getting to customer-centered culture

in my opinion, one of the largest problems in property management as a whole is their customer service.

1. because of fair housing, we have to treat everyone the same way. so, instead of forcing a company to aspire to treat everyone with the highest level of service, the company treats everyone the same crappy way.

2. perhaps it's because residents are on a lease. they're forced to stay in their apartment for the period of time they're signed up for, so it's worth it to be nice to them to get them in the door, but after that... (does anyone ever consider how much money is saved when the apartment isn't turned over every six months to a year?) and companies don't even think about making residents' leaving experience a pleasure! truthfully, residents that move out of an apartment might be willing to move to another property depending on their reason for leaving. even if they don't, residents do get the chance to recommend management companies to their friends. why not work to make yourself top of that recommendation list? (and no - offering rent credits for referring a friend is not enough! you have to make their experience such that they rave about your company to their friends and family.)

3. the front line people seem to not realize that it's *their* actions that make or break the resident's experiences. employees are having a bad day or are busy, so they snap at residents or do their best to get that one out the door so they can focus on the next one. instead they should take their time and making the resident feel like they care. even if there's nothing you can do immediately or personally, a few extra moments of your time really matters!

property management companies really need to start paying attention to the other hospitality industries - especially the ones that are doing their job well. the first one that comes to mind is the ritz carlton. "ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." i think that says it all.

customer service is an art - one that everyone should strive to master. whether you're in accounting, maintenance, management, or on the front lines as an on-site, you deal with residents, customers, vendors and owners. you form the company's reputation with every word and action. it's all about creating a reputation legendary of legendary customer service.

how do you start? here are 10 tips to develop the art of customer service from guy kawasaki's blog.