Multifamily Property Management – Customer Service – It’s not just important, It’s the difference.
Multifamily Property Management – Customer Service – It’s not just important, It’s the difference.
Is 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 guy down the road.
Take a typical tenant, let’s call him Joe. Joe has a good job, makes plenty of money, has good credit and good references and has no problem paying the first month and security before he moves in. Joe is busy trying to find a new apartment.
First however he is going to send out an overnight package by FEDEX. He calls FEDEX and the phone is answered within two rings. The account executive is pleasant and is quickly able to find Joe’s company’s account information. She gives him a couple of alternatives with different prices. Schedules the pickup, (which later in the evening comes on time – in a clean uniform), and he can track his package over the internet, and see that it is delivered on time and who signed for it.
Next he starts calling advertisements for an apartment. He likes your ad so he calls you. Your not available so he has to leave a message. You get around to calling him back two days later, but low and behold he is still looking for an apartment. You give him the basics – 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, $650.00 plus utilities. You don’t know the square footage, what restaurants or other important community things are nearby, or even an approximately what the utilities would run. He sets an appointment to take a look ( he must be pretty desperate because you didn’t give him a whole lot of info).
You show up ten minutes late. The keys don’t work, so you go in through a back window. The lawn is not mowed and there is garbage blowing around. You never cleaned out the refrigerator from the last tenant, so there is a bit of an odor. The walls need painting and the carpet is stained. And you wonder why he says “no thank you”, and why the market is so “depressed ” in your area.
Our tenants not only compare us to each other, but also to every other experience they have in there economic life. WE are absolutely in competition with companies like FEDEX, because they have established the standard of how our customer wants to be treated.
So lets look how we might compete with a giant like FEDEX.
Joe calls the phone number in your ad. Maybe you have it answered by an answering service that is available 24hrs a day and can provide him with some basic information. Then find out when the best time to call him back would be. Or you put your cell phone number in the ad (you carry it with you anyway) and are able to answer his call yourself. You give him detailed information about the neighborhood, amenities and square footage of your apartment. Then set the appointment. Your lawn is always mowed because you have hired a reliable contractor, and you check it at least once a week anyway. You arrive 15 minutes early to pickup any garbage that might be blowing around. You use your well marked keys to gain entry to the freshly painted apartment, where the carpets were cleaned prior to your showing it to anybody. You turn on some lights and open a couple of windows so the apartment doesn’t smell dank or musty. You have an application and pen with you, and it clearly explains your procedure for renting. It is a fresh copy that is easy to read. Joe sees that you take good care of your building and your apartment. You value his time by showing up early, and have efficiently handled the tasks that need to be done. Joe happily rents your apartment because you have given him an experience that rivals any top quality company. You have showed him that you care about him and your property, and that you are a professional.
While none of these things is hard, it does take some practice and training to really implement a true customer service program.

