Facing the client: Should we bend till we break

Often on projects, I find myself focusing on a very common subject - facing the client. Client interactions can be nerve-wrecking as had been the case for some of my colleagues, including a couple of seniors. But it doesn't have to be like this always. I experience enlightment with each and every customer, internal or external, that I communicate with. I always feel it is a chance to strengthen the relationship. Relationships are still the cornerstone of any service-based business. It’s much nicer to work with jovial clients as opposed to clients who feel they are unable to communicate their thoughts properly.

Clients are primary to the process in the service industries. As an IT service provider, I feel that, we just implement the vision and ideas of the client. When the client asks for opinions and direction we may give some input, but it is ultimately for the client to make decisions. We should not underestimate and tell the clients what they should do. This happens with most organizations dealing with the FTO (First Time Outsourcing) clients, thinking that the clients are not knowledgeable in the project management aspects. Some of the large clients allow us to educate them about the value we can provide. But it is not the case always. Most times, we end up dumping our processes on the clients, only to find later that the clients had better processes than ours. We also fall into an easy trap trying to impress clients with our promises of a super-fast turn around instead of our capability. Don't give the client the absolute best-case scenario when discussing a project. Most of the Clients would be fine if they were just told that it would take the necessary time. But by promising the project in lesser time and failing to deliver, the future trust is lost with the client. Words are cheap and clients who have been in business for any length of time know that.

We need to be humble with the clients and understand that humility will only set us apart from the rest. Being Indians, humility comes quite naturally to us. But how far we need to be humble is a question to be answered. Client interaction is important as it could make or break a business and the best way to ensure that is by communicating effectively. Clients appreciate honesty which is often forgotten when being humble. The hardest lesson to learn in client interaction is learning when to state our opinion. If the client is wrong about something, do not hesitate to say so, along with a solution to go with it spontaneously. There’s no sense in pointing out an error only to not have an effective plan of action. Develop plans that are best suited for the clients. When identifying an issue, we should keep its criticality in context. Managers and business leaders do not appreciate drama, and overreacting can hurt our credibility and rapport with critical business contacts. Sticking to the facts can help keep situations from spinning out of control. Do a thorough client diagnostic evaluation and understand what we are doing well and how we might be falling short for them. This will increase the client experience with us. Do not shoot down any idea from the client, only to have nothing to patch it up with. Be ready to admit too when we are wrong should the client call us on something. Put your self in the client’s shoes to be able to identify and understand their problems.

Clients deserve respect for their expertise. Working collaboratively with clients typically achieves the best results. When interacting with a client, we should inject our personality into the conversation and project. If we are acting contrived, the client will come to know about it. Be genuine, by displaying the passion for work, the client will share their enthusiasm as well. In most cases, clients are proud of what they do, and they are excited to share the details of their work. Expressing interest can elicit valuable information and enhance client relationships. Having informal meetings outside of formal meetings with the client can really help our status as their trusted advisor. With informal meetings, be careful not to become too casual with the client; remember they are still the client. Client interaction should be characterized by quality and transparency, with defined and adhered accountability and responsibility.

The most important problem that clients face with the IT services is not talent or skill but communication, and that too written. Clear and concise writing is the foundation to effective communications. Be willing to email clients even when it seems a bit redundant or unnecessary. Always be reachable since if the Clients can’t get in touch with us, their helplessness increases exponentially. Answer emails to the client quickly. Assumptions can cause major problems, especially in a world where so many decisions are made by email. Make liberal use of lists, inline email responses, and reiterations of instructions. But all business can’t be conducted by email. This is where phone calls will help. Misunderstandings are always easier and faster to resolve via phone. Verbal communication creates a better "human relationship" than email does. And that is why I always prefer and suggest using both the channels – email followed by a phone call or phone call followed by an email.

