Resident satisfaction is a key metric for any property management company. It can be used to track performance, identify areas for improvement, and attract new residents. Many factors contribute to resident satisfaction, but one of the most important is resident experience.
Resident experience is the sum of all interactions a resident has with your property management company. It includes everything from the initial move-in process to the day-to-day interactions with staff and the property’s overall condition.
To improve the resident experience and, in turn, strengthen your survey scores, there are several things you can do. Below are a few tips:
- Get the move-in experience right. The move-in process is one of the most crucial interactions a resident will have with your property management company, so make sure it is smooth and efficient. You accomplish this by being responsive to questions, addressing concerns, and making sure the unit is clean and ready for move-in.
- Respond to resident requests promptly. Residents want to feel like their concerns are being heard and addressed promptly. Ensure you respond to resident emails and phone calls within 24 hours.
- Communicate regularly with residents. Keep residents informed of upcoming events, maintenance issues, and other important information. You can do this through email, social media, or a resident portal.
- Keep the property in good condition. Residents want to live in a clean and well-maintained property. Make sure common areas are clean and free of trash and that units are promptly repaired when needed.
- Go above and beyond for residents. Look for opportunities to exceed your residents’ expectations. You can do this by providing a welcome gift, offering a discount on rent, or simply being friendly and helpful.
By focusing on the resident experience, you can improve your survey scores and create a community where residents are happy to live.
But with so much resident satisfaction survey data, how do you know what to focus on?
In addition to discerning what information is most important, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. Here are a few tips for focusing your attention on the most critical areas:
- Look for trends. Are there specific areas where residents are consistently expressing dissatisfaction? If so, those are areas to focus your efforts on.
- Identify the root cause of problems. Don’t just focus on the symptoms of the problem. Take time to understand the cause so that you can address it effectively.
- Get feedback from residents. Don’t just rely on survey data. Talk to residents directly for feedback on how you can improve their experience.
By focusing on the most critical areas and getting feedback from residents, you can make sure your efforts to improve resident satisfaction are effective.
Service Delivery Greatly Impacts Resident Satisfaction
While many factors contribute to resident satisfaction, quality of service delivery remains a key component. You can do several things to improve the quality of service delivery. Below are a few proven strategies:
- Hire and train qualified staff. Your staff is the front line of your customer service operation. Make sure they are well-trained and equipped to handle resident requests.
- Create a culture of customer service. Ensure your staff understands the importance of providing excellent customer service.
- Empower your staff to make decisions. Don’t make your team jump through hoops to get things done. Give them the authority (and tools) to make sound, on-the-spot decisions.
- Be responsive to resident requests. Residents want to feel like their concerns are being heard and addressed promptly.
With KingsleySurveys, you can review transcripts to understand their concerns more clearly and make a plan before following up.
By focusing on the quality of service delivery, you can improve resident satisfaction and create a community where residents are happy to live.
What are the next steps?
If you’re serious about improving resident satisfaction, gathering relevant data for decision-making is the first step.
Fortunately, KingsleySurveys makes it easy to find and use this critical information! By simply logging in to your customer portal, you can access the following reports:
- Question Details: Compare your rating areas to the Kingsley Index and use the red and green shading to identify areas of strength and opportunity. Focus on key rating areas that measure interaction with leasing, maintenance, and management staff.
- Comments Report: Identify strengths and improvement areas based on resident comments.
- Rankings Report: Easily compare communities across your portfolio.
With quality data at your fingertips, you’ll be able to quickly identify the areas that need improvement and develop a plan to address them.
What are you waiting for?
Resident satisfaction is key to your property’s success. And with so much at stake, it’s simply not an area that can be overlooked or left to chance.
A quality survey system keeps you in tune with your residents’ experience and satisfaction by equipping you with actionable insight and relevant data for tracking performance, identifying areas for improvement, and attracting new residents.
Contact Grace Hill today and talk to our survey experts about setting up your resident survey program!
