Tuesday, September 30, 2003
COVERING THE ENTIRE STATE OF NEW YORK

By Jesse Holland, Sunrise Management & Consulting
Multifamily property management-customer service is not just important, its the difference
s your customer service program up to snuff? In today’s fast paced, high tech world you have to make sure your apartments can compete, and not just with the property down the road. Let’s look at a typical multifamily property tenant, Jane Business. Jane has a good job, impressive salary, good credit and good references. She has no problem paying the first month rent and security. And Jane is very busy, busy at work, and busy at looking for an apartment.

She has a major report due in two days, and an apartment she needs to find by the end of the month. Her day is filled with transactions and decisions that are impacted by customer service.
Jane has a software glitch that is causing her headaches in finishing the report. She calls into her support tech center, and while online, the tech dials into her system, downloads a patch, and she is up and running. Finishing the report she emails it to her local graphic company for 50 bound copies. It is delivered several hours later, with a bag of fresh baked cookies. Jane calls FEDEX, and her call is answered on the second ring. The rep looks up her account and schedules a pick-up in a matter of minutes. Before she leaves at the end of the day her report is out the door.

While she is doing these things, she is also scanning the local paper looking for an apartment in a multifamily property. Typically, she will call several ads that look appealing to her. Three are answered by a machine with a message to leave her information and someone will get back to her. She leaves messages on all of them. She connects with one, and the leasing agent provides her with basic information, a two bedroom apartment, $650 plus utilities.
The agent doesn’t know the square footage, or what the utilities run for that apartment. More importantly, the agent does not give her any reasons to come look at the apartment. Still, she asks to make an appt. that evening. Sorry, but it will have to be before 6pm, or the next day.
As Jane is busy presenting her report the next day, she takes the appointment that day, leaving work early to make it. Once there the agent is 10 minutes late. The lawns haven’t been mowed recently. Twenty minutes later the agent shows up, and, unable to get the key to work, has to go back to the office for the correct key. Once in, Jane finds it hasn’t been cleaned, but is reassured that it will all be taken care of. At the end of the day she has not been called back by the three properties she left messages with, and she realizes finding an apartment is going to be a very time consuming task. Multifamily property managers are absolutely in competition with companies like FEDEX, because they have established the standard of how our customers want to be treated. Customer service is a universal principle of good business. It can set you apart from the majority, and directly impact the performance of your property. First impressions are critical. That first contact with a potential tenant will establish how they view the property, and the property management.
Jane’s customer service experience with a properly managed multifamily property will include:
A return call immediately, if only to schedule a time to speak.
Detailed information about the neighborhood, amenities, utilities and square footage.
Appointments scheduled to her convenience.
A clean apartment to look at.
Applications and paperwork available at the meeting
Professional treatment that tells her that the property management cares, about the property, and about her.
And customer service extends beyond the leasing agent.
We should regularly evaluate the customer service our property management frontline provides. While customer service is not hard to deliver, it does take training and focus to really implement a true customer service program. If your staff is not up to snuff, provide them the training and direction they need to succeed.

Jesse Holland is president of Sunrise Management & Consulting, in Latham, N.Y.
Reprinted from the New York Real Estate Journal • 781-878-4540 • 800-654-4993 (outside Mass.) • 781-871-1853 (fax) • nyrej@rejournal.com