As a property manager, owner or landlord, providing the best support and service to your customers is what keeps your business going. Tenants require a range of support systems including proper maintenance services, communication channels, feedback systems, key access control, and more. These require you to have a dedication to providing the best tenant experience.
However, the work that goes into this tenant experience may be too much for just the property manager to oversee. This is especially true with commercial properties or if your property manager has various properties in their portfolio.
To ensure that tenants get the attention they need and the best experience in your building, you should consider having a tenant experience manager.
In this blog, we’ll explain what a tenant experience manager is and what their job entails. We'll also list relevant interview questions you can ask to ensure you hire the best candidate for this position.
What Is A Tenant Experience Manager?
A tenant experience manager is exactly what it sounds like. Tenant experience managers oversee how tenants of a building and their visitors interact with and experience the facilities. In a commercial building, this includes considering aspects like parking and other amenities, building access, safety, and more.
Their job is to maintain and improve the quality of this experience and to engage tenants on improvements. This role matters and contributes to tenant satisfaction. The experience offered can determine whether tenants retain their business at your building or relocate. It can also determine if tenants move in at all as a good tenant experience manager has a notable impact on your building’s reputation.
Now more than ever, these are aims that building owners should try to achieve. As more companies see the value of remote working, you need to make your facilities worth it. Having a building that offers relevant and adaptable experiences can be just what you need to set yourself apart in commercial real estate today.
How Does It Differ From a Property Manager, Property Asset Manager And Facility Manager?
Property asset managers are responsible for the care and management of the building. Primarily, their role is as a representative of or in relation to the owner of the building. This includes tasks like rent collection, building maintenance, and more. Their interaction with tenants is often limited to issues within the building itself. They are basically “fixers” responsible for the building and the owner.
Facility managers have a similar role, except they maintain and care for the building for the tenant’s sake. Think of them as building supers. They address issues like air conditioning problems, water and electricity issues, and more. These are issues of the building that affect the tenants.
Often, these members of the property team work together or interchangeably, making their roles fluid.
Tenant experience management tasks also overlap substantially with those of property and facility managers. All three must work together for the smooth-running of the building and the satisfaction of their respective clients (the owner or the tenants).
However, there is a major distinction that sets tenant experience management apart. This is the fact that tenant experience managers deal with factors beyond the building itself. They don’t just ensure the building is well-maintained and functional. They need to make sure that the tenants have positive experiences.
This includes organising on-facility services, amenities, and even events. They create a building that tenants want to stay in.
Key Criteria That A Tenant Experience Manager Should Fulfil
When interviewing for a tenant experience manager position, these are some of the criteria and characteristics that you should consider:
Creativity
The candidate should place constant interest in finding and creating worthwhile tenant experiences. This may require them to think out of the box or to get inspired by competitors or trends in the real estate industry.
The experiences they create should also make the lives of tenants easier. This may require creative problem solving to find suitable solutions to tenant issues.
People/Social Skills
At the core of their position, these managers must work with the tenant. Thus, they must be able to engage with tenants in a friendly yet professional manner.
They must also have insight into people's needs so they can design relevant solutions and ensure positive experiences.
Communication
This is an important skill to have when engaging with clients. However, it is also necessary for internal interactions. Tenant experience managers have to work together with other property team members. This collaboration requires someone who can communicate the needs of the tenants.
Experience
Professional backgrounds in hospitality, wellness and other people-oriented industries are beneficial for this position. The ideal candidates’ professional experience should also illustrate their leadership and management abilities as well.
These are the aspects you can consider when drafting interview questions as well as when evaluating each candidate.
Questions To Ask A Tenant Experience Manager
Consider these questions or others similar to them for your interview:
- What background do you have in customer experience control or service provision?
- Do you have an understanding of commercial real estate or property management?
- How would you improve the experience of a customer with complaints about [describe varying scenarios]?
- What channels would you use to communicate with tenants about new additions to the facility?
- Please share examples of your leadership or managerial skills from your past positions.
- In a team, how do you find yourself contributing at your best? As a leader? By working closely with the team? By working independently?
- In your opinion, are the most important aspects of customer service provision in general? And what are the most important aspects of the tenant experience?
These questions help highlight the criteria for a tenant experience manager. They help identify whether the candidate possesses what's necessary for the position.
Final Thoughts
A focus on tenant experience can be just what your facility needs to take your tenant satisfaction and relationship to the next level. It’s the cherry on top of a well-maintained property - transforming your property into a place that tenants enjoy working from.
If your organisation is looking for a tool to involve all tenants in property management for better decision-making on workplace and property strategies, have a look at our 30-day free trial:
We are building the world's first operational involvement platform. Our mission is to make the process of finding, sharing, fixing and learning from issues and observations as easy as thinking about them and as rewarding as being remembered for them.
By doing this, we are making work more meaningful for all parties involved.
More information at falcony.io.
