Client Communication Policy
At JEArchitecture, our priority is to deliver high-quality architectural services while maintaining an efficient workflow and supporting the well-being of our team.
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Our mission is to deliver excellence in every project we undertake. To achieve this, we’ve developed a communication policy that supports our ability to maintain the highest business standards while safeguarding the well-being of our dedicated team. By fostering a balanced, respectful approach to communication, we can focus on being the best architects we can be and ensure the success of your project.
This policy is designed to promote efficiency, clarity, and mutual respect, enabling us to collaborate effectively and deliver the exceptional results you expect and deserve.
To achieve this, we’ve implemented a communication policy to manage correspondence, meetings, and queries in a way that minimizes unnecessary strain on our resources and allows our staff to work effectively.
1. Email Correspondence
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• Email Content: To streamline communication and reduce the administrative burden, we kindly ask that you consolidate your questions or requests into a single email whenever possible. This helps us address your needs comprehensively while protecting our team’s time.
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• Out-of-Hours Emails: While you may write emails at any time, our team will only review and respond to emails during business hours.
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It is JEA company policy that staff do not have access to emails outside office hours, to insure the respect of work-life balance and prevent undue stress on staff.
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• Response Time: We aim to respond to emails within 48 business hours. This ensures we can dedicate focused time to progressing your project without frequent interruptions.
2. Meetings
• Scheduling Meetings: Meetings are held by prior appointment only and must be requested at least 5 business days in advance. This allows us to allocate resources effectively and prepare appropriately for discussions.
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• Meeting Times: We do understand that our clients have work and commitments also, but ultimately we must prioritise the well being of our staff and business to allow us to deliver your project to the best of our ability.
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Meetings can only be scheduled between 9.00am and 4.00pm, Monday to Thursday.
Please respect this boundary and do not expect our staff to trade their well being for your time.
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• Meeting Duration: Meetings are limited to 30 minutes unless agreed otherwise.
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• Frequency: To minimize disruptions and ensure our focus remains on project progress, we recommend scheduling no more than one meeting per phase of the project unless substantial updates or decisions are required.
3. Questions and Queries
• Consolidated Questions: We request that all questions be compiled and submitted in a single email or discussed during scheduled meetings. This reduces repetitive inquiries and allows our team to manage their workload efficiently.
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• Scope of Questions: Queries outside the agreed scope of work may require additional fees, which will be communicated in advance.
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4. Emergency Contact
• Definition of Emergency: Emergencies are issues that may cause immediate harm. For such situations, please contact us via phone.
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• Non-Emergency Matters: Any matters not deemed emergencies will be addressed during regular working hours as per the standard response time.
5. Communication Hours
• Office Hours: Our office hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday to Thursday. Our team does not monitor or respond to emails or calls outside these hours, to support their well-being and maintain a healthy work-life balance.
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• Time Zones: If you are contacting us from a different time zone, please be mindful of our office hours.
6. Respectful Communication
• Professional Boundaries: To ensure a productive working relationship, we ask that all communication remains respectful and considerate of our team’s time and efforts. Excessive or demanding inquiries that fall outside the scope of our agreed services may require additional fees or adjusted timelines.
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• Well-Being Focus: Protecting our team’s mental and physical health is essential to delivering quality work. We reserve the right to limit contact methods or frequency for clients whose communication exceeds reasonable expectations.
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• Personal Contact: To ensure a respectful and productive working relationship, no contact is to be made to any team member via their personal mobile number in the form of phone calls and text messages/Whatsapp and only through email or the office phone number if required as mentioned above.
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7. Contract Communication
• Contract Instructions: Under the terms of the Building Contract you have appointed your Architect/JEA to act as the Agent. This means that the architect is the only party to the contract that is authorised to issue instructions to the contractor.
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To ensure the smooth execution and delivery of your project, it is crucial that all instructions are communicated through the architect at all times. At JEA, we strongly advise that clients follow the proper contractual communication channels throughout the project.
Directly instructing the contractor without the architect’s involvement ALWAYS results in unnecessary confusion, increased costs, delays, and additional workload for the architect.
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JEA will levy additional fees to cover additional work undertaken due to client/contractor instructions.
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We understand that your project is very important to you, and we appreciate that embarking on a construction or design journey can feel overwhelming, especially if it’s your first time. Please rest assured that our team has the expertise and experience needed to guide your project to success.
To deliver the best possible outcome for you, we ask for your trust in our process and respect for the boundaries we’ve established to manage our time and resources effectively. While we are happy to answer your questions and keep you informed, excessive emails, frequent meetings, or repeated inquiries can create delays and divert focus from progressing your project.
If communication demands exceed what is reasonable, we will discuss additional fees to cover the extra time required or, in extreme cases, consider stepping back from the project to maintain our professional integrity and the well-being of our team.
We are committed to working collaboratively with you to achieve a successful result. Working together, by maintaining clear and respectful communication, we can ensure your project is delivered to the highest standard.
We truly appreciate your understanding and partnership throughout this process.