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Feb 26
2010
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Do call centers equal great customer service, or do on-site teams need to handle these calls to continue the relationship they have with their residents? This is the debate that started on Twitter from some great Tweets by Mark Juleen (@theaptnerd). Here's the background story...
What Mark is referring to is my many frustrations with my own apartment community in their efforts to renew my lease. But let's boil my frustrations down into a few key points:
- Seeming lack of effort in trying to retain me relative to their initial efforts to first lease to me
- Lack of consideration in the timing of their renewal letter and lack of follow-up, as promised
- Raising my rent for services I don't want and never would pay for myself
- Not knowing who I am
The other issues I had were not necessarily from an upset consumer standpoint, but a frustration with the business practice. For example, the wording, timing, and approach of their renewal process effectively put me back in the "buying mode", but that didn't hurt me as a customer - it just frustrated me as a multifamily professional!
Which brings us back to the concept of apartment community call centers. In my experience as a resident, the call center provided good customer service, both in quality of service and pleasant phone call, as well as the simple benefit of talking to a live person. The maintenance techs arrived within literally 3 minutes of finishing the call, which showed quick follow-up from the call center. So all-in-all, I was quite pleased with the situation. And keep in mind that since I am in the industry I knew it was a call center to begin with - many residents would have no idea.
Of the four things that I had been upset about above, there is only one that could have been partially mitigated by having the calls handled by the on-site team: "Not knowing who I am". I am of the opinion that it is the office team's job to know who their residents are, and if they never get any calls due to a call center, it hurts that ability. As they will know less about me and have less rapport with me, it will be that much harder to renew me.
I am not saying that a call center is a good or bad expenditure, because this blog has only covered the concept from a resident point of view, not delving into costs or other business factors. But purely from a resident point of view, it appears to be a trade-off: It provides great customer service with maintenance, but may require more effort from the leasing team to build rapport with the residents in other ways.
[Disclaimer: RealPage is a sponsor of Multifamily Insiders. This had no bearing on my initial tweet, as I was legitimately impressed, but I thought I should pass that along.]
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Comments (16)
Thanks for the comment, Frederic, and you make a great point. Ironically, I don't think I see it exactly the same way, however. To me, you made me realize that I still had the interaction with the maintenance team as they came by my apartment. So two members of the on-site team still got that rapport building opportunity with their resident. Now, that doesn't help the leasing consultant's relationship with me directly, but I guess my thought is that the call center didn't take the entire relationship away - just the call into the office.
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Ultimately I believe that key is to be available and a call center does help in achieving that. You know that I believe communication is very important and prompt response is key. A live person is always best as we have grown to not be trusting of a pager of a voice mail especially if it an urgent matter.
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I think the idea of a call center is backwards. It's not about a single interation or transaction. It's about the entire experience. Just like a renewal letter, referral email, or other communications it's not just about that one time exchange. If your community had taken the time to get know you even those letters would have come across differently. The fact that you essentially have no relationship with your management other than these faceless interactions is where the issue lies. We all say we just want speedy and done right, but we also want someone to care. That makes other interactions worthwhile.
We have it backwards as I think we're outsourcing the wrong things. We ask our on site teams to do more bills, reports, etc., that are just menial tasks when we should be outsourcing those jobs and asking our on site teams to focus on what's most important - relationships with our customers.
We have it backwards as I think we're outsourcing the wrong things. We ask our on site teams to do more bills, reports, etc., that are just menial tasks when we should be outsourcing those jobs and asking our on site teams to focus on what's most important - relationships with our customers.
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With the right set up and a team that has the right training and most of all, the right attitude, there is no doubt that outsourcing the interactions with the existing clients is not necessarily the best idea. The quality of the interaction is critical and having a personal relationship with the customer improves the quality of that interaction. The cornerstone of all of this is to have a relationship!
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I gotta say, it just so happens I made a visit to a Call Center (can't really say who)this week. SO IMPRESSIVE! Their success in new leases has been off the charts incredible! Exceeding all expectations and I *think* they now take resident calls for maintenenece as well. I spent ALOT of years on the other side...answering all of those calls, and I have to say...ANY help would have streamined the processes....I am now a BIG advocate! That team is ROCKIN the metrics. I think for their company it is a fit.
