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Jan 26
2009
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No We Don't...Yes We DoPosted by Lori Snider in Resident Retention, Property Management, Multifamily Executive, Customer Service, Communication, Apartment Marketing, Apartment Industry   |
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Last week, before speaking at the International Builder’s Show in Las Vegas, I strolled through the casino at The Wynn Hotel, looking for a bite to eat. The Wynn is a first rate hotel that I became a guest at through a fantastic Hotwire offer. The rate I received indicated the hotel definitely was not seeing the volume of traffic they are used to.
Anyway, I found a café, sauntered to the counter, and stood squinting to see the wall menu printed in the most visually daunting font imaginable. I was not alone. Three other people squinted alongside me. The counter worker appeared and informed us they did not open until 11:30 (ten minutes away), then proceeded to stand at the cash register and stare glassy eyed out onto the casino floor. I looked around at the people standing behind me and thought, “How difficult can it be to take an order, provide a beverage and get my cold sandwich started now? You have business in front of you. Take advantage of it before we turn and leave.” Then I turned and left.
Through the years I have waited numerous times for businesses to open. Once, at Sam’s Club on a Saturday morning, I waited with 22 other people. I had nothing else to do (like buy something) so I counted them. Another time, I waited with a group at Marshall’s for 20 minutes before the doors were unlocked at precisely 12pm. I certainly understand the need for staffing and organization, however, I just can’t understand how anyone can look out the front doors, see customers standing and waiting and not feel compelled to let them in. What a refreshing change it would have been had the manager at Marshall’s opened the door at 11:40 with a “Welcome! We are glad you’re here – there are some fabulous buys to be found in the purse department. We won’t be able to ring you up for a few minutes, but please come in and peruse.” They could take a lesson from the coffee shop I visited this week at 5:45 am. I had a long drive and noticed the lights were on, so I ran up to the door and knocked. The barista came to the door and said, “I can’t get you anything fancy as I am just opening up, but I can get you a cup of coffee.” I gratefully accepted her offer.
The next time you find yourself saying, “We don’t…” stop yourself, and try to find a way to say, “We do.” Flexibility is key.
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Comments (7)
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written by jmccluskey, January 28, 2009
Great post. Very true, just hard to follow all the time, even I tend to think, "Ugh, I just got here! Someone is here already??" I come in an hour before we even open our offices just for some quiet time to get prepared for the day. This is just a very nice reminder that to be successful in any customer service environment, flexiblity and the "Yes, we do" attitude is very, very important.
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written by HeatherBlume, January 28, 2009
The offices that do have that hour of time in the AM to get caught up on their back paperwork, lining out their day, etc., do tend to become super protective of that time. Sometimes on site we get so overwhelmed with all the little things that go in to our job, we lose sight of the biggest and most important things of all, our customers. I love that some offices have that extra hour built in to the morning for catch up time, but at the same time, you should never leave someone standing out in the cold. If you make them wait, they, their rental dollars, and their good word of mouth about your property might not be there by the time you choose to finally open up the door.
Awesome post, Lori! Keep 'em coming!
Awesome post, Lori! Keep 'em coming!
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written by Doug Miller, March 06, 2009
Great post, Lori. As you know - you can't teach someone to care...which is why the key to all of this is leadership and the hiring proces (hire people who care - "hire the attitude and teach the technique). This also points to the critical need for properties to have a resident portal (not just a portal for prospects - who've never given you a dime). Resident portals with work order, rent payment and email capabilities wipes out "office hours" - the property suddenly has become a 24/7 office...and no standing in line. All of the research we do shows that a high percent of residents want access to service when offices are closed - and resident portals are the answer of course.
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written by Tara Smiley, April 03, 2009
We are one of those offices that, technically, don't open for leasing until noon, and have the built in am hours for office stuff. However, I have never turned a customer away, and was always pleasantly surprised at the great feedback from prospects when i invited them for an 8am appointment or was able to accomodate later hours. we are in the hospitality business, after all. great post!
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written by Johnny Karnofsky, January 20, 2010
This falls under the heading.... 'No we CAN'T do that'.... I HATE THE WORD CAN'T!.... I would rather hear "This is what we CAN do."
In my prior retail management career, I actually FIRED a team member for saying the 'No we can't do that'.
In terms of the response that referred to an extra morning hour; I support the use of that time to serve CURRENT residents that take the time to come into the office.. No answering phones, no answering emails. Establish 1 hour early and 1 hour late; staggering your staff to cover the extra time at both ends of the day for this. Publish the following office hours:
Existing resident:
M-F: 8am-6pm
Sa/Su: 9am-5pm
Vendors and others:
M-F: 9am-5pm
Sa/Su: 10am-4pm
Make sure your residents know that this extra time is for THEM to come in and have some undivided time to focus on THEM and their issues.
In my prior retail management career, I actually FIRED a team member for saying the 'No we can't do that'.
In terms of the response that referred to an extra morning hour; I support the use of that time to serve CURRENT residents that take the time to come into the office.. No answering phones, no answering emails. Establish 1 hour early and 1 hour late; staggering your staff to cover the extra time at both ends of the day for this. Publish the following office hours:
Existing resident:
M-F: 8am-6pm
Sa/Su: 9am-5pm
Vendors and others:
M-F: 9am-5pm
Sa/Su: 10am-4pm
Make sure your residents know that this extra time is for THEM to come in and have some undivided time to focus on THEM and their issues.
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I think it's a matter of training and role playing to teach employees that no matter what the situation, they need to make every attempt possible to offer a solution, but also understand how to find the line which a "no" is reasonable.