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Reading Room Articles
"All people are the same, it is only their habits that are different." Confucius In November 1997, President Clinton announced a five-part Make 'Em Pay initiative to fight housing discrimination through higher fines and penalties, increased enforcement, a closer partnership between HUD and the DOJ and an expanded use of HUD's Web site as a fair housing dissemination and reporting tool. Many areas of the United States are experiencing increased fair housing testing and investigations. More current residents and future residents are reporting the treatment they are receiving during their residency and while they are looking for a new apartment home. Leasing an apartment home is a very emotional experience and not always a positive experience. The experience ranks up there with buying a new car for some future residents! When apartment home dwellers are asked if they get a warm fuzzy feeling when they hear the word Landlord, for many, the answer is a resounding No! This answer is based upon the interactions they have experienced or have heard about while living in a multifamily environment. For many of them, dealing with a Landlord (housing provider) is a necessary evil in housing choices. Over the past several years, I've made it a habit to talk with residents and on-site housing professionals about their opinion of the state of this love-hate relationship ( i.e., business manners, professional etiquette, and workplace civility). Here is what I have heard. On-site housing professionals have logged in stating that the customers they serve are progressively getting more impatient, making more unreasonable demands, are threatening and downright nasty to them. These team members comment that residents come to them angry and appear to want to stay angry no matter what options are given or help is offered. Often team members question, "where do my rights begin and the future resident's or current resident's rights end?" Some housing professionals even fear for their own safety. This gives new meaning to the most recent decade term, The Age of the Dissatisfied Customer. Conversely, apartment-home seekers and residents state that they often feel used and abused by on-site team members. They are witnessing an increase of short tempers, rudeness, and an attitude that they, the customers, are the interruption of management's work rather than the purpose of it. The final tally from both sides seems to be a vicious cycle of perceived poor manners, diplomacy and tact on the part of all concerned. Both parties want consistency, courtesy, respect, honesty and a kind word on a regular basis. "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it any more!" 1998 Consumers What does this have to do with fair housing? Approximately 30% of complaints from residents have something to do with fair housing and occur during the residency or move-out stage of the housing relationship. These complaints usually include "you did this to me because I am . . . (fill in the blank with a protected classification)." It is up to management to prove that this perception is not the case. Today's residents and future residents are fighting back against what they perceive as trickery, hype, rudeness, degradation and unlawful discrimination. Often these complaints are lodged because of the way these future residents and residents were treated while doing business with an apartment community. Now days, good manners appear to be out of fashion rather than politically correct. This perceived disregard for civility on behalf of both parties hurts everyone! Corporate America and property management companies are trying to remedy this with more business etiquette, conflict-management, and customer service training. Consultants are reported as having their busiest times ever. Perceived rude, distasteful and unlawfully discriminating behavior can cost a community long-term residents, an average of $800 to $1500 in turnover costs, and perhaps the expenses of a lawsuit. "Anger is only one letter short of danger - beware the vigilante consumer." Faith Popcorn & Lys Marigold Clicking The Age of the Dissatisfied Customer - author Faith Popcorn states that one of the obvious characteristics of the '90s consumer is a high degree of impatience, almost at the boiling point. The consumer is out to protect their interests and pity the poor company or group that tries to pull a fast one on them. So, what do we do now coach? Because we are professionals, it is up to our on-site teams to set the example and to take an open-minded approach to improving our customer service strategies. Most housing professionals have been trained to practice something called the Golden Rule - treat others as you want to be treated. Now in the '90s -- The Sensitivity Decade -- we must learn to practice the Platinum Rule - treat people the way they want to be treated, not the way you want to be treated. Now more than ever, your company's customer service-related policies and procedures must be examined and refined to meet the diverse customer base of the coming century. It is imperative that on-site team members have a clear understanding that their communication style (their intent), albeit unintentional, can cause a negative effect that can lead to a fair housing complaint. Typically, fair housing training is presented as a standalone subject. For better results, property management companies may want to consider conducting fair housing training in conjunction with conflict resolution, customer service and business etiquette techniques. "The successful leader understands people and knows how to get along with them. Two of the skills that help most in working with people are tact and diplomacy. . . . Tact concerns dealing with people without offending them. . . . Diplomacy is closely related to tact in that it is a skill in handling affairs without raising antagonism or hostility." W. H. Weiss The Effective Executive Make it a team practice to actively listen to your customers and make it policy to conduct weekly customer feedback team meetings. Evaluate customer courtesy calls, conduct semiannual or annual resident surveys and/or focus groups, and provide a written, posted customer service policy. Provide a Request Form (not a Complaint Form) for residents and future residents to sound off - to make an appeal or to give a compliment! Communicate to all customers your request - Give us the first opportunity to make it right! Remember, the customer is under no obligation to inform us first. If they do, we can begin our service recovery process, perfect our interpersonal skills and hopefully avoid a costly lawsuit. Finally, provide additional customer service related training for your on-site teams, educate your team members as to their rights and develop a personal/team safety protection program for everyone. Fair housing training is a must for all team members, not just those that work in the leasing center and the resident services center. Fair housing is good business and the right thing to do! "When you spend your time looking down on people, don't expect to be looked up to." Ann Chadwell Humphries Eticon, Incorporated 
As a Certified Property Manager (CPM®), and an Accredited Residential Manager (ARM®), Shirley is President of Shirley A. Robertson & Company in Bowie, Maryland. She is also an Advanced RAM® (Registered in Apartment Management), and a CLP® (Certified Leasing Professional). As an author, Slowly But Shirley articles have been published in numerous industry magazines. Shirley has shown a special management talent in the leasing and marketing of assisted and conventional rental communities. This tenure has provided the opportunity to propel through the ranks from on-site manager to property manager, to corporate education and directorship positions. She has instructed IREM® Course 800, RAM®, Advanced RAM®, CLP®, CAM® and NALP® certification courses. Shirley has been a seminar leader for many Multi-Housing World conferences. She is a past president of the West-Central Maryland IREM® Chapter 92 and is a RAM® Life Governor of the National Association of Home Builder's Multifamily Council. |
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