Page 17 - Part-A

Information, Advice or Guidance

One of the best ways of identifying the information, advice or guidance requirements
of a client is simply by talking with the client to understand their requirements. You
might like to think about the steps below next time when dealing with a client.

1. Listen to what the client has to say, you can often understand the clients needs by
listening to their questions or explanations

2. Ask relevant, open questions (an open question is one which cannot be answered
by ‘yes’ or ‘no’. For example, ‘how long has your issue been going on?’)

3. Ensure that your client understands your boundaries in helping them, such as your
amount of experience or a service that you offer

4. Discuss the solutions with the client and if you’re unable to help them and feel they
need to be signposted or referred on, ensure you explain these options.

You may well have to repeat some of the steps above until you and your client are
happy and they have been referred or signposted as appropriate.

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