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Mark, thanks for continuing our debate on here! First of all, even with your argument, I still think a call center should be a backup rather than voicemail (if the office team cannot reach the phone), at least from the resident's perspective. Now specifically to your argument, from an idealistic point of view, I really like it, as it places the focus of the office on the actual residents. But that assumes that the office already has a strong resident engagement program, which frankly is not the case with a lot of communities. And for a community like mine that has very little interaction with existing residents, then the incremental maintenance phone call holds little value in terms of rapport building.
And Carol, thanks for jumping into the debate! Call centers for leasing is probably an even more intense discussion, but at least there are more ways you can quantify the success of that type of program...
And Carol, thanks for jumping into the debate! Call centers for leasing is probably an even more intense discussion, but at least there are more ways you can quantify the success of that type of program...
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So, are we saying a call center is good if you have a bad training program, mediocre on site management teams, and a poor resident engagement/retention program? Sounds like an awesome company to work for, and a great community to live in. This is why people don't lease, don't renew, and demand concessions and free rent.
Yes, as a backup these programs are good, but too many are using this as their only line of defense and I disagree with that 100%.
Don't even get me started on using it for leasing. I believe this is a huge mistake even for overflow.
Yes, as a backup these programs are good, but too many are using this as their only line of defense and I disagree with that 100%.
Don't even get me started on using it for leasing. I believe this is a huge mistake even for overflow.
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I would really only limit that to poor resident engagement/retention program. My community does well in running the property itself, so I wouldn't throw it down the toilet. But since the engagement is sub-par, then the incremental benefits of me talking to an on-site person for a maintenance request three times a year are not that great.
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If I was a resident, and I had a call answered by a call center; I would not care for it very much. It seems too impersonal to me. In general, I am not in favor of the use of call centers for almost anything. If I am a prospect calling into the property, and I am asking for directions; is that call center person going to be able to direct me from where I AM? Are they going to be able to give me landmarks to look for?
If I am a resident with a question about my lease, or something that would only be in my file onsite; would I get a real answe, or a scripted response?
I think it is okay to use an answering service for after hours issues, with messages delivered in the morning. In the event of a maintenance emergency; the instructions to the service should be to contact the on call maintenance person. If possible, a 911 call should be directed to emergency personnel first, then to the property manager. For this purpose, a call center is okay; and only used sparingly during the business day (to cover a meeting, conference call, or when one person is running the office and giving a tour).
For non emergency maintenance issues, I like the idea of having the resident submit the request online, or via email to the maintenance manager; but that is a different topic.
If I am a resident with a question about my lease, or something that would only be in my file onsite; would I get a real answe, or a scripted response?
I think it is okay to use an answering service for after hours issues, with messages delivered in the morning. In the event of a maintenance emergency; the instructions to the service should be to contact the on call maintenance person. If possible, a 911 call should be directed to emergency personnel first, then to the property manager. For this purpose, a call center is okay; and only used sparingly during the business day (to cover a meeting, conference call, or when one person is running the office and giving a tour).
For non emergency maintenance issues, I like the idea of having the resident submit the request online, or via email to the maintenance manager; but that is a different topic.
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OK, I'll sum up my thoughts here.
Call centers (as back-up) can work. However, it requires doing things differently than what current call center providers offer.
1. Don't act like you're on site. You're not, and any rapport you may build during the call washes away as soon as the caller finds out.
2. Apologize for the on site team being unavailable to answer the phone themselves, and thank them for calling (beyond the thank you in you greeting).
3. Tell them you can answer some general questions, but you'd like to get their information so that the expert on property can follow up with them as soon as possible.
4. Don't list off anything or try to "sell" the property. You've never been there and you don't know what you're talking about regardless of the information you can read on your computer.
5. Don't quote prices nor give your opinion about the property.
6. Apologize again and let them know you are contacting the property right away with their questions and information.
This pretty much applies to leasing or maintenance calls. Be honest, be kind, and don't try to be something you're not. You are the back up to the people on site. We need you to help be the nice person that thankfully answers the phone because we can't, but it really doesn't go much further than that.
The reason this should only be used as a backup is because each touhpoint with a customer is critical. On site teams need to maximize those opportunities.
Finally, if anyone believes a call center should answer every call because they do a better job than the onsite team, then that's a whole different issue and a call center investment is probably a good one for you.
Call centers (as back-up) can work. However, it requires doing things differently than what current call center providers offer.
1. Don't act like you're on site. You're not, and any rapport you may build during the call washes away as soon as the caller finds out.
2. Apologize for the on site team being unavailable to answer the phone themselves, and thank them for calling (beyond the thank you in you greeting).
