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Home Insider Blogs Jen Piccotti's Blog Resident Retention: Come On In! The Appliances Are (urm) Fine...
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Sep 21
2009

Resident Retention: Come On In! The Appliances Are (urm) Fine...

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Posted by: Jen Piccotti on Sep 21, 2009 01:00

 

Houston, we have a problem
Houston, we have a problem!

Hopefully, we all understand very clearly how critical the move-in process is for establishing a positive resident relationship from Day 1. However, in the hustle and bustle of the daily grind, an astonishing figure has come to my attention:

According to 2nd Quarter 2009 data from SatisFacts Research, only 73% of residents indicated that all appliances and fixtures worked properly upon move-in!

That means more than one-quarter of all new residents had an appliance or fixture that did not work!

Are we okay with this stat? I hope not, because unresolved issues at move-in reduce the percent of residents "very likely" to renew by one-quarter!

So, what to do? Let's re-evaluate the make-ready inspection process. One tip I learned from Bill Nye is the concept of "walking right," or "follow the wall."  This means, for the final inspection, the maintenance team member enters the apartment and follows the wall to the right stopping to check each light switch, outlet, phone jack, window treatment, doorknob, appliance, light fixture, etc. Eventually, you end up at the front door again.

Rework is always costly - whether in time, materials, customer patience, or all of the above. Ensuring the resident's new home is truly in move-in condition will be the first critical step in assuring the resident they have made the right decision in making their home in your community.

What make-ready inspection tips are effective for you?


Comments (11)Add Comment
1818
written by Danielle Jencks, September 21, 2009
Don't forget to look up! And...make sure the commode is clean.
211
written by Jen Piccotti, September 21, 2009
Yes! and Yes! Excellent points, Danielle!
1702
written by Elysa Rice, September 21, 2009
That is an alarming, yet not surprising statistic. My owen wasn't working when I moved into my most recent place and of course I didn't know until a few days later after work (and after hours) when I was attempting to make dinner.

PS- I love that photo.
211
written by Jen Piccotti, September 21, 2009
Ack! Elysa! And so you join the ranks of sufferers! You apparently can feel the pain on this topic very well. Out of curiosity, how quickly did the staff fix the problem?
1013
written by Tara Smiley, September 21, 2009
I can top that one Elysa - when my husband and I moved to Pittsburgh, neither our water nor our gas was on (included in our rent), and the oven had burned its coil. We couldn't cook, shower, or use the facilities. So the local restaurant / bar reaped the profit.smilies/cheesy.gif the end result was that it killed any trust I had in our property mgmt. company or owner.
1048
written by Regina Raimona, September 22, 2009
I receive resident complaints from our properties repeatedly at the corporate office and I would say 90% of the complaints that end up at the corporate office are resolved in the same way.

Listen to their complaints, show sympathy and understanding, and then offer a resolution or compromise. Many residents want a brand new appliance, which cannot be offered in most cases. However if you show understanding and let them know what you can offer, usually the special attention and understanding fixes the problem and builds a better relationship between the staff and the resident. Having someone follow up with them and keeping them informed that you are working on their problem and haven’t forgotten them goes a long way.

Of course, starting with working appliances at move in and a clean apartment is always the way the best way to start. But if something is missed show that you care.
smilies/wink.gif
211
written by Jen Piccotti, September 22, 2009
@ Tara - what an experience! I'm sure that has significantly impacted how you approach customer service at your communities!

@Regina - I completely agree! Making a mistake can happen anywhere, but the way you resolve it can make a huge difference in retaining that resident.
1702
written by Elysa Rice, September 22, 2009
wow Tara your definitely tops mine! Jen every service request I've ever turned in is answered very quickly usually same day.
211
written by Jen Piccotti, September 22, 2009
@Elysa - That's great news. A remarkable (and quick) recovery covers a multitude of sins. Or at least can save a relationship!
2406
written by Christine Norris, October 06, 2009
We have a checklist that the maintenance & porter staff uses...they check every outlet, they turn the stove on to check all burners and the oven, they flush the toilet and turn the faucets, shower, etc on to make sure all is working...we have dishwashers in our units, so the Porter puts all the light fixture covers in the dishwasher and washes them...this way we know the dishwasher works and it saves time...

The porter even has their own checklist...it is too easy to forget the small things (and sometimes even the large things) when you are busy, have a lot of vacants or inspections, etc coming up...the checklists have really help keep things on track and it even seems to help my staff get things done faster, because they just go down the list and they know they haven't forgotten anything...
211
written by Jen Piccotti, October 07, 2009
@Christine - Your checklist system sounds extremely effective. I like the step of putting all light fixtures in the dishwasher for checking the dishwasher and ensuring the light fixtures are sparkling clean. Thanks for the ideas!
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