You have to treat your customer right. It’s no accident that Schottenstein Real Estate Group’s six core goals and philosophies starts with “Build honest, open relationships with residents, customers, contractors, related parties and the public…”
Here are five important qualities to incorporate when treating your customer right. If you follow these traits throughout your career, you will have a much better chance at being successful and beating out your competition.
Spread your reputation
Reputation is so important in business and customer service. The better reputation your company has, the more future business will be obtained as you gain customers by having a quality image.
Our company has earned a Better Business Bureau A+ rating and has won numerous awards voted on by both our customers and the competition — and we make sure that we communicate that.
Care about the communication
Satisfied customers, who have had an issue resolved, tell other people about their experience. This fact shows that positive word of mouth can create a lot of business.
Any service request is really an opportunity to resell your customer. Don’t act as a nameless or faceless business. Genuinely talk with your customers as a person representing your company.
Use the following methods to gather feedback and interact with your customers: surveys, customer experience, social media, communities and email. Don’t just respond to your customers, but actually care what you are saying.
Provide a satisfaction guarantee warranty
After 40 years of experience our community management teams consistently earn a 99 percent approval rating from our residents — and we intend to keep it that way.
Our customer’s warranty states that their living experience is extremely important to us, and “if for any reason they ever feel we are not complying with your lease or meeting your expectations and if we can’t make it right then they have the option to terminate the lease without penalty.”
Always listen
Listening to your customer will not only enhance their experience but it can help lead to a sale. Understanding what your customer’s hot buttons are and relating to them on a personal level most likely will win them over.
Listening can also mean understanding what’s going on in the market, and having innovative amenities for your customers that are better than your competition.
Be true to their trust
I believe trust is the most valuable commodity in business. There is a lot of risk to owning a private company and sometimes there are situations when a person just has to trust you are going to do what you say.
I wish there was still handshake deals like there used to be, but those days are over.
Trust is very important, and the more people that have confidence in your company, the better your reputation and the more positive results.
Brian Schottenstein is the president of Schottenstein Real Estate Group, one of the largest developer/builders in the Midwest, focusing on residential and mixed-use developments throughout the Midwest and Southeast. It also is the only three-time Developer of the Year by the Building Industry Association.
