Foundation · 6 lessons · 1 video · about 37 minutes
Client communication
How to set clear expectations at appointment, keep clients informed, record decisions, manage scope change and handle difficult conversations, with templates and example wording throughout.
For: Project architects, practice directors and anyone who talks to clients
Most client relationships that go wrong don’t fail on design. They fail on communication: a fee that wasn’t explained, a change nobody agreed in writing, a delay the client heard about too late, a decision nobody can find.
The good news is that most of this is preventable with a few habits. Set expectations clearly at the start. Keep clients informed on a regular rhythm. Write decisions down. Raise changes before doing the work. Deliver bad news early and plainly.
This course takes each of those in turn, with templates and example wording you can adapt. It finishes with how to bring clients into a shared project portal, including how to tell them about new software first.
Six lessons, about forty minutes in total.
Lessons
- 01 Setting expectations at appointmentHow to agree scope, stages, what is included and how decisions get made at the start, so there are fewer surprises later. ▶ 2:49 · exerciseFree
- 02 Regular client updatesWhy a short update on a fixed rhythm prevents most client anxiety, with a template you can use weekly or fortnightly. 6 min read · exercise
- 03 Recording decisions and approvalsHow to record what clients decide and approve, so there is a clear audit trail when memories differ. 7 min read · exercise
- 04 Managing scope change and variationsHow to spot scope change in everyday emails and conversations, and agree variations in writing before the work starts. 7 min read · exercise
- 05 Difficult conversations: fees, delays and bad newsHow to raise fees, delays and bad news early, calmly and clearly, with example wording for common situations. 8 min read · exercise
- 06 Bringing clients into a shared portalHow to introduce clients to a shared project portal, starting with telling them about any new software before they receive an invitation. 6 min read · exercise