Client Centricity is not about having better Answers

 

Client centricity is not about having better answers.

Sometimes, it is about asking a better question.

Today, Shiffy Srivastava worked with Directors, Senior Directors and the Leadership Team at EY on Client Centric Mindset.

One idea stood out:

Seek first to understand. Then be understood.

It sounds simple.

But when a client says:

“Your team needs to be more responsive.”

The instinct is often to defend, explain or solve.

Shiffy’s coaching prompt is different:

“Tell me more about what responsiveness means to you.”

That pause can change the conversation.

Because responsiveness may not be about speed.

It may be about anticipation.

Reducing follow-ups.

Understanding business impact.

Or, ultimately, trust.

Consider another seemingly simple request:

“Can you send this by tomorrow?”

The obvious question is:

“Can we meet the deadline?”

The more revealing question:

“What makes tomorrow important?”

That question uncovers context.

And context is where client value often lives.

The conversation moves from completing a task to understanding why the task matters.

Shiffy captured the practice simply:

Pause → Probe → Paraphrase → Perspective

Pause before solving.

Probe before prescribing.

Paraphrase before responding.

Then share your perspective.

The deeper insight?

Client centricity isn’t simply:

“How do we give the client what they want?”

It is:

“How well do we understand what matters to the client — including what they haven’t yet articulated?”

This is where coaching can change a client conversation.

A coach doesn’t rush to fill the silence.

They create space for people to think.

Sometimes the most valuable thing we can give a client isn’t an answer.

It is a question that helps them see their own problem differently.

And perhaps that is the real test of client centricity:

After speaking with us, does the client simply have an answer — or do they have better clarity?

Shiffy Srivastava

Leadership & Workforce Capability Strategist | First-Time Managers to CXOs | Executive Presence, Communication & Frontline Capability | Customized Corporate Learning

Delhi, India

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