Meet John, Your Maintenance Renewal Hero!

Who are we kidding, our maintenance team plays one of the most important roles in our renewal success.  As communities and third party companies poll residents regarding reasons for non-renewal, inevitably poor maintenance service floats to the top.  Conversely, when we poll why they are renewing, great maintenance service takes the top ranking.

It actually makes sense.  The office staff deals with the beginning process of recruiting and the ending process of renewals.  After move-in, rental checks are dropped in slots or paid online, giving the office staff little to no opportunity to have face to face interaction. However, the maintenance team deals with the in between times.  Maintenance is seen more consistently due to the fact that they are regularly out on property, in common areas or working within the resident's apartment home.

Keeping this in mind, I pose the question:  Have you told each of your maintenance team members that they have the opportunity to become your RENEWAL HERO?  Have you taken time to train them on how to be a Renewal Hero?  Do they understand the importance of greeting everyone, waving if they are not within speaking distance, thanking the residents for the opportunity to repair their apartment home issues, asking the resident if they have exceeded their expectations, helping them if they are overloaded with groceries, etc. 

Many companies have a 24 hour maintenance guarantee, which is good if met.  My questions is, are we tracking and acknowledging teams that beat that expectation?  Do we have some type of independent or shared bonus program in place to reward our maintenance teams for their vital role in renewals?

Let's face it, while we are sitting in our toasty warm offices, they are out scooping snow so our residents can get from their apartment to the car.  While we are sitting in our cool air conditioned offices, they are sweating their butts off in the burning sun fixing an air conditioner.  While we are curled up dreaming sound asleep in our beds, they are out on an emergency maintenance call plunging a plugged toilet. 

No, they do not seem to have a very glamorous job, but their dedicated efforts certainly have a glamorous impact on our increased revenues and decreased expenses.  So, give credit where credit is deserved.  Acknowledge their outstanding efforts, especially if they exceed expectations and give them a slice of the bonus pie ... they actually may deserve it, even more than you.