It’s no secret that, in our world where information is available at our fingertips and there is a need to know everything now, our landlords and tenants are educated and insistent and have a need for a level of service greater than ever before. The skills of a property manager are ever changing. And the expectations of our clients are higher than ever.
Why? Because the benchmark has been set by other industries. As a consumer yourself, what you want, need, expect from retail, hospitality and any service driven industry is exactly what our clients expect from us.
As a result of this ever-changing space, those we perceive to be ‘difficult clients’ are far more prevalent in our day to day dealings. Furthermore, situations with potential for conflict are arising more often. Even some of the most experienced property managers are not always equipped with the communication and conflict resolution skills needed to cope with these increased demands, expectations and knowledge.
There are an array of communication techniques and education plans to help you and your team avoid conflict and turn potential complaints into compliments.
Some of our top tips for ensuring you are staying one step ahead include:
Stay educated
Ensure you know what your clients know. Be the expert they want, and ensure you can provide the right advice and proactively tackle any potential issues.
Keep training
Undertake ongoing training will allow you to continue to develop your skills, so you can manage with ever increasing client needs/demands
Always look for ways to improve
Don’t assume that because it’s been done a certain way for a long time that it’s the best way to do it. Change is positive and improving your systems and process will only improve your clients experience.
Listen
Don’t listen with the intent of responding, listen with the intent of hearing. Make sure you are clear on the outcome your client wants, so you can give them the right solution.
