Identify clients’ needs

Identify the areas in which the client may require aid and investigate the possibilities for meeting those needs.

establish clients’ needs
classify users’ needs
classify clients’ needs
diagnose users’ needs
determine users’ needs
diagnose clients’ needs
determine clients’ needs
establish users’ needs

skill/competence

cross-sector

Identify clients’ needs is an essential skill of the following occupations:

Relocation officer: Relocation officers help businesses and organisations with the move of employees. They plan the whole move. Relocation officers advise on real estate. They plan moving services and look after the general well-being of the employees and their family.
Insurance collector: Insurance collectors collect payment for an overdue insurance bill. They specialise in all areas of insurance such as medical, life, car, travel, etc and recurrently contact individuals to offer payment assistance or to facilitate payment plans according to individual’s financial situation.
Legal consultant: Legal consultants advise a varied array of clients ranging from business, individuals, up to legal firms. They provide legal advisory outside courtrooms in relation to legal affairs which depend on the nature of the client. They advise in matters such as merging of multinationals, housing purchase, modification of contracts and its implications. They help clients in general to abide by the regulations and avoid committing illegal acts.
Business service manager: Business service managers are reponsible for the provision of professional services to companies. They organise the provision of services tailored to the needs of the client and liaise with clients to agree on the contractual obligations for both parties.
Public funding advisor: Public funding advisors advise individuals and businesses about funding opportunities given by the government. They analyse the needs of clients, consult them on funds, grants and subsidies that apply to them and help with the application process. Public funding advisors also set up public grant administration in organisations.
Insurance agency manager: Insurance agency managers coordinate and oversee the operations of an institution or a branch of an institution that offers insurance services. They provide clients with advice on insurance products.
Tutor: Tutors provide personalised education to the children of employers or to adults, in addition to the main education system. They help students improve their knowledge and competence of a specific subject, at their own pace. Tutors will teach their students study techniques and strategies in order to ensure their academic development and will assess the student’s progress throughout the tutoring sessions.
Career guidance advisor: Career guidance advisors provide guidance and advice to adults and students on making educational, training and occupational choices and assist people in managing their careers, through career planning and career exploration. They help identify options for future careers, assist beneficiaries in the development of their curriculum and help people reflect on their ambitions, interests and qualifications. Career guidance advisors may provide advice on various career planning issues and make suggestions for lifelong learning if necessary, including study recommendations. They may also assist the individual in the search for a job.
Personal trust officer: Personal trust officers monitor and administer personal trusts. They interpret trust and testamentary documentation accordingly, interact with financial advisors to define the investment goal for the achievement of trust objectives, coordinate the purchase and sale of securities with account executives and review clients’ accounts regularly.
Communication manager:
Communication managers, as spokespersons, the communications issued by the company for both the internal and the external clients. For internal clients, meaning the employees, communication managers ensure that communications reach each one of the employees and further questions can be answered. For external parties, they coordinate coherence among the messages transmitted in mails, printed materials, press articles, and corporate promotional materials. They strive to maintain truthful communications.
Corporate lawyer: Corporate lawyers provide legal consulting services and representation to corporations and organisations. They give advice on matters relating to taxes, legal rights and patents, international trade, trademarks, and legal financial issues arising from operating a business.

Identify clients’ needs is optional for these occupations. This means knowing this skill may be an asset for career advancement if you are in one of these occupations.

Public speaking coach: Public speaking coaches provide, often private, instruction to clients in theory and techniques on how to improve their public speaking skills. They identify each client’s strengths and weaknesses and tailor their instruction to their specific needs, which may include improving the client’s vocal delivery, articulation, presentation abilities and body language. Depending on the background of the client, be it business, education or otherwise, public speaking coaches also instruct clients or students in persuasive arguing, rhetorical delivery and other debating techniques.
Financial manager: Financial managers handle all the matters in reference to the finance and investments of a company. They manage financial operations of companies such as the assets, liabilities, equity and cash flow aiming to maintain the financial health of the company and operative viability. Financial managers evaluate the strategic plans of the company in financial terms, maintain transparent financial operations for taxation and auditing bodies, and create the financial statements of the company at the end of the fiscal year.
Social security officer: Social security officers advise clients on social security benefits and ensure they claim the benefits they are eligible for, as well as providing advice on promotions and other available support services such as employment benefits. They aid clients in applications for benefits such as sickness, maternity, pensions, invalidity, unemployment and family benefits. They investigate the client’s right to benefits by reviewing their case and researching legislation and the claim, and suggest an appropriate course of action. Social security advisers also determine the aspects of a specific benefit.
Public relations manager: Public relations managers strive to convey and maintain a desired image or reputation of a company, individual, governmental institution, or organisation in general to the public and stakeholders at large. They use all sorts of media and events to promote the positive image of products, humanitarian causes or organisations. They attempt to ensure that all public communications portray clients the way they want to be perceived.
Lawyer: Lawyers provide legal advice to clients and act on their behalf in legal proceedings and in compliance with the law. They research for, interpret and study cases to represent their clients in a variety of settings such as courts and administrative boards. They create arguments on behalf of their clients for lawsuits in different contexts with the aim of finding a legal remedy.
Insurance broker: Insurance brokers promote, sell and provide advice on various insurance policies such as life insurance, health insurance, accident insurance and fire insurance to individuals and organisations. They also work as intermediaries between individuals or organisations and insurance companies, and negotiate the best insurance policies for their clients, arranging insurance cover where needed. Insurance brokers engage with new prospective clients, provide them with quotes for their policy needs, assist them in the signing of new insurance contracts and propose specific solutions to their specific problems.
Cabin crew instructor: Cabin crew instructors teach trainees all the matters regarding the operations in aircraft cabins. They teach, depending on the type of airplane, the operation carried out in the aircraft, the pre and post flight checks, the safety procedures, the service equipment, and client service procedures and formalities.
Business coach: Business coaches guide employees of a company or other institution in order to improve their personal effectiveness, increase their job satisfaction, and positively impact their career development in the business setting. They do this by leading the coachee (the person who is being coached) to resolution of their challenges by their own means. Business coaches aim to address specific tasks or reach specific goals, as opposed to overall development.
Asset manager: Asset managers invest the money of a client into financial assets, through vehicles such as investment funds or management of individual clients’ portfolios. This includes the management of the financial assets, within a given investment policy and risk framework, the provision of information, the assessment and monitoring of risks.
Insurance underwriter: Insurance underwriters assess business risks and liability policies and make decisions about commercial property. They inspect the conditions of businesses’ properties, analyse inspection policies, assist with real estate and rent issues, prepare loan contracts and handle commercial risks in order to align them with business practices. Insurance underwriters analyse various information from prospective customers in order to assess the likelihood that they will report a claim. They work to minimise risk for the insurance company and make sure that the insurance premium aligns with the associated risks. They can be specialists in life insurance, health insurance, reinsurance, commercial insurance, mortgage insurance.

References

1. Identify clients’ needs – ESCO