What if I told you that by sharpening your writing skills, you could reduce resident turnover? It’s true. Which writing skills, you may ask?  The ones with which you write work orders, of course!

Huh?

Here’s the thing: according to the 2008 SatisFacts Index, only 76% of residents said their work orders were completed correctly the first time.  This means nearly one-quarter of residents did not receive a resolution for their maintenance issue. But before we place blame on the maintenance team, it is critical to acknowledge where the work order process begins: the Leasing Office.

For the most part, work order requests are placed with the leasing office. A resident calls or stops in and says, “My toilet is broken.” The leasing agent may ask for the apartment number and confirm permission to enter, but may not think to ask, “Which toilet? Is the water running? Is the handle broken? What part of the toilet is not working? What is the best number to reach you if we have a question?”

By asking more questions and writing more notes, several things happen:

• Maintenance can make an educated guess on which parts or tools are necessary for this particular issue.
• Maintenance does not have to play detective to try and discover which toilet or which light fixture or which outlet, for example, is ‘not working.’
• The resident is happy when they come home and find the exact problem was completely resolved.
• Less guesswork for the maintenance team means the repair took up less time.
• Less time in one apartment means more time for other repairs.
• More time for other repairs means residents don’t have to wait as long for their issue to be addressed.

It’s a trickle-down effect in the best possible way!

So how will someone know what questions to ask when taking a work order? Let the maintenance supervisor conduct a 15 - 30 minute “Work Order 101″ session to cover some of the most common work orders seen on the property and what information is most helpful to the maintenance team. Not all properties have the same common issues, so the more the leasing team understands what information is needed, the more educated they can be when a resident calls, and the more effectively they can write a work order that will reduce the guesswork for the maintenance team. Everyone wins. Especially the resident!

Outstanding work orders, or work orders that have not been resolved the first time, have a direct correlation to a resident’s likelihood to renew their lease. Apartment living is supposed to mean they don’t have to worry about repairs and landscaping and things like that. It’s a big part of the value offered by apartment commnities. By addressing work orders more effectively (using that mighty pen!) residents are less likely to look around for what they perceive as a better deal elsewhere (that competitive move-in price!).