Customer Service

A story.

I’m at Subway.

The restaurant.

So the other day I’m doing a little bit of shopping at Wal-Mart trying to figure out how I can save money and live better, when I realize I have no idea where I am. I mean, I knew I was somewhere between desk chairs and cat food, but since I was looking for cotton balls—for a project—I wasn’t sure if I should turn left at the beanbags, or right. I decided to ask Barry for help; he looked nice enough. 

Me: Hi, Barry. Do you have cotton balls?

Barry: Uh…

If there is one thing that property managers know, it’s that we are exposed to risk in all that we do. This “risk” comes in all shapes and forms; some are more evident than others. I am constantly reminding my employees to be careful of their actions as to not expose the property and our owners to possible litigation. Some of the greatest potential risks, as I have found, are in the very small details. Here’s a few that I wanted to point out.

First, consider the “golden rule” of leasing—treat everyone consistently. Consistently being the key word.  I have often instructed my leasing agents to use caution when asking where people are from. Generally, in life this is a great conversation starter, but in the realm of fair housing when we open that door and are inquisitive on a prospects nationality this could be construed as discriminatory (if an allegation were to ever occur). The curiosity of national origin presents a very strong basis for a suit if one were ever made against the defendant (i.e. leasing agent). Think about it: why does it matter where they are from? You are trying to lease them an apartment—its best to stick to questions that qualify the prospect. As an alternative, the leasing agent might inquire about the prospects interests, hobbies, etc. While it may seem like a harmless, amiable way to personally get to know a prospect, its best to leave this question alone.  

Secondly, the guest card. The guest card is an all-important leasing tool whose purpose is to gather bona fide, relevant data pertaining to the apartment preferences of a prospect. Not only does this tool aid in the selling process of the leasing agent, but its auxiliary purpose is to ward-off fair housing claims by providing a record of the tour—time and place, apartment shown, follow up, etc. Consider if the prospect has children. I have been to a few properties where the leasing agent will report the familial status of all occupants (i.e. if they are a child, minor, etc.)—this is a bad idea. It’s best to stay neutral and simply state the number of occupants that will be living in the apartment. Remember that familial status is a protected class.

What can you do to show you appreciate someone, your residents, your family, your friends, or the person on the street you just passed?  As we learn and use the wonderful features of technology and social media, we tend to not interrelate like we once did.  We have all emailed the person in the next cubicle or office, and texted someone when we could have called them. What three things can you do on a daily basis that makes a difference in how people connect and react to you?

Everyone has three things they can do to let others know they matter.  I recently sent an email about this to my fellow teams. Incidentally, I received more replies than normal and I would like to share some of the unedited feedback.

1. Smile and compliment them.
2. Make them feel welcome; tell them they have been approved for their new home.
3. Ask them “How can we help”?
4. Tell them you appreciate them, maybe bring them a coffee and tell them one nice thing! Or just give them a big hug.
5.  Listen, people want to be heard and know that what they have to say matters, and it shows you value them, as well as what they have to say.
6.  Speak directly to them, look in their eyes, and be attentive.
7.  Use their name when you talk to them, it makes them feel important and gets their  attention.
8.  A simple acknowledgement, “Great Job”.
9.  To a stranger driving and trying to get in your lane, “Just wave and let them in”.
10.  Stand up and greet them when someone walks into your office. Tell them how special they are every time you see them. 

This is timeless and relevant in this exciting and incredibly busy life we share.  Our lives are increasingly demanding, and the technology creates more texting, emailing, posting, tweeting, and less opportunities for those random meetings.

Hola! Aquí estamos. Are you ready, or not?

By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL

In the history of property ownership and property management, as far back as the Stone Age (maybe not that far back), we have always called our customers “tenants” and for some reason it just stuck like glue. We can try to shake the term, but no matter how we spin it, turn it, or twist it the relationship comes back full circle to calling them “tenants” and not customers. It is rather maddening to say the least. Even though I preach this and believe it, I catch myself using the term because nobody understands who I am speaking about when I say “customer!”

What drives me batty is that when you consider all of the blood, sweat, and tears we put into marketing, promotions, “tenant” retention, newsletters, “tenant” parties, and “tenant” appreciation, why do we not refer to our “tenants” as customers? It just does not make logical sense.

By Linda Day Harrison, theBrokerList, Chicago, IL

Walk around your office and various departments. Ask folks what tasks they absolutely hate to do or what seems pointless. You will gain a ton of insight about your processes and procedures. Find out why you do that task. Make sure you dig down deep and study the what-ifs of each task.

For instance, each time we do a batch of “X”, a paper printout is generated. The paper is then put into a bin and we file it by property. Every single company, building, and system is different so this example is just an illustration. The point is to ask, “What is the value of this task?” If you file this print-out by property, what is the value of that print-out, and how many times is it referenced or utilized? Why are you printing it at all, can the printing function be turned off? How long is the data retained? There are many questions to ask, but the most important point here is, somebody just needs to ask.

By Colin McCarthy, J.D., Robinson & Wood, San Jose, CA

I enjoyed philosophy classes in college. I enjoyed thinking about such questions, as: If a tree falls in the forest and no one hears it, does it make a sound? I enjoyed even more Bart Simpson's reply to the question: What is the sound of one hand clapping? (He immediately held up his one hand and patted his fingers against his palm, making a muted clapping sound).

My enjoyment of these questions has found a natural outlet in the law. The law ostensibly provides you with an answer, whether it be found in a book, or in a code section, or recommended by experts. So it is one of those questions today that is our focus: If a tenant hurts himself in an apartment and the landlord did not know about the condition which caused the injury, was the landlord at fault?

 By R. Aaron Warnock, Chief Scientist, G5

Some think 2012 is the year of destruction, but maybe the Mayans only meant that the old way of doing business would be over. In this new era, the Age of the Customer, businesses must master customer engagement in an ever more digital world.

Local businesses continue to grapple with the challenges of the continuously connected consumer. The shift to online channels has accelerated, driven by the adoption of mobile computing and the rise of social media. To remain competitive, businesses must move well beyond online advertising and recognize how to deliver exceptional experience with digital touchpoints throughout the lifecycle. Successful companies will be those that place Digital Experience Management (DXM) at the center of their strategic plans.