© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
© 2025 News On The Block. All rights reserved.
News on the Block is a trading name of Premier Property Media Ltd.
Success in the estate management profession results from ones ability to ‘serve’ those who actually own the properties for which the managing agent is responsible, rather than just managing the properties themselves. People have quipped that ‘estate management’ would be an easy task “if it weren’t for the people”. However, managing agents need to embrace the opportunity to involve their ‘customers’ at every opportunity. Managing agents have been given a degree if bad press in recent years with appearances on ‘consumer rights’ shows not having helped the profession’s image. Any company wishing to avoid such negative press can do so, by re-focusing their efforts direcctly on those who pay them a fee.
The key elements of effective customer service in the field within which we work are communication, responsiveness and the fundamental ability to ‘get the job done’. These three elements work hand in hand and no matter how good a company may be at delivering one of the three elements, they might as well not bother if they can not follow through with the others. Excellent customer service can be provided without the need for an exchange to even take place - arguably, a customer is receiving the very best levels of service if they can be confident enough in their managing agent’s ability and service, to not have to make regular contact with them. For example, a simple but highly effective initiative to circulate ‘regular updates’ to all property owners, will result in those ‘customers’ feeling well informed and aware of what matters are in hand. Not only does an initiative like this make customers feel more involved, it reduces the amount of incoming enquiries that are received, as customers are generally more confident that when issues arise...the managing agent is already processing them.
Communication with customers is vitally important, however managing agents can all too easily be accused of just ‘talking the talk’ and as such, following through with whatever action is required is essential if good customer service is to be achieved. As soon as a customer suspects that the level of urgency shown does not match the level of communication, frustration begins to grow and the customer’s perception of a company begins to drop.... and positive perceptions drop far quicker than they are built!
Any professional managing agent should have the basic means of managing the properties. However, the profession is based around people as well as properties and by far, the latter are the easier to ‘manage’. Providing a high standard of customer service does not mean that complaints will not be received and that errors will not occur. A well handled complaint will do no company any harm. As long as they occur on an irregular basis, a satisfied customer, used to receiving consistently high level of customer service, will forgive accompany almost anything!
Will Hallworth is a Senior Estates Manager with Premier Estates.