Multifamily Customer Service
Anticipate Needs and Prefill Them: The Ultimate Customer Service Principle
Good customer service starts with knowing what customers need before they ask.
Anticipate their needs and prefill solutions.
Imagine a world where your customers don’t have to wait.
They get what they want instantly.
This builds loyalty and creates raving fans.
“Great service means making the invisible visible before it’s noticed.” – Mike Brewer
Redefining Leadership: How Customer-Centricity Upends Traditional Hierarchies in Multifamily
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
Customer-centricity is the crux of successful business strategies; the incisive observation by Kjell Nordstrom and Jonas Ridderstrale in “Funky Business” — “Hierarchy is an organization with its face toward the CEO and its ass toward the customer” — serves as a clarion call for a paradigm shift in organizational structures, especially in the multifamily leadership space. Rearrange the hierarchies.
This thought-provoking statement challenges the traditional top-down hierarchy where the focus is predominantly on appeasing the upper echelons of management. In such a model, customer needs and front-line innovations often take a backseat, creating a disconnect between the service providers and the end users. This disconnect is particularly detrimental in industries like multifamily, where customer satisfaction is paramount.
A study by Deloitte highlights that customer-centric companies are 60% more profitable than companies not focused on the customer. This statistic alone underscores the necessity for a shift in perspective. The stakes are even higher in multifamily spaces, where residents are not just customers but community members. A customer-centric approach in these environments doesn’t just drive profitability; it builds communities and enhances lives.
Leaders in the multifamily space are thus poised at a crucial juncture. The challenge is transitioning from traditional hierarchies to more fluid, agile organizations that place customer needs at their core. This involves empowering employees at all levels to make decisions that enhance customer satisfaction, thereby fostering a culture of innovation and responsiveness. In a way, it brings a case against centralization.
For multifamily leaders building their brands, embracing this customer-first approach is not just a strategy but a brand statement. It’s about being known as a visionary who values the voice of the customer as much as the bottom line. Leaders like Jeff Bezos, who famously leaves an empty chair in meetings to represent the customer, exemplify this approach. In the multifamily context, this could translate into policies prioritizing resident feedback, community engagement initiatives, and a relentless focus on enhancing the resident experience.
In this landscape, the role of technology, especially PropTech, becomes pivotal. PropTech solutions can provide deeper insights into customer preferences, streamline operations, and enhance customer experience. As leaders integrate these technologies, they improve operational efficiency and demonstrate a commitment to innovation and customer-centricity.
Furthermore, embracing a human-centric leadership style, which involves empathy, active listening, and genuine engagement with customers and team members, can redefine the essence of leadership in the multifamily space. This approach aligns with the growing demand for authenticity and transparency in leadership.
The Deep Connection: How Client Feelings Toward Service Reflect Their Feelings About Providers
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
In the multifamily industry, and indeed, across all business sectors, there’s a time-tested and unwritten rule: Clients don’t just feel about a service; they feel about the person or entity delivering it. I often emphasize this intrinsic relationship, and today, we’ll explore this connection a bit more.
The Emotional Resonance with Service Providers
Have you ever wondered why clients become loyal to a specific brand or business? It’s not just about the quality of service; it’s how they feel when interacting with the provider. Emotional resonance is the unsung hero of many business relationships. When clients perceive the provider as trustworthy, competent, and genuinely caring, they’re more inclined to view their services positively. This synergy between how a client feels about service and the service provider underpins the foundation of customer loyalty.
Building and Nurturing Customer Trust
I often write about trust as the cornerstone of any successful provider-client relationship. But how is it earned? Transparency, consistency, and genuine empathy form a framework. Clients can sense authenticity a mile away. If they believe a provider genuinely cares about their needs and well-being, they’ll reciprocate that trust, resulting in stronger ties.
The Importance of Positive Service Experience
In the words of Maya Angelou, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” Our philosophy at MultifamilyCollective echoes this sentiment. When clients have a positive service experience, they associate those feelings of satisfaction, happiness, and trust with us. Over time, these positive experiences stack up, reinforcing the client’s positive perception of the service and the one delivering it.
Going Beyond Transactions: The Provider-Client Relationship
Service interactions are more than mere transactions. They’re opportunities to build lasting relationships. Providers understanding this principle go above and beyond to ensure every interaction counts. Providers cement their place in the client’s heart by prioritizing the client’s needs and addressing concerns with sincerity. And as I often say, “In the multifamily business, relationships are everything.”
Crafting Memorable Service Interactions
Providers need to create memorable service interactions to leave an imprint on a client’s mind. These aren’t necessarily grand gestures. Often, it’s the small, thoughtful actions that stand out. Listening actively, showing appreciation, or even going the extra mile to resolve an issue can leave a lasting impression. These memorable interactions set providers apart and ensure they remain top of mind for clients.
To sum up, service provision isn’t just about the service itself; it’s deeply intertwined with clients’ perceptions and feelings toward the provider. Like many others, the multifamily space thrives on the depth and strength of these connections.
Why did you lease?
In the dynamic realm of multifamily real estate, understanding why individuals call a property their home is crucial for growth and success. Traditional marketing strategies often analyze why prospects did not lease, yet there is a transformative opportunity in shifting this perspective. By asking new residents why they lease, we can uncover invaluable insights that affirm our strengths and provide a robust foundation for strategic marketing efforts.
This approach fosters a paradigm shift in how we perceive and utilize resident feedback. It’s a move from a deficit-oriented perspective to an asset-based mindset. This transition is not merely a change in technique but a profound cultural evolution within the organization. It signifies a commitment to celebrating and building upon what works rather than solely fixating on shortcomings.
The insights gained from new residents are a treasure trove of information. They offer a direct window into the most appealing factors about our properties, be it the location, amenities, community atmosphere, or customer service excellence. Understanding these key drivers of satisfaction enables us to tailor our marketing strategies more effectively, ensuring that we highlight these strengths in our outreach to potential residents.
Moreover, this strategy aligns perfectly with the human-centric approach to leadership. It involves listening to and valuing the voices of those who have chosen to become part of our communities. This enhances our marketing efforts and contributes to building a vibrant, engaged community. When residents feel heard and valued, it fosters a sense of belonging, critical for retention and word-of-mouth referrals.
Implementing this strategy requires a systematic approach to gathering and analyzing feedback. This might involve post-move-in surveys, informal conversations, or community events designed to engage residents in sharing their experiences. The key is to ensure that this feedback is collected and actively used to inform marketing strategies and operational improvements.
