By Tami Siewruk
Think about what residents in your apartment community really, really want.
Although their needs are numerous and complex, most of them ultimately center on personal issues like success, dignity,respect, individual achievement, and knowledge.
If you can build your resident service enhancements around these seven key issues, you’ll have a better chance of connecting with the resident.
- Residents want to be treated with dignity and respect. Do you have rules and methods in place right now that are condescending to residents?
- Residents want to be successful. How do your residents feel after dealing with you?
- Residents want help with their problems. Do you and your staff suggest alternatives, bend the rules to help, and steer residents away from further trouble?
- Residents want to be treated as individuals with unique needs. How do you motivate your staff to be genuinely interested in each and every resident?
- Residents want you to respect their time. How quickly do you respond–not only to complaints, but to any communication from your residents?
- Residents want someone who’s on their side. Do your residents feel like adversaries or friends?
- Residents want your community and services to meet their expectations. Are you creating realistic expectations, or are you over-promising and under-delivering?
When you carve away the extraneous information and technical data, residents basically want to know what your community and services will do for them,either directly or indirectly.
My next post will be Retention Through Resident Service Marketing. Do you follow us on Facebook?
Want to read more about Resident Retention right now ? Follow the links below for free recordings:
The 30 Minute Manager Series on MProTV’s Retention Report
Presented By Satisfacts
Register Here for March 21, 2013 – Leasing to Current Residents
Residents don’t simply renew their lease; they are renewing the level of service, quality of maintenance, and your team’s dependability – often at a higher price. Here are the 5 leasing techniques that can also be applied to securing renewals.
Previous Episodes
Register Here Online Reviews are the New Smoke Signals
One of the oldest forms of long-distance communication, smoke signals have been used to transmit news, signal danger and gather people to a common area. Sounds a lot like online rating and review sites! Learn how to communicate “all is well” at your community and get your message across loud and clear!
Register Here The Year of the Satisfied Resident
Residents are telling us loud and clear what they want most out of their living experience … but are we listening? Join us for this informative session as we explore what residents want today and what your team can do to ensure residents are satisfied this year and for years to come.
Register Here Weighing the Value of Resident Events
Do an internet search for “Resident Retention” and you’ll find hundreds ideas for resident events and activities. But what impact do these really have on resident loyalty? Learn what matters most to residents when they are making their lease renewal decision!
Register Here Generating Gratitude on Your Online Ratings
How to maximize positive comments and scores on your rating and review sites, keeping in mind that online reputation begins with your onsite reputation.
Register Here Leasing Agent: Stand Out! Get Noticed!
An insider’s look on how to reach your full potential in the eyes of your prospects and your company, including, how to connect with prospect/new resident/existing resident, how to win points with the maintenance team, and how to impress your supervisor!
Register Here The Top 5 Ways You Can Impact Lease Renewals
What has the greatest impact on resident loyalty? Here’s the latest data on what matters most to residents when they are making their lease renewal decision and what you can do to impact that decision.
Register Here How the Maintenance Team Will Save Your Summer
The summer months can cause a priority tug of war between turning units and addressing service requests. Learn strategies for maintaining balance between the two needs that not only benefit existing and new residents, but office and maintenance team members too!
Register Here Move-In Magic
New residents begin to make their lease renewal decision within the first hours and days of moving in. Learn the keys to a perfect or near-perfect move-in experience that sets the stage for lease renewal from Day 1.
Register Here – Making the Grade in Student Housing
School will be back in session before you know it, and you’ll want to be prepared! Learn the latest in how and why students (and their parents) may choose apartment living over a dorm, what makes student renters different than conventional renters, and what matters most, based on the findings of the 2012 SatisFacts Student Index.
Register Here How 54% of Your Current Residents Will Boost Your Online Reputation
According to the currently released SatisFacts study, “Getting Inside the Head of the Online Renter,” a majority of residents are willing to post positive online reviews about your community, but only a small percentage ever do. Discover how to fix this disconnect and dramatically improve your online reputation!
Register Here Service Request Superheroes: Saving Residents, One Service Request at a Time – The maintenance teams are considered the superheroes of an apartment community by the residents. And why shouldn’t they be? They swoop in and save the day, whether by plunging a toilet, fixing the A/C unit on a 100 degree day or repairing a stove just hours before a family celebration. The truth, however, is that a successful service request resolution process is an entire team effort – starting with the leasing office taking the service request call, and ending with follow up. Residents expect their requests to be completed quickly and correctly, and failure to do so can results in increased turnover. This session will review the 2010 SatisFacts Index for the Insite Work Order Follow Up module, show the powerful relationship with service delivery on satisfaction, as well as provide suggestions on how to evaluate your service request process from start to finish to show residents they have an entire team of superheroes providing exceptional service.
Register Here The Road to Resident Renewals – Research shows that the most impactful way to increase Net Operating Income and Asset Value is to boost satisfaction to hold on to your existing residents and reduce resistance to rent increases. Learn from one client’s dramatic case study of how focusing on best practices increased their residents’ likelihood to renew by 16 points and reduced vacancy loss by 21 percent!
Register Here Residents Say the Darndest Things – We can talk all we want about what matters most and what drives satisfaction and retention, but no one says it better than your residents. In this unique session, we’ll share real resident quotes from our Insite 365-day-per-year customer service feedback system and strategies to accentuate the positive service you and your team provide.
Register Here How Your Retention Strategy Impacts your Online Reputation – Online reputation management begins with your onsite reputation management. Learn where your residents and prospects are (and are not) looking online to find out information about you, and what you can do in your daily resident interactions to reduce negative online press. In this dramatic client case study, learn how one company was able to reduce the number of negative comments on Apartmentratings.com by over 200% in less than one year.
Register Here Inside the Head of Today’s Online Renter – Part One
Register Here Inside the Head of Today’s Online Renter – Part Two
Register Here Inside the Head of Today’s Online Renter – Part Three
Register Here Boost Your Online Ratings! Hosted by Jen Piccotti and Lia Nichole Smith – Based on new data from SatisFacts’ 2011 study, “Getting Inside the Head of the Online Renter,” learn what opportunities you may be missing to increase your positive comments and scores on the most popular rating and review sites.
Register Here Retention Season is Three Months Away. Do You Know Where Your Renewals Are?
Register Here The Top 10 Reasons Residents May Not Renew Their Lease with You – The latest data from the SatisFacts Index reveal the truth behind residents choosing not to renew their lease. Find out how to defend against many surprisingly controllable issues!
Register Here Your Retention Strategy begins on Move-In Day – Did you know residents begin to make their lease renewal decision within the first days and even hours of moving in? Find out how to ensure you are setting up your residents for a successful move-in and to “set the stage” for a long-lasting residency.
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