These days, the rate at which a company might experience growth or change is fast. When this happens quicky, an unorganized and cluttered office space follows. The addition of new employees and desks creates tight storage spaces and can impact productivy. A good office design is imparative!
Property managers also struggle to find ways to help their clients grow comfortably in the space they’re in. Regardless of whether tenants have been in the space for eight months or eight years, you want them to be happy. Keeping tenants happy is the groundwork for building long-term business relationship, but unfortunately, there’s much more ground to cover.
For corporate property managers to edge out their competition, they have to constantly reevaluate and assess whether providing more value than others is a priority. But, what value can you provide other than managing the property itself?
Let's take a look with these tips:
Be Professional
Obviously this comes first and foremost, but you might be surprised how many property managers seem to drop the ball once their tenants have settled in. Professionalism is an ongoing commitment you make to your tenants. Sure, you don’t have to make a pest of yourself