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Gaining client satisfaction through exceptional workplace construction

Our Regional Principal of Delivery, Simon Pearson, plays an important role when it comes down to the success of our projects. As well as being responsible for the exceptional delivery of all projects in EMEA, he ensures our high standards are maintained every step of the way.

Having worked on hundreds of projects across the region, we wanted to know more about how Simon achieves Delivery Excellence and maintains our high standards.

Q. What does delivery excellence mean to you?

I have always had a passion for perfection and a CANI approach (constant and never-ending improvement). For me, it's not just about the end product of what we do, but about being consistently excellent throughout the life-cycle of any project and exceeding our clients' expectations every step of the way. 

Q. When delivering a project, what do you think is the perfect outcome?

a. Always a delighted client. My favourite moment in a project is seeing their reaction when they walk into their new office for the first time. There's a realisation that all of the hard work and care dedicated to their project has delivered an exceptional result. And the whole team is proud to be part of making that happen.

Q. How do you make sure you’re practising delivery excellence in your job? 

a. When it comes to providing an excellent service for our clients, delivering a project safely, to budget, on time and quality are just the starting point. Getting these elements right should always be a given. We practice delivery excellence and have behaviours embedded to guarantee a seamless customer experience, so every project meets the standards that we set ourselves. We have to hold ourselves accountable to what we promise in order to achieve great things. So even during challenging times, we provide consistent results which go beyond our clients expectations.

An example of this is the recently completed a project for COTY, relocating their HQ to Amsterdam through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our priorities were to maintain a safe but productive site, to keep our client fully informed whilst they remained remote and away from the construction site, and to ensure that we followed through on our commitment to deliver their new home in the most challenging of environments. That was true delivery excellence. 

Q. How do you ensure that you and the team takes pride and care in their actions when delivering a project?

A. During the construction phase of any project, we follow some simple rules to ensure the working environment is a safe and enjoyable place to work for both our team and our clients. The behaviours are embedded into our every day ways of working. We love to create positive and memorable experiences when visiting our construction sites by having ultimate respect for our workforce, the building occupants, any visitors and the public.

There is zero-tolerance to poor safety and low quality, with a common sense approach to managing this on site. Each element of the project is planned meticulously across all disciplines with an inclusive and harmonious approach in how we work with our partners and clients. The devil is in the detail and by sweating the small stuff we know nothing is left to chance.

Q. How do you demonstrate to clients that you’re accountable for your efforts and the work you take on?

A. From the outset, everyone knows their roles and responsibilities, that each member of the team is just as important as the next, and how their actions directly affect the overall success of a project. We communicate our guiding principles and make sure they are clearly defined and explained to our clients from day one. 

Clients have a dedicated project manager as their single point of contact to discuss quality and safety on site, changes to budget or scope, as well as project completion and occupation. Being so involved in the project allows them to see progress every step of the way and keeps us accountable in all areas. We constantly strive for client feedback throughout the project to ensure input from our customers are applied to their projects.

5. For each of your projects, how did you ensure you were communicating regularly, honestly and openly with your client?

A. All of our projects follow a consistent approach when it comes to control and management during construction. We hold weekly project client meetings, providing a detailed report and minutes to give our clients full visibility and with an open, honest and transparent approach during the build. We commit to strict timeframes around our reporting, ensuring the information and responses to any project critical elements are available for the project team to make informed and precise decisions.