In the enthralling world of customer service, Jaquie Scammell’s Creating a Customer Service Mindset stands as a beacon of wisdom, providing invaluable insights that can revolutionise the way businesses interact with their customers.
Here are three compelling lessons you need to consider in your agency.
The hidden cost of mediocre service
Scammell masterfully unveils the often-overlooked impact of subpar customer service on a business’s bottom line.
Drawing on compelling research, she reveals a startling truth: the silent majority of dissatisfied customers simply walk away without a word, their absence echoing in the halls of lost revenue.
This stark reality serves as a wake-up call, emphasising the critical need for businesses to elevate their service standards or risk vanishing into obscurity.
In property management, the silent departure of dissatisfied tenants or clients due to mediocre service can lead to significant revenue loss and a tarnished reputation, making it imperative to consistently deliver high-quality service.
Proactively addressing concerns, maintaining properties efficiently, and ensuring responsive communication can prevent the loss of tenants and attract new clients, directly impacting the success and growth of the property management business.
Leadership: The keystone of service excellence
Scammell then shifts her focus to the pivotal role of leadership in cultivating a culture of superior service. She posits an intriguing metaphor: leaders as the DNA of customer service, their values and behaviours genetically imprinting upon the organisation.
This perspective challenges leaders to introspect and recognize their profound influence in shaping the customer experience, even from behind the scenes.
Leaders in property management must exemplify and communicate the importance of excellent customer service, as their attitude and behaviour set the tone for the entire team, influencing how property managers and staff interact with tenants and clients.
By fostering a culture of attentiveness, responsiveness, and professionalism, leaders can ensure that these values trickle down to every level of the organisation, resulting in a consistently positive experience for clients and tenants.
Empowerment: The secret ingredient to exceptional service
Finally, Scammell advocates for empowering employees to exercise sound judgement in their interactions with customers.
This approach, far from a rigid adherence to protocols, breathes life into customer service, transforming it into an art form where employees are the artists, adeptly painting each customer interaction with strokes of empathy and understanding.
This empowerment not only elevates the customer experience but also enriches the employees’ sense of purpose and satisfaction in their roles.
Empowering property management employees to make informed and empathetic decisions in their interactions with clients and tenants can lead to more personalised and effective solutions, enhancing tenant satisfaction and loyalty.
This approach encourages a more dynamic and responsive service model where property managers can swiftly address and resolve issues, adapting to the unique needs of each property and tenant, thereby building trust and a strong client relationship.