Other basic things that can improve the client relationship include:
o Be honest and sincere to establish visibility and creditability so that there is enough trust for the purchase to happen.
o Be punctual, this signals that we value Client’s time the same way they do.
o Engage with the Client more often and make them feel that you really care.
o Dress formally. Dress to either the client’s standards, or your company's standards. With an increase in the number of businesses who operate in a casual work environment, standing out as well dressed can be a big bonus for you.
o Enhance listening skills to make sense of and understand what the client is saying.
o Always treat clients with courtesy.
o Reply speedily. Keep your clients abreast of important, complicated changes in strategy or timetables with regularly scheduled conference calls.
o Keep a watch on the body language

Also be aware of the Don’t’s
o Talking only about one self
o Revealing too much
o Not being one self

With so many factors to consider, how does one move forward without being overwhelmed with the complexity of client interaction? The starting point for such an approach is by giving careful consideration to the assumptions and beliefs that are embedded in our understandings and goals of our encounter with the client. Developing cultural knowledge, skills in understanding client communication methods, and an awareness and acceptance of the dynamic variety of people and populations we work with are all crucial components of facing the client. The right balance between humility and honesty, transparency and sincerity will give us the flexibility in any relationship without reaching the threshold of breaking.

Practice Management: Do we really practice?

More than often, I have wondered, how the IT Corporate management can ensure nurturing talents instead of emphasizing on individual initiative, individual performance metrics and individual performance-based rewards. And the answer to this is through a strong Practice Management. The concept of Practice Management is floundering in many IT Corporates and the challenges faced are it’s thoughtful, consistent, patient and practical application. Executive leadership use this concept to create distinct units called Practices that have their own unique processes, structures and cultures that are specifically intended to explore and develop breakthrough innovations.

We all understand the importance of having a strong practice group in the organization. An effective practice management allows the organization to develop a brand name identity that would resonate with prospective clients. It allows enhanced opportunity for intellectual exchange and a means for attracting and retaining good talent. It provides an easier way to train the juniors. Practice groups can help create the organizational assets such as common methodologies, check lists, templates, and documents that could do away with redundancy and iterated efforts.

Well! I agree that the benefits of practice management are longer than the above list. But the question is do we really practice to achieve these benefits? Seldom is it focused on risk management, ethics and strategic planning. Often, the aim of practice management - to help members evaluate themselves and their roles and responsibilities in the enhancement of both the quality and efficiency of services they provide - is forgotten. Why is it so? What do we need for this?

The first and foremost is to create a strategic plan by evaluating the current practice methods. Most of the time, practices exist just for the sake of it with no effective planning and just working as resource pools. Strategic Planning is the essence of success and it should be concentrated on building and growing a practice, a long-term imperative. The growth requirements needs to be assessed and a growth strategy should be developed along with technology, services and marketing strategies for the practice.

At the same time, People strategy also needs to be developed which will address the composition (staff mix), the practice culture, communication, hiring, inducting, retaining and developing the existing staff, risk management, quality control issues, self-regulating discipline, ethical issues, quality processes and professional standards for specific areas. People strategy should focus on developing a critical mass for better perceived quality and shared expertise through designer training programs for the group.

A set of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) or Key Result Areas (KRA) should be defined and monitored. Most of the time, the practice managers are unclear what KPI / KRA needs to be set for the individuals and for the group. This only worsens the practice management.

Once the strategic plan is in place, a business plan needs to created, fitting the strategies and structuring the practice by building a risk management approach into it. Business plan should identify the target client, which will help build the brand image.

Do not forget to have a finance plan with respect to the strategic plan. The buy-in of the management is most important with respect to the financial feasibility after considering the financial issues, general considerations, benchmarks and the risks. Once done, put the plans into operation.

Communication too plays a pivotal role in the operational success of the practice groups. To and fro communication between the management and the members is very important. Practices should have regular follow-up meetings to review the progress. We, as individuals, a disciplined member of the Practice Group, have to devote our attention and time to make practice management work as well.

If we focus, commit, and practice properly, Practice Management is an effective means for high profitable growth.