3. Tell them you can answer some general questions, but you'd like to get their information so that the expert on property can follow up with them as soon as possible.
4. Don't list off anything or try to "sell" the property. You've never been there and you don't know what you're talking about regardless of the information you can read on your computer.
5. Don't quote prices nor give your opinion about the property.
6. Apologize again and let them know you are contacting the property right away with their questions and information.
This pretty much applies to leasing or maintenance calls. Be honest, be kind, and don't try to be something you're not. You are the back up to the people on site. We need you to help be the nice person that thankfully answers the phone because we can't, but it really doesn't go much further than that.
The reason this should only be used as a backup is because each touhpoint with a customer is critical. On site teams need to maximize those opportunities.
Finally, if anyone believes a call center should answer every call because they do a better job than the onsite team, then that's a whole different issue and a call center investment is probably a good one for you.
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This makes sense, I am not sure about apologizing? I certainly agree that informing your not an on-site person and informing about what can/ can't do for them makes a lot of sense.
Pretending to be someone you are not is always a bad idea, the customer will just about always find out.
Last month we handled nearly 200,000 chats, the web visitors know we are not our clients but an extension of their sales team and it is very successful. It is critical to manage the expectations in order to insure a great experience!
Pretending to be someone you are not is always a bad idea, the customer will just about always find out.
Last month we handled nearly 200,000 chats, the web visitors know we are not our clients but an extension of their sales team and it is very successful. It is critical to manage the expectations in order to insure a great experience!
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@Frederic DEFINITELY APOLOGIZE! This goes a long way for a lot of communication. Try it, and use it often.
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@ Mark, I think you feel strongly about that one, LOL. By the way, I don't disagree. I was wondering how this could be worked into the conversation...
I would see it done upfront: i.e. "Thank for contacting____, I am sorry but no one on-site is available right now, how can I be of assistance?". This avoids the potential scenario when you have to disclose that you are not on-site if they ask you about something that you cannot handle. My concern is that residents may simply not share their needs at that point and elect to call back later. I am just not sure how a resident or prospective resident may react.
I do get your point thoughand apologize if I pushed a button.
I would see it done upfront: i.e. "Thank for contacting____, I am sorry but no one on-site is available right now, how can I be of assistance?". This avoids the potential scenario when you have to disclose that you are not on-site if they ask you about something that you cannot handle. My concern is that residents may simply not share their needs at that point and elect to call back later. I am just not sure how a resident or prospective resident may react.
I do get your point thoughand apologize if I pushed a button.
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@Frederic I am just passionate about apologizing as a strategy. You did not press a button that isn't already permanently pressed. It's about being real. The key is not to apologize for not being someone that can help them, but to apologize for not being the usual person. Your quoted example would be an excellent way. If they elect to call back later that's just fine as well. The fact that they didn't get a voicemail and instead connected with a real human that tried to help them is what matters. Even if the call center person asked to just take a message so the on site team could call them back, that's better than voicemail. Thanks for the conversation!
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Makes perfect sense as long as they usually do get someone from the on-site management team. We are are on the same page there. After that to each its own, some will outsource everything while others won't. Avoiding the voice mail and get the personal contact will always be the best option.
I believe that the properties with the best on-site teams will always be the best performers. I was at the Golden Key Award Gala in Orlando tonight (great event). The person sitting next to me gave me the example of a community that went from 40% vacancy last year to nearly 100% leased and all that had changed was the ownership. He shared some the management style and it certainly supports the value of having a personal relationship with your residents!
I believe that the properties with the best on-site teams will always be the best performers. I was at the Golden Key Award Gala in Orlando tonight (great event). The person sitting next to me gave me the example of a community that went from 40% vacancy last year to nearly 100% leased and all that had changed was the ownership. He shared some the management style and it certainly supports the value of having a personal relationship with your residents!
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What Do You Think?
In my first apartment (12 year ago...) the on-site maintenance guy gave us his cell phone and it was awesome. My wife an I were clear that we were only going to move if we bought a home.
At one point they set up a special emergency number and turned off the phone (maybe it was a pager actually, it was 12 years ago..., it did not work as well (feel as personal) and quickly the management company went back to giving us a direct line.
With someone on call I am sure there are challenges and I can see an argument for a centralized answering service from even a documentation stand point. We certainly enjoyed knowing him on a first name basis and HE made a huge difference with our experience while residing there. HE made us feel at home!