In this age of technology we expect everything right now and it to be error free. Other expectations include communications to be immediate, everyone to be understanding, have cognition of others emotions and feelings, and Lord forbid don't forget to respond to my Facebook posting or tweet. We have transitioned into an age of computer animation and computer graphics where it is becoming hard to distinguish between the real and make believe. Today schools give our children laptops where then can Google the answer, instead of using their mind to search for the information and learn along the way. Using a calculator in Algebra class is common place, where before determination and methodology expanded horizons because we had to think about how we attained the answer. Try calling any major company without getting, "Press one if you want to do this, or press two if you want to do that," and you'll wear the numbers out on your telephone keypad just trying to get someone to listen to you. Our world today is in bits and bites, and our lives have somehow become stranded in the sequence of programming data and removed us from the basis of who we really are...people.
A resident has a problem or a guest has visited and given us an email as part of their contact information and what do we do, we take the easy way out. I'm waiting for the day when a guest card asks for their Twitter information and we will only communicate in a few words or letters and have to go to things like IYRWAACM. Ok, for those of you that didn't get that I said, "If you really want an apartment...call me." When did we stop dealing with people and forget the cell phone, email, twitter, and computer does not care or make decisions on where they choose to live?
I was visiting a community the other day and actually heard a leasing person say after a potential resident had just left, "I don't know why she would not give me her email. Now I have to call her!" I was visiting this community related to some market research I was doing, however, wanted to walk over to her and give her the V8 pop on the head. OMG, she's going to have to actually have follow-up communication with her which may not be the standard form email she was used to sending out, and maybe have to re-sell herself and her community.
Could it be we are not reinforcing the basic "people skill" essentials and therefore "dumbing down" our team members, which in turns hurts both our lease percentages and renewals? We are taking for granted basic communication elements which I believe our residents and prospects really want. Those elements include to be able to speak with a real live caring human being and not have to press a number that takes them to resident service hell, and to be listened to and not just communicated to. Ok, call me old fashioned! The same people who want all this instant stuff are the same ones today I hear complaining about not being able to talk to a real live caring human being. Maybe, just maybe, we need to go back to the premise that people should be put back into the equation. After all, try getting your smartphone to physically sign a lease or renewal. It still takes a person (Webster: 1. Human being, 2. Human body) to make the decision and pick up the pen. It's all about people!
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