It is vital to define the performance standards that your clients expect.

This can be established by asking six questions, the first of which is: WHO ARE YOUR CUSTOMERS?

Sometimes this question can be more difficult to answer than you would think. Different organisations will identify different customers and sometimes there is a subtlety as to the correct answer.

Property brokers often spend more time assessing the needs of a user within the leasing or sales context whereas their fees are nearly always paid by the landlord or vendor of a property. Similarly, managing agents often spend more time interacting with the tenants under their management than the building owners.

If you wish to introduce quality performance standards to your company, it is imperative that you identify and work primarily around your actual clients and the organisations which pay your fees.

Furthermore, you need to identify other role-players within your circles that look to you as solution providers.

It becomes apparent, therefore, that everyone with whom you interact is, in some way, your customer. For this reason, it is necessary to identify all your customers and to decide each of their expectations.

Some service providers within the property industry could compile their respective lists so as to include everyone with whom they come into contact. Public and private sector organisations will see themselves as having different customers and their profit motives will be different. In essence, however, it is imperative to establish who your customers are before you can decide on the performance standards which you need to supply. Next week, we shall continue our investigation into quality systems within the property industry by answering the next question which is: WHAT DO CUSTOMERS EXPECT?