Property Management Customer Service Begins with How You Answer the PhoneFebruary 1, 2021 By Todd BreenLearn how using Phone Tenders’ call center for property management companies can improve your property management company’s customer service as well as your staff’s quality of life.How many leads are you losing or not converting because your staff is having trouble keeping up with a ringing phone?When a potential owner calls, do they get a friendly, helpful BDM/Property Manager ready to discuss why you are the best property management company in the area or do they get someone who is frustrated and exhausted from dealing with a phone that will not stop ringing? It isn’t hard to imagine the difference in experience and level of customer service between the two.What if they don’t even get a live person, but an automated attendant? Are they going to hang up and go to the next company on the list?Todd Breen, Megan Breen, and Tim Hammesfahr discuss how having your phone routed to a call center where a live person takes the call makes all the difference in their productivity. Todd recalls the family time he missed because he had to handle calls that were coming into his property management company in West Palm Beach. Megan remembers her father constantly having to take calls. Todd didn’t want the next generation of his family missing out, so he developed a system to help eliminate phone calls so they can focus on more important tasks. Problems encountered when answering phones yourselfInefficient use of timeConstant interruptionsAuto attendants frustrate callersBacklog of unreturned messagesLess energy and enthusiasm from BDM/PM because they are overworkedHaving a leasing line handle a majority of incoming callsHigher quality of lifeBetter focus on important tasks without interruptionImproved customer serviceReduces frustration from the caller because they get a live person that can help them right awayBDM/PM are able to give 100% to new owner leadsAvailability to offer good customer service to existing ownersHow Todd’s property management company handles callsThey use multiple phone numbers to handle specific types of calls:Leasing Line – Handled by Phone Tenders call center team and answered live. If someone calls this line for something other than leasing, the team does a warm transfer to the right person.Maintenance Line – Maintenance is outsourced, and they take the calls from this line.Owner hotline – These calls go directly to the BDM or Property Manager so they are answered by the right person. This allows staff to take care of hot leads immediately which improves the closing rate for new owner leads.Main Line: This line is for all other calls.Because the BDMs and Property Managers aren’t busy taking other calls, they can focus on offering superior customer service to potential owners as well as current owners. Owners are happier because they feel like they have easy access to their Property Manager when there is an issue.Improved quality of lifeNot only does adding a call center improve the level of customer service offered, it also improves the staff’s quality of life. They are able to focus on the important tasks they need to do in the day and finish during business hours. After hours calls are handled by VirtuallyinCredible’s Phone Tenders team, leaving staff free to enjoy their family time.Are you ready to add a call center to your property management business?At VirtuallyinCredible, we set high expectations for our Call Center Service:We aim to answer 80% of your calls in 20 seconds or less.We also want 95% or more of your calls to reach a live person, with hold times well under 2 minutes during peak calling hours.Here’s how your leasing calls will be handled:Greet caller & determine which property suits themPolitely request to go over pre-qualifying questionsAnswer any questions about the propertyClose by scheduling a showing with pre-qualified prospective residents onlyLearn more about our Phone Tenders call center for your property management company or contact us today for a demo.
