About Mike Brewer
Applied Empathy
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
In “Applied Empathy” by Michael Ventura, the author emphasizes the importance of empathy in leadership and creating deep connections with others. In a world where we are constantly distracted by technology, it is more important than ever to cultivate empathy to lead and engage with people effectively.
Ventura argues that empathy is essential for creating meaningful experiences. Whether it is for team members, consumers, vendor partners, or investors the principle applies. By understanding and considering the needs and feelings of others, we can design and build something truly unique.
In the multi-family space, for example, empathy can create a sense of community and foster positive relationships with residents. Property managers can create a more extraordinary living environment by showing compassion and understanding toward the needs of residents.
“Applied Empathy” encourages readers to prioritize empathy in their personal and professional lives. Empathy creates deep connections with others; we can build stronger relationships, solve problems more effectively, and create a more compassionate world.
If you’re looking for a thought-provoking read, this book is worth checking out.
Multifamily Owners Can Follow Delta’s Example
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Delta Air Lines recently made headlines by announcing that it would be offering free in-flight Wi-Fi to all passengers on its flights. While this may not seem like a big deal to some, it’s a mindset shift that could have major implications for the airline industry and beyond.
But what does this have to do with multifamily owners? As it turns out, there’s much that multifamily owners can learn from Delta’s example, particularly when providing residents with free Wi-Fi. Here are a few ideas on how multifamily owners can follow Delta’s lead and create their own loyalty program for providing free Wi-Fi to residents:
- Offer a tiered loyalty program: Delta’s free Wi-Fi offer is available to all passengers, but those who are members of Delta’s loyalty program (Delta SkyMiles) get even more benefits. Similarly, multifamily owners could offer a tiered loyalty program for residents. Those who sign up for the program receive additional perks, such as free Wi-Fi or discounts on amenities.
- Use Wi-Fi as a marketing tool: Delta’s free Wi-Fi offer is an excellent way for the airline to stand out from its competitors and attract new customers. Multifamily owners can similarly use free Wi-Fi, highlighting it as a critical amenity in marketing materials and using it to differentiate their properties from others in the area.
- Create a seamless experience: Delta’s free Wi-Fi offer is easy to use and doesn’t require any unique login or registration. Multifamily owners should aim to create a similarly seamless experience for residents, making it easy for them to access the Wi-Fi and ensuring that the connection is reliable and fast.
- Build community with Wi-Fi: Delta’s free Wi-Fi offer helps to create a sense of community on its flights, as passengers can connect and share their experiences online. Multifamily owners can use free Wi-Fi to build community within their properties by creating online forums or social media groups for residents to connect.
Move-In Gift
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Moving into a new apartment is an exciting time, but it can also be a bit overwhelming. And often, new residents forget to pack first-day essentials in an easy-to-find box. One way to make the transition a little easier is by giving your new resident a thoughtful gift to help them feel settled in their new space.
One idea is to give a locally sourced ground coffee with a pour-over coffee kettle set as a move-in gift. Not only is this a practical and valuable present, but it also supports local businesses and shows your appreciation for quality, artisanal products.
Pour-over coffee is a simple and efficient way to brew coffee at home. It involves using a cone-shaped filter and a pouring kettle to manually drip hot water over the grounds, extracting a clean and flavorful cup of coffee.
There are many great locally-owned coffee roasters in most cities, so it should be easy to find high-quality ground coffee roasted and packaged nearby. Pairing the coffee with a pour-over set will give your new resident friends everything they need to start brewing delicious coffee at home.
This gift will give your new resident a tasty pick-me-up on the day of move-in or the following morning and give them a sense of community and connection to their new neighborhood.
Elevating the Hospitality Experience in Multifamily Housing
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Hospitality in the multifamily space refers to the level of service and amenities offered to residents in an apartment community or other multifamily housing development. In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on elevating the hospitality experience in multifamily housing as developers and property managers seek to attract and retain residents in a competitive market.
Multifamily properties incorporate hospitality elements by offering a range of amenities and services similar to those found in hotels or resorts. This can include fitness centers, pools, outdoor grilling and eating areas, business centers, and services such as package delivery and dry cleaning.
The other aspect of hospitality in multifamily is the customer service provided to prospects and residents. This can include responsive maintenance and repair services, concierge-style assistance with tasks such as booking plant watering or dog walking services, and regular social and recreational events for residents.
In addition to amenities and services, some multifamily properties also incorporate technology to enhance the hospitality experience. For example, some properties offer virtual tours, online leasing options, and innovative home technologies that allow residents to control various aspects of their living environment from their phones, such as thermostat settings and access to delivery services.
Overall, the trend toward hospitality in the multifamily space is driven by the desire to create a more comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable living experience for residents. Multifamily properties can differentiate themselves by offering a wide range of amenities and services and excellent customer service.
Incentivizing Multifamily Maintenance Techs
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As a property manager, you know that all team members are essential to building a positive resident experience. However, maintenance technicians often have the most impact on residents, as they are the ones who interact with them the most. If you want to encourage and recognize the successes of your maintenance technicians, here are nine ways to do it:
- Pay a premium for good technicians and base raises on performance. Using maintenance management software, you can gather hundreds of data points about technician performance to measure their value to the company.
- Offer flexible hours to help technicians maintain a healthy work/life balance and reduce the chances of burnout. Centralization through technology can also improve the technician experience by allowing them to sync data and report to a central source, reducing the need to go back and forth to the leasing office constantly.
- Create a career path for technicians by offering training and grooming opportunities to help them advance or specialize. This can increase job satisfaction and make technicians more likely to stay with your company.
- Acknowledge and recognize the hard work and achievements of your technicians. This can include verbal recognition, small bonuses for going above and beyond, and proactively giving raises for consistently good performance.
- Offer professional development and training opportunities to help technicians improve their skills and advance their careers.
- Implement a rewards program that recognizes and rewards technicians for exceptional performance, such as meeting specific productivity goals or going above and beyond for residents.
- Provide technicians with the tools and equipment they need to do their jobs effectively, including access to technology and software that can help them be more efficient.
- Encourage a positive and supportive work culture where technicians feel valued and appreciated for their contributions.
- Provide perks or employee benefits that can make the job more enjoyable and rewarding, such as gym memberships, team-building events, or employee wellness programs.
By implementing some or all of these strategies, you can improve your maintenance technicians’ job satisfaction and performance, leading to a better resident experience and lower staff turnover rates.