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"People will stay and they’ll continue to live at your property so long as they know you care about being there for them and you’re passionate about what you do, and you’ve built that rapport with them throughout the time of their lease.”
Mindy Price chats with Jonathan Brophy about his experience as a highly rated and consistently praised property manager of a multifamily community. Jonathan emphasizes that his success in achieving such high resident satisfaction is through service that centers on empathy and genuine care. His best practices include knowing every resident by their first name and getting out into the community to smile and stay connected, listening to his residents to ensure they feel heard and have a chance to get their grievances off their chest, and building trust by helping and addressing their concerns.
Jonathan also reflects on hurdles he and his team have had to overcome. Throughout the pandemic, some residents have felt uneasy, so Jonathan’s team has had to make them feel safe and have even communicated via text. And while the team always strives to perform all maintenance requests within 24 hours, there are times when that is not possible. Jonathan stresses how important it is to be proactive in communicating with residents about any issues so that they know they haven’t been forgotten and adds that as long as you are truthful and transparent, the resident will usually understand.
To wrap up the conversation, Jonathan offers tips for training team members and for those who seek a career in customer service. He advises having a passion for people, being intentional about listening well, and always exceeding expectations by going the extra mile: “I don’t mind taking five minutes out of what I’m doing and stopping and going and putting a smile on my resident’s face. I do whatever it takes and my staff also does the same thing.”