I recently had a conversation with a regional manager who accepted the fact that her leasing agents are just too busy to talk to people. And when I say “people,” I mean prospects and residents.

That’s a scary thing. Yet I know it feels like the unvarnished truth most days.

I shadowed a leasing agent (my friend) and was blown away by how many responsibilities he juggled in one short day. It wasn’t just leasing an apartment or talking to residents. On our way out to the golf cart, I stood in the doorway holding his keys for 15 minutes while his phone blew up. When we finally got in the golf cart, a resident walked up and asked about a package that was being held for her. My friend quickly jumped out of the golf cart to grab the package. And so it continued.

What was interesting, though, was that he was extremely busy, but not too busy to talk to prospects and residents. He loved the interaction—seemed like he couldn’t get enough. He’d even stop the cart to talk to residents headed out to their cars or on a walk.  

It reminded me of something my mentor told me when I started my career as a manager: “Ryan, it will be very easy to hide behind your desk and get buried in the paperwork and demands of the job. But don’t forget that your job is the people who work for you and the customers they serve. If you put them first, you’ll always be successful and the paperwork will get done.”

So are you really too busy to talk to people?  

Maybe it’s time to evaluate your property with that question and this one: Do you make your residents and prospects feel like they are the most important part of your job? Residents know how busy you are (at least an inkling), but do you stop to give them the attention they need? If you do, you'll most likely have higher retention.  

To support my theory, check out these articles with SatisFacts data on responsiveness as key to resident renewal.