Interviewer’s Guide - A must for the corporates

Recently, I was involved in a recruitment drive for one of the Offshore Delivery Centres (ODC) in the organisation. Here, I realized that not much preparation is done for finding the right interviewer. There is no training. The way it works in most of the corporates is to find a person who is technically good and ask him to interview for the vacant position. Sometimes it even goes to an extent that a junior interviews candidates who are going to fill a senior position. This is even weirder in certain cases that the junior is the interviewer and would be reporting to the person who he interviews when selected. To my surprise, not many think that this is against the corporate ethics

One of the primary reasons why Organizations end up with bad resources is because of the lack of good interviewers, who are capable enough to sieve such candidates. Studies have shown that interviewers will form an opinion of the candidate within the first 10 minutes of the interview. It is possibly due to their inexperience in conducting interviews or probably because the interviewee is gauged based on the interviewer knowledge and not on the interviewees experience and expertise. The lack of interviewer’s maturity comes in the way of selecting the right candidate for the organization. Most times it is preset expectations of the interviewer and not the requirements of the position that forms the basis of the interview result.

When I searched the internet, I could find lots about the dos and don’ts for an interviewee but very few for the interviewer. Through this post, I wanted to collate my interviewing experience, which could guide all the interviewers in the future. So, here it goes:

Basic guidelines:
· Understand the job description
· Awareness of laws which affect hiring in different countries
· Keep the interview under your control. More often, interviewers fall into the trap of interviewees taking control of interview.
· Ask as many questions related to skill, experience, education, certifications needed for the Job. Objective is to assess if the candidate fits the job.
· Select the candidate based on ability, skill, willingness, qualifications, training needed for the job.
· Candidates own view on the job, company and terms and conditions of the company and his personal aspirations can be assessed.
· Keep the candidate apprised of the next step after the interview.
· Salary expectation can be checked

Don'ts:
· Do not ask questions which are irrelevant to the job
· Do not use any threat or ridicule a candidate even if you find him the worst.
· Do not express any frustration to the candidate for example: I wasted my time interviewing you!
· Do not say anything which becomes a verbal or implied contract, ( the project is for 1 year and you are confirmed for a year)
· Never say, that this permanent position (becomes an implied contract and goes against ‘employment at will doctrine’), but can say it is a full-time job.
· Do not give promise to get a candidate (example you will become Project Manager after 6 months) which you are not sure to keep the promise. Promissory Estoppels are illegal. If an hired guy can prove that he gave up another potential job because of the promise, the company will be in trouble
· Do not provide a fraudulent representation to get a candidate (example your project is at least for one year, knowing it is 6 months) this is Illegal.

Questions to be passed to HR
· Questions related to Overtime for any candidate or Associate or Contractor
· Any commitment on employment terms to be given to a candidate
· Any candidate to be interviewed and presented must go through Resourcing and HR
· Any question, other than Skill, Knowledge and Ability for the job should be through HR

Interviewers should also note that it should not always be based on just what the interviewee actually says; it's also on something termed as "body language." For instance, 85% of what one communicates is not with words. It's through the tone of the voice, the way one sits, and a wealth of other messages that the body involuntarily sends. With this in mind, here are some tips on the art of nonverbal communication during the interview.

Allow the Candidate Be Real From the Start
When you are greeted by the interviewee, give a real smile that engages your eyes, and offer a firm handshake. Maintaining good eye contact shows respect and interest. Allow the candidate to relax and be real.

Watch the Excess Energy
Excess energy often results in mannerisms. What this means is that excess energy gets dissipated into fidgeting, a definite sign that the person is nervous or ill at ease. This is applicable to both interviewee and the interviewer

Watch hand and Arm Movements
Clasped hands are a signal that the person is closed-off. A palm-to-palm gesture with one thumb over the other thumb sends the signal that the interviewee needs the interviewer's reassurance. To come across as confident, receptive and unguarded, interviewee should have hands open and relaxed on the table. Interviewer should also have his body open to project trustworthiness.

Finger Gestures
Bet you never thought you had to worry about your fingers during an interview. Never point your index fingers like gun barrels. These are the types of aggressive messages you want to avoid sending.

Crossing the Legs
Don't cross your legs. This posture creates a wall between the interviewer and interviewee. It can also become a distraction when you keep crossing your legs back and forth. Crossed ankles are a no-no because you are signaling that you want to be elsewhere.

Posture
A straight posture with shoulders should be pulled back is imperative during an interview.

I wont say this post is a complete guide for the interviewer, however, I will consider this effort to be a success if an awareness is created among the interviewers for their preparedness and show their smartness in selecting the right candidate.

Have a nice interview and make sure that it is a learning experience for the interviewee's too!