CRM Software for Economic Development Organizations
+1 (805) 967-1280 | email: sales@outreachsystems.com

What is the difference between client time and counselor time?

Creating a counseling session with multiple clients and/or multiple counselors can make for some interesting math, and for this reason it is important to understand the difference between client time and counselor time, and how Neoserra distinguishes between the two.

Client time refers to the amount of counseling time (prep+contact) that the client(s) actually received. In other words, the actual clock time dedicated to a client's issue. Counselor time, on the other hand, refers to the amount of time the counselor(s) dedicated to a particular client(s) and if multiple clients participated then each client would have received the benefit of that time.

.

The easiest way to look at the math, is to take a look at different scenarios:

  1. One Client, Multiple Counselors In this scenario, it is assumed that the two counselors are meeting with one client at the same time for the same meeting time, however, each counselor can have their own length of prep time. If both counselors did not participate for the full-length of the session, then it is best to enter separate sessions:

    If you were to run a client report, then:

    • Ames Construction received 1 hour of prep time + 1 hour contact time = 2 hours of client counseling time.

    On the other hand, of you were to run a counselor report, then the counselor time would be:

    • Counselor Herman: 1 hour prep + 1 hour contact = 2 hours
    • Counselor Kathy: 1 hour contact = 1 hour
    • Total time = 3 hours of counselor time
    In other words, the program committed three hours of resources to this client, however, in real time, the client only received 2 hours of counseling time.
  2. Multiple Clients, One Counselor In this scenario, it is assumed that the two clients are meeting on a common issue together (such as potential joint venture, for example) with the same counselor. Again, it is assumed that everyone was in the room at the same time, if the clients came in at separate times, then the sessions should be entered separately:

    In this case the client hours are as follows:

    • Smiley's Organic Chicken Farm received the benefit of 1 hour of prep time and 2.5 hours of contact time, for a total of 3.5 hours of client time.
    • Riley Rooster Chicken Farm also received the benefit of 1 hour of prep time and 2.5 hours of contact time, for a total of 3.5 hours of client time.
    • Total client time: 3.5 + 3.5 = 7 hours.

    If you were to run a counselor report, then the counselor time would simply be:

    • Counselor Herman: 1 hour prep + 2.5 hour contact = 3.5 counselor hours
  3. Multiple Clients, Multiple Counselors In this scenario, it is assumed that the two clients are meeting on a common issue together, and there are two counselors assisting in the discussion. Again, it is assumed that everyone was in the room at the same time, if not, the separate sessions should be created:

    If you were to run a client report, then the client hours would be 7 hours:

    • Dexter's Camera received the benefit of 2.5 hour of prep time and 1 hour of contact time for a total of 3.5 hours.
    • Carla's Hairdresser also received the benefit of 2.5 hours of prep time and 1 hour of contact time for a total of 3.5 hours.
    • Total client time: 3.5 + 3.5 = 7 hours.

    If you were to run a counselor report, then the counselor time would be:

    • Counselor William: 2 hours prep + 1 hour contact = 3 hours
    • Counselor John: 30 minutes of prep + 1 hour contact = 1.5 hours
    • Total time = 4.5 hours
  4. Thus, unless there is one client and one counselor per session, the client time and the counselor time will not be the same. Most scorecards look at client time, however, you can also generate a scorecard of counselor hours.



    Want more? Browse our extensive list of Neoserra FAQs.