This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott
Think back to the last time you had a marvelous buying experience. It doesn’t matter what you were buying — a car, prescription drugs, or a hot dog. What made that experience stand out for you, the customer?
Now, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. They are the clients who hire you or your firm to provide whatever services you or your firm offer. How would they rate their experience as your customer?
A few years ago, I asked that question to a group of engineering project managers (PMs). Here are a few of dozens of topics they raised related to providing excellent service to their engineering customers:
Questions for Your Clients
“What will make this project successful in your eyes?”
We assume we can read someone’s mind. Well, we can’t. If you want to know what your clients are thinking, you need to ask them.
Engineers look at a project through engineering eyes. It looks different to the architect or developer or city manager. Find out what your clients want to brag about when the project is complete. Often the client’s big brag is not what you, the engineer, are going to brag about.
“What challenges do you see in the execution of the project?”
Engineering customers knows a whole lot more than you about a project before you even begin working on it. The client knows where the fault lines are. Who on the client’s team is going to be a pain to deal with? Who is always late with their portion of the project and who is really the decision-maker on this project? The decision-maker is not always who you think it is.
Has the client done a similar job before? How did that go? Asking for the client’s project experience will help you ensure you deliver a top-notch customer experience.
“Who does a good job for you now?”
I wonder how many of you have asked that question of a client before beginning a project. This is a business development question. If you know your client routinely likes and hires ACE Engineering, wouldn’t it be nice to know why that is? Your clients want you to succeed on their projects. Learn as much as you can about why your client hires ACE and what your client likes in a project.
Questions for Project Managers
“How well do you understand the personalities of those on this project?”
Look at the people you have on this project and who your client has on the project. How well do you know each of them? Do you know who works well together? Do you know which people struggle to work together? Can you change who is on the project team or which person is in which role?
You want your team working well together to ensure your project succeeds and makes you and your firm look good. Those results can lead to more projects with this client.
“What challenges do you see in the execution of the project?”
You look at your project team and groan. Instead of the ace you wanted on your team, you’ve got two staff engineers who can barely get the job done. What does that mean to you as a project manager? What impact will your staffing have on your client’s customer experience?
“Who does a good job for this client now? Can we be better than that firm?”
Sometimes we forget that engineering firms are in business to make money. That may not be the only reason they exist, but a firm needs to make money to survive.
Asking “who does a good job for this client now?” forces you to put on your business development hat again. What can you do to ensure your firm is better than ACE Engineering? Or at least on the same level?
The key to providing an excellent service to your engineering customers is to be proactive — take time to think about your customer before beginning to design. Everybody will be happier in the end.
About the Author Pamela A. Scott
Pam is an executive coach to CEOs and business owners, focusing on communication, managing people, leadership, and emotional intelligence. Her tagline says it best: “Numbers may drive the business, but people drive the numbers.”®
Pam started her company more than 20 years ago. For much of that time, Pam has coached engineers and architects to be leaders in their companies.
She brings more than 25 years of communications expertise and leadership experience as:
- A national award-winning newspaper editor
- A communications specialist writing for Congress
- A successful entrepreneur specializing in coaching clients to reach their full potential
Clients have ranged from solo practitioners to companies such as Turner Broadcasting System, Coca Cola, Federal Reserve Bank, and engineering firms such as Walter P. Moore. For 15 years, Pam was a member of Vistage, an international organization of CEOs.
Pam has a master’s in education and human development from George Washington University and a bachelor’s in communication from Bethany College. In Toastmasters, she has achieved Advanced Communicator Bronze and Advanced Leadership Bronze levels.
We would love to hear any questions you might have or stories you might share about how you provide stellar service to your engineering customers.
Please leave your comments, feedback or questions in the section below.
To your success,
Anthony Fasano, PE, LEED AP
Engineering Management Institute
Author of Engineer Your Own Success
