10 Ways your Maintenance Team can Improve the Resident Experience

How many times do your residents see the leasing staff compared to the maintenance team? Think about it. Before online payments, leasing office staff could count on seeing a resident up to a dozen times a year, at least when the rent was due. Now with conveniences such as resident portals and online leasing, residents are probably venturing to the leasing office far fewer times. Maintenance teams are out in the community working on maintenance issues or repairs. Or, they are seen working in and around apartment buildings, giving a big opportunity for maintenance techs to have face time with residents. Making the Most of your Maintenance Team That’s why maintenance team members need to understand their role in the customer experience, says Paul Rhodes National Maintenance and Safety Instructor for the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI). Because a resident may be more likely to put a face with a community through contact with maintenance personnel, technicians need to be on top of their games at all times. “Almost every day, residents may see maintenance because they’re doing service requests,” Rhodes says. “It’s important that maintenance personnel have clean uniforms, show confidence and professionalism, and look like they know that they are doing. Maintenance has to understand how they are perceived and their role in the resident experience.” Rhodes offers 10 ways that maintenance teams can improve the resident experience: 1. Standardize parts and products throughout the property Streamlining the types of products and parts used throughout each unit of the property will simplify service processes and lead to quicker resolution of maintenance issues and repairs. For example, a property should use the same type of vanity faucet or doorknob throughout the property, and maintenance should always have such items in stock for replacement. Standardizing saves time and money because there are fewer v...