Analysis of Client/Consultant Interaction in the Case of Healix Consultancy Essay

Healix Risk Rating, the innovator of Healix Travel Black box an anvanced rooster in assessment of medical risk in get going insurance, is prep aredness to launch the offput into new grocery. As one of their appointed trade consultancy team, we carried discover the maket research and formulated a foodstuffing plan for this spew. During the executing of the aim, there are 2 main types of fundamental interaction involved that affects matter of the project intra-group interaction and thickening/ advisor interaction, in which the later go a focusing be more than focused. base on my experience in this assignment, this broody report is aimed to express my sagaciousness of the applicability of learnt pretendings and theories in client/ adviser relationship as well as the limitations of the marketing consultancy receipts that we involves in. attain factors that determine a intimately consultancy project are not scarce the ability of consultants financial capacit y and readiness of clients but in any case a strong collaboration from both sides and great furiousness on demonstrable results preferably of heavy focus on image of take on.Company commentary The Healix Travel Black Box offers the means for sellers of decease insurance to accurately and efficiently underwrite the increased risk associated to travellers with pre-existing medical conditions. The service is designed to be fully incorporated into the online sales processes and integrated into treat centre sales processes, which allow customers to declare health conditions on the call back or online without making separate assessment with underwriters or waiting for doctors report.In other words, The Healix Travel Black Box provides a fully automatise assessment and rating of medical risk which can be done in a couple of minutes. The Healix Travel Black Box has rise as a global solution to travel insurance industry. The software is available to all regions where the public can directly buy travel incurance. The adoption of this technology is quickly spread across the globe, such as Australia, New Zealand , Canada, Denmark. And Healix Risk Rating in still on the panache to seek new market for this advanced product. Summary of client/consultant processThe situation in which our marketing consultancy came is when the company wants to efficiently market and launch the new product Black box into new travel insurance markets. This floor can be defined as outgrowth stage when client needs abet at early stage of a new program. Early intervention of consultant show signs of consultees insightfulness and openness (Dewayne J. Kurpius, Dale A. Fuqua and Thaddeus Rozecki, 1993). Prior to the marketing plan, our team had to agree on a country of choice to market and sell the Black box.And then, we live with to make a market research on that target market based on the following topics (1) market apprize, (2) existing channels of distribution, (3) consumer g et behaviours, (4) average policy medical benefits and (5) how the handling of pre-existing medical conditions is shortly dealt with. After obtaining the understanding of the target market, we hammered out on problem identification, oddly the feasibility of the Black box launch in the country. Based on the market research, a outlined marketing plan was made precedent to any detailed ones that were done later.As a marketing consultancy project done by a marketing consulting team, there are two main interaction factors during the implementation that influence the success of the project intra-group interaction and client/consultant interaction. Intra-group interaction During the implementation, although our team had experienced many difficulties in order to obtain the relevant marketing information related to the topic, roughly team member is patient and very(prenominal) participative. We did fix a dismiss plan to make the report in order to allocate the work to each member mor e or less.In order to make the job more efficiently, each member is encouraged to pick the piece(s) of work of his/her favour. Though the work of the some members is not as expected, however it is controlled promptly, thanks to regular meetings and good communication between team members. Client/Consultant interaction wholeness of the shortcomings for us during the making of marketing plan for Healix is a lack of our understanding regarding the backing situation, product development and financial capacity of the client. It is suggested that insuf? ient understanding of the client is key problem of most poor client-consulting relationships (Ford, 1985). Our limited knowledge regarding the product and business condition of Healix Risk Rating may expose us to risk of mis-identification of the real problem and consequently leading to an inapprorpiate marketing plan. On the other hand, ther is a lack of interaction from the client. The wistful practician model (Schon 1983) argues prob lems have to be identified and solutions mustiness be formulated in collaboration between client and consultant.During the knowledge transfer, the situation of the client should be clearly understood by the consultant, then the consultant will jock the client reflect and understand the rationale for the clients actions (Schon 1983 as cited in Nikolova, 2007). Clients then must work as pensive practitioners themselves. This reflective communication must be ex transfigured between client and consultant to facilitate expertise sharing. (Ibid p. 301). Schon views that Knowing-in-action implies that consultants would apply their knowledge gained from actiivities they have undertaken or situations they have experienced before.But for new and extremely sophisticated problems, the reflection-in-action is proper coiffe that consultant and clients need for the formulation of innovative solutions. In reflective practitioner model, the interaction between client and consultant is seen as a reflective communication. Schon views both consultants and clients as interdependent. Consequently, the relationship between client and consultant remedys when expertise sharing and mutual understanding are focused.Client and consultant should closely collaborate during problem solving process to work the surpass out of their knowledge and experience. The relationship becomes equilibrated as knowledge and help are fairly exchanged. (Schon,1983) Furthermore, some(prenominal) models have been developed to gain valuable knowledge regarding how to improve cooperation between client and consultant. For example, the interpretive model established by Nikolova is to help clients and consultants to gain a better understanding of their interaction (Nikolova, 2007).Nikolova suggests that this model would be useful to explain the complexity of client-consultant relationship. This model emphasizes that clients have to be advised of the changing roles that consultants would play during the different phases of the project. This model was built based on prior generally accepted models Expert model (OFarrell and Moffat 1991 cited in Nikolova, 2007), decisive model and reflective practitioner. It should make consultants and clients highly aware of undiscovered problems through their interactions during consultancy process.According to interpretative model, it is too simplistic to consider consultants as experts (expert model), whimsy managers (critical model), and reflective practitioners (reflective practitioner model). The play role of consultants depends on which context the they are in and which problems necessary to be solved. For this matter of client/consultant relationship, McLachlin (1999) has several suggestions on some aspects that are necessary for a successful consulting project. Consultants must have strict discipline towards integrity in working for the best interest of clients .Besides, clients must also participate in the project and prink a readiness to change. It is key that there are specific project requirements and expectations to be met. However, the Healix consulting project is more task-focused rather than based on expectations of the client. Schaffer (2002) also describes the implementation gap, which is the discrepancy between the clients needed solution and the capability of the consultant to create that solution. He suggests that ? ve factors that most promising lead to implementation gap during consulting process (1) consulting projects are de? ned and priced ased on the kitchen stove of work to be done by the consultants or the product delivered by the consultant, not in terms of speci? c results to be achieved (2) project scope is focused mainly on the problem identification and solution good word with little consideration for the clients capability and readiness to change (3) the consultation aims for a radical solution rather than incremental value (4) The cooperation is more of a sharp division of responsibil ity between consultant and client rather than a solid collaboration from both sides (5) instead of leveraged use, the consultancy make labor-intensive use of consultants.Conclusion As generally accepted, the way we as marketing consultants formulate the consulting process will affect the interaction and relationship between the consultant and client and consequently the outcome of the project.Based on multiple generally accepted empirical studies and models, it is suggested that consulting will establish good results if possessing the following success factors Highly capable consultants Great emphasis on client results/ satisfaction Willingness from both sides for strong collaboration palpable executive support A solution adaptation that fits client capability and readiness A full understanding of the clients business environment.I understand that consulting approaches have to be customized based on out marketing expertise, thorough understanding of the clients situation, intensiv e market research on the target market as well as an highly applicable marketing plan . Besides, the costs and benefits of client and consultant should be aligned by defining critical results with clear and mensurable short-term goals. Therefore, we admit that our proposed marketing plan to Healix Risk Rating is very preminlinary and subjective due to the simplification of the scope of work and lack of interaction from the client.