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Customer Service Trumps Amenities by Justin Coleman

January 15, 2014

customer service

With the abundance of new multifamily product scheduled to come online this upcoming calendar year, the leasing game will continue to get progressively more difficult.  For the communities that are not going to be the newest ticket on the block, leasing agents will need to sweep each prospect off of their feet to secure leases.

Leasing agents at these new communities will automatically have the upper hand in being able to sell a brand new apartment that no one has ever lived in before.  But if you are a leasing agent at an established community near a new development, you need to concentrate on what you can control.  You cannot add additional amenities to your community.  You cannot make the interior of your apartments have the same features as the new development.  You cannot offer a prospect the chance to be the first person to ever live in one of your apartments.  So as a leasing agent, you have to devote all of your effort to a tangible item that you can control and that is your customer service.

Customer service is not some fancy amenity that has been added to a new development.  Customer service is something that you and your staff have to implement every single day if you want to set yourself apart from your competitors.  Customer service is not difficult for businesses to have, but you and your staff have to buy into the notion that you are going to go above and beyond what is expected from residents and prospects.

Ensure your greeting is impeccable every time.  Personalize your tour to show each prospect that you are not just going through the motions but that you actually worked to find them the perfect apartment.  Truly show interest in what their needs are in their potential new home.  When the tour is over, introduce them to the entire staff and show them that everyone there would like for the prospect to make the community their new home.  Walk them to the community front doors and sincerely thank them for coming by.

Going above and beyond with customer service is not some expensive marketing item you have to determine if you can fit in the budget.  It literally costs no money and only requires a little extra effort from you and your staff.  Show better customer service than your competitors and prospects will remember your community.  They will remember you as the person that truly cared about finding the perfect apartment for them and they will be very likely to call your community home!

 

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