October 2002 Owners Update

Turning A Service Request Into A Customer Service Opportunity

By Mindy Williams - Housing Professional

When Saab recalled some cars for a manufacturer's defect, they:

repaired the defect
provided free pick up and delivery
washed the car inside and out
and gave each inconvenienced customer a gift basket.

When I called the manager of my community to repair a leaking faucet, the service tech:

fixed the faucet (kind of) -left muddy footprints in the tub -left dirt on my bathroom rug -left black fingerprints on the sink -and left his set of master keys in my apartment.

The service tech at my community traded one of my problems for lots of others.

What happens at your community? Are you like Saab where you fix the "defect" and diminish the problem by showering the resident with service? Or is it more like my experience where, incidentally, the service tech came back three times to fix the problem? Industry wide we just haven't gotten the hang of basic customer service. We are thrilled and pat each other on the back when a service request is completed within 24 hours. But have you looked through your files to see how many of those requests completed -- lickity split -- were done correctly?

Now hopefully you are shaking your head and saying, "That doesn't apply to my community." But as I travel across the country, and shop communities big and small, I ask residents if they are happy with their maintenance service. Nine out of ten residents say there is room for improvement. Lots of improvement.

We all know one of the main reason residents choose to live at apartment communities is service. We are dealing with people who do not want to mow lawns or plunge toilets. But today's customer is not satisfied with our "old" service philosophy since a customer service revolution has invaded other industries. Suddenly we are in competition with Nordstroms, Mercedes and Southwest Airlines (all leaders in customer satisfaction). Because as our residents get used to this higher level of service, they expect it when they do business with us. We are forced to add extra services simply to keep up.

Here are examples of what other industries are doing to meet the needs of their customers:

Honda installed personal karaoke machines in Japanese cars since karaoke is so popular and people spend hours sitting in traffic. There's a laundromat in Virginia that has a deli, bar, dartboard and computers for customers. (What does your laundry room look like?) A fast food restaurant washes windows of cars at the drive-thru. (You can do this once a month for residents, too!)

Great service is all around us. With less free time and less patience, our residents are being spoiled away from home. It's time to provide that great service at home. Here's how.

Update:

the lingo in your ads and brochures
During this customer service revolution, advertisements that shout "service is our specialty" or "we cater to our residents" or "we offer great maintenance service" does not mean anything to our customers anymore. EVERYONE says this... Separate yourself from the crowd by being specific on why your service beats the others...

"We fill all service requests within 22 hours." "We'll fix your service request to your satisfaction or dessert is on us!" (Ask a local restaurant to donate desserts for residents who buy two main courses. Other great incentive giveaways include video rentals, manicures, appetizers, free Sunday newspaper, be creative... the list is endless.) "We'll fix your request to your satisfaction or we'll reserve a V.I.P. parking space for you for a week."

Service is the hook!
Did you know that last summer more than 73 million Americans mowed their lawns? And not ONE of your residents had to! We have such a great opportunity to dazzle our residents - after all everything we do affects the quality of their home life. The next time you receive a call for a request, accept the challenge and do it as quickly as you can to get it done right the first time. And provide them with superior service by ASKING if there is anything else you can do since seventy percent of the time there is something else to be done in the apartment, only they forget to tell you.

Even A cab driver in New York City does it... by offering his customers a piece of Juicy Fruit gum as they enter his cab. It's your turn now. Remember, happy residents don't move. Spending time now to increase your services will help keep your occupancy high.

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