When it comes to Tenant Experience it is not enough to say that it is important to have satisfied customers - the customer must be put in the right focus. It requires clear leadership, with concrete goals and an ability to create commitment around service issues. Those who succeed best define their customer journey and measure all contact points to be able to improve. It is also important to communicate everything that is done - both internally and externally. In this article we have summarised five steps to create real customer satisfaction!
1. Create involvement and explain value
In order to succeed, you need to create involvement in the improvements you need to make in your efforts to achieve even more satisfied tenants. It is absolutely crucial that your organisation believes in the work to be done and understands the "why". It’s also up to managers or coordinators to explain the value and benefits of having a good customer dialogue, both at the individual level and for the company's bottom line.
2. Measure and improve all touchpoints
Successful housing and real estate companies will usually have defined their specific customer journey. By continuously measuring their tenants’ "touchpoints", such as moving in, moving out, fault reporting and customer service, each element and process can be improved continuously with greater speed. This elevates both the short-term and long-term total customer experience.
3. Tell everyone about the work you’re doing
Many good things are being done all the time, at every real estate company, based on challenges identified by the companies themselves and on input from the tenants. Many companies also devise good action plans and action lists, put a lot of effort into services and make daily improvements, but sometimes forget to tell everyone what they’ve done.
4. Clear leadership and specific goals
The CEO, management, steering group and other responsible persons must clearly show their investment in and emphasise the importance of a high level of service. There are enthusiasts in virtually every company. However, to get a real exchange and generate drive throughout the organisation, leaders must provide support and have a clear focus. From a management perspective, it’s also important to dare to set requirements, based on established action plans. And when you succeed, are keeping pace and reaching intermediate targets, reward this internally and highlight best practice.
5. Keep the customer in focus – for real
It’s not enough to pay lip service to the importance of satisfied customers'. The companies that are truly successful don’t lose focus: they go all-in and never compromise on the customer satisfaction targets they’ve set. Sometimes, ongoing improvement work gets downgraded when organisational changes occur or when focus shifts to other initiatives. In these situations, it may be even more important to measure and monitor how customers actually experience the services and products you offer. It pays to have satisfied customers and improving customer experience requires continuous effort.
More inspiration?
Read more about Heimstaden's customer journey and how they conduct ongoing customer surveys for various contact areas.
