Three tips to retain customers

Kyle Crown is the president of Crown Commercial PM. He has a BS in business from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

As a property manager, I have all kinds of responsibilities in my day-to-day work, but you could simplify my core job to this: I get paid to care. My job is to care about people’s property so they don’t have to. But that concern should also extend to the actual owners themselves, because if they don’t, they’ll find a business that makes them feel better cared for.

In this industry, you may perform all day-to-day property maintenance tasks perfectly and efficiently, but if your customer service is below average, you will not retain customers. You end up on what I call the “treadmill,” which refers to when you’re constantly trying to add enough customers to replace the ones you’ve lost. Making sure customers have a positive experience with you and everyone who represents your company will go a long way – further than you may think. In this article, I’ll discuss the three most important things to remember when approaching customer service in property management.

1. Learn how to apologize sincerely.

When I was younger, I hated hearing bosses repeat the old adage, “The customer is always right.” But perhaps a better way to rephrase that for property managers is “Would you rather be right or maintain a positive relationship with a client?”

Sometimes – not often, but every once in a while – a customer makes a complaint about something your team actually did the right thing. But if the complaint is minor and everything else is going smoothly with them, what will it cost you to hear them out so you know how they would like you to handle it next time? I’ll do the math for you: nothing. Conversely, it can cost you a lot to drive them away because they see you as stubborn or unwilling to make mistakes. I recommend being prepared to eat crow, even if you weren’t the one who cooked it.

2. Respond quickly so the customer knows you’re addressing their problem.

This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how often I talk to customer service people who don’t respond to a customer until they’re done resolving the issue the customer contacted. It is human nature to crave recognition. If a customer contacts you about a problem, no matter how small, immediately acknowledge receipt of their request and let them know you’ve begun the process of resolving it for them. Then provide updates along the way, even if you haven’t fully resolved the issue yet.

Otherwise, all the time you solve their problem, they might just build up frustration and wonder if you even got their email. And if they reach out twice, even if you were already working on it, they may think you just started because they reached out twice. No one knows you’re working on it if you don’t tell them. Communication is key.

3. Doesn’t require a reason to contact your customers.

Reach out proactively to find out how your customers think you’re doing. Some customers want nothing to do with you. That’s fine. Personally, I like to leave a voicemail that goes unanswered. But if you do reach out, at least they know they have the option to talk to you whenever they want. I’ve noticed others are shocked by the call, and it improves their impression of you in just three minutes. Customers care when you care, and sometimes a small gesture like calling for no reason shows that you do.

Customer service is not just one part of property management, it’s the most important point.

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