And when you’re able to begin to shift to Skype based conferences and clarifications, for all architects reading this, I would highly recommend that you make it a point to communicate with your clients regularly, and perhaps even start to introduce your clients to online services like Skype, Zoom Webinars and AnyDesk – as an easy, natural way for them to clarify points in-person and give their valuable feedback.
SHARING KNOWLEDGE
This is something we recently became aware of, this was one of the factors that led to the creation of this blog.
Because we realised that a big part of the social responsibility one has as an architect is to be able to educate the people you work with, and be able to share the knowledge you have gained in your years practicing as an architect.
What this means is, naturally, as an architect, you have a domain of specialization, and it’s a great idea make it a point to freely share some of the things you’ve learned in your personal experience – – whether it’s your thoughts on design, on urbanism, or even if it relates to specific tips, tricks or methods that you use as an architectural firm (like the one we just shared, about client feedback through webinars).
And the way this improves client fulfilment is – not only does this allow your clients to be easily able to “catch up” with the latest technologies and ways they can streamline their co-ordination with you, hence making it easy for them to upgrade their own methods – – it also helps you, as an architect, to promote a very healthy atmosphere of co-operation and collaboration.
CREATING COMMUNITIES
As an architect, you have the ability to build a community around your firm and clients and people you’ve had good working relationships in the past. What this does is it improves the Standard.
Because the more that you’re able to consolidate the network of people you’re working with into an active community, the more that you’re able to form better working relationships with your existing clients, and help them make good decisions.
“WE-BASED” THINKING
Architects and their clients co-operate together to create better urban environments. And one can easily agree that there are few things more important than the lived urban experience and infrastructure of our modern day cities.
So, as an architect, you must realize that “we-based” thinking is much more than just a catchy slogan, it’s the fundamental reality that architects and their clients are a team, that they have a common goal of improving the built environment in ways that have the potential to create a better future for the people that will inhabit or visit the projects you’re working on.
And this means that the more you’re able to understand and internalize this element of social responsibility that architects and their clients share, the more you’re able to improve your methods and client relationships, and the more you’re able to have an approach that focuses on offering value.
And this realization is a game-changer – once you realize that you can Stop having an oppositional approach to clients, and really Start to appreciate the fact that you’re both on the same team, working towards a common goal of improving the quality of the urban ecosystem, its easy to segue into a mindset where you can being to feel good about your partnership with your clients.
I’m sure many of you, as you’re reading this, have taken positive steps similar to the ones we’ve outlined above.
And, by the same token, since the architectural profession is fundamentally a co-operative system, you can always find yourself improving these four elements of client fulfilment, to get the professional results you want.