Don’t Be Afraid to Ask – Value of Customer Communication

We thought we knew…

It wasn’t that long ago.  Our properties had low vacancy, even a waiting list at times.  Our residents were living quietly and comfortably.  We didn’t need to ask because we were taking care of their needs and requests…or so we thought.

We’ve owned and managed properties for decades.  We know how to maintain properties.  We know what residents want.  We didn’t need to ask because we know what is important to them…or so we thought.

But we never asked…

Then it hit us.  We avoided it for a while, but then we couldn’t anymore.  How do we know what residents want if we don’t ask?  Sure, it’s uncomfortable.  Sure it’s humbling.  But it was so revealing, that we wondered why we didn’t do it sooner?

It started with a survey.  We hired one of the premier survey companies in property management:  SatisFacts.  We asked details about their experience living in one of our communities.  Our residents were glad we asked and were willing to help us improve our business.

What We Learned

We learned that we can’t read their minds.  We learned that our years of experience were good…but not good enough.  We learned that we still have much to learn!

And we put what we learned into action.  Every year, our resident-satisfaction scores continue to improve.  But we can never stop asking the questions.  Because we should never stop learning what our customers want and need.

Are you asking the questions?

Are you asking your customers what they want?  You can be sure, your competitors are…at least the competitors who will take your customers away from you.  Don’t lose a customer because you were afraid to ask what they want.