Conducting Your Orchestra

Managing a property is a lot like conducting an orchestra. Landscapers, exteriors maintenance and insurance specialists, etc. are the strings, woodwinds and percussion in your symphony of coordination. They are each specialized in their own respects, but achieve their finest output when harmonized under your direction. The most important part of this multi-part movement is you, the conductor.

(pause…or “rest”)

Many readers just raised a mental eyebrow and thought “the audience is the most important”.

Of course, they’re not wrong. If the audience doesn’t buy tickets to your concert, you don’t really need your baton. But, once the audience is seated, you are in charge. You’re the conductor rather than the audience, because it was you who spent the last ten years of nights, weekends and holidays practicing chords. When the strings needed a second cellist, you searched and searched and re-searched until you found the perfect fit. It was you and not the audience that dropped 50k at Juilliard. The audience chose to see you because you are the expert. So it is with property management.

From a customer service stand point, this sort of flies in the face of “the customer is always right”.  It’s meant to. When Harry Selfridge coined that phrase in his 1909 London department store, he wasn’t in your shoes – trying to figure out how to get rid of the carpenter ants chewing on the rafter tails while two homeowners are standing behind you insisting on their grandmother’s homemade insecticide recipe (grape juice, red pepper and gasoline NEVER belong in the same spray bottle). “The customer is always right” speaks to an end result and the manner in which you deal with the customer. It’s okay to say “I’ve been conducting this orchestra a long time, Mrs. Smith. I think it’s best if we give the exterminator a shot at those ants.”

Businesses like airlines and IT services that deal with upset customers on a frequent basis are constantly working on the most effective way to let the customer know they’re not always right. Property management isn’t normally stricken with this same frequency, but some of the same ideas may help your overall product. With reference to business consultant Alexander Kjerulf, here are a few reasons why “the customer is always right” is wrong and, a little dangerous:

1)     It makes employees unhappy

      Some customers will be unreasonable, irrational and unwilling to be reeled in no matter what the extent of your attention. If an employee believes you won’t support them when a customer is out of line, the employee finds resentment and becomes less effective.

2)     It gives abrasive customers an unfair advantage

“The customer is always right” is most often quoted by the most abrasive customer. They feel they have carte blanche because of their status and “there will be consequences” if their blanche isn’t carted.  Rewarding this bad behavior with automatic submission leads to more bad behavior. Second, the longer you attend to the one or two abrasive customers, the longer your attention is diverted from the great majority that are pleasant and genuinely interested in working toward common goals.

3)     It results in worse customer service

If you automatically side with unruly customers, employees:

• lose loyalty
• lose confidence
• lose respect for other customers as they label all customers as “irrational”

When employees know they can count on you to make a fair call in the midst of customer irrationality, they:

• gain loyalty
• care more about other customers
• are motivated

4)     Some customers are just plain wrong

This is why you’re the conductor and they are the audience. With most upset customers, you will probably do everything you can to appease them (as you should) before making a stand. With a wrong customer, you don’t have a choice but to do the right thing. The conductor knows which cymbals provide proper echo, just as you know very well not to spray the gasoline-based insecticide on the rafter tails. You may take the audience’s requests, but you arrange according to your expertise. There may be some pride involved when a customer suggests a different kind of cymbal/insecticide, but ultimately, they just want the song to sound good/ants gone. Later, they may complain to another audience member that their cymbal suggestion would have made the sound even grander, but they’ll be telling it to another audience member that loved your concert.

In a recent poll conducted by customer service expert Kevin Stirtz, customers were asked “What do customers really want?” The answers were as you can imagine. Here are some of them ranked:

1)     Listen to me

Most customers have a legitimate reason for coming to you. Even if it’s not legitimate, your attention may be enough.

2)   Blank for now (read on)

3)     Give me what I came for

They’re less interested in “how” you get it, just so you’ve got it.

4)     Show me you care

In the customer’s eyes, anyone can do what you do to some degree. It’s your passion that sets you apart.

5)     Be honest

The customer knows quality costs more. Tell them the truth and let them weigh the consequences.

6)     Offer alternatives if I can’t get what I want

If red fescue won’t grow in your area to match Mrs. Mandery’s landscaping, maybe you can get something comparable.

7)     Do what you say

Trust is crucial and though you may not think so, the customer is absolutely paying attention.

8)     Keep me informed

Even if they don’t actually read the newsletter detailing the new 40-year shingles, they’ll at least have peace-of-mind that you’re on top of it.

I purposely left the #2 answer to “what do customers really want?” blank. It’s the most pertinent and rather striking in its honesty.

The second most common request is: “Know more than I do.”

This humble request from your customer speaks volumes. It says “I want to trust you”, “I can have faith in your abilities” and “I will agree with you (even when we disagree) because of your expertise.”

#2 says “I know something about how the orchestra should sound. Please make it sound that way.” The customer is saying “I’m not always right. That’s why you’re here.”

Much of this article speaks of irrational customers and extraordinary circumstances. We know those are the minority yet they tend to command the lions share of our attention. The essence is that you’ve worked hard to become an expert and need to have faith in your property management abilities. Putting together your ensemble of snow removers, pool cleaners and window installers has taken dedication and time – much more than your audience has committed. They’ve been busy being expert store managers, expert teachers and expert truck drivers. At the end of their day they want to come home to beautiful music…conducted by you.