I once knew a resident named Mrs. Marshall*. She was the type of resident we all should be so lucky to have. Mrs. Marshall acknowledged every birthday of everyone working in the office, attended all of our resident events, and was simply a joy to have in the community. Not to mention, she also made us the most amazing rum-soaked walnuts at Christmastime.
I also remember Mrs. Kensington*. She was the one who always sent letters to our corporate office criticizing our performance, deliberately took up two parking spaces for her car and failed to pick up after her precious Shih Tzu. In addition, she rarely paid her rent on time and always expected and demanded that her late fees be waived.
Why is it that we always remember the extremes? You know…either the really pleasant or the really not so pleasant residents? Ask any property management professional to recall their most favorite and most difficult residents and they will answer without hesitation. Harder to recall in most instances, are those that are only seen at move-in and move out. They are the residents who usually put their rent checks in the drop box or pay online. They also request service in a one minute phone call or a short and sweet email. These are the residents I like to refer to as the “In-Betweens”.
The In-Betweens make up the bulk of our resident base, yet are seldom seen as the value-added commodities they are. These residents, if targeted wisely, can prove to be a wonderful resource when it comes to generating traffic and retaining residents. Imagine receiving a hand-written card or being tagged on Facebook for 6 months of consecutive on-time rent payments.
In an earlier blog entitled “Your Residents Don’t Deserve Customer Service” I wrote about customer astonishment. The premise is simple; doing something completely unexpected for your residents that in turn makes you and your community memorable. From the date a resident moves in, we have 274 opportunities to keep them or lose them. At day 275, that resident will receive their 90-day renewal notice. For the most part, we know how the extremes will decide…but what about the In-Betweens? Have we done enough to secure another 365 days from them?
What are some of the ways that you address, acknowledge and recognize the In-Betweens at your communities?
*names have been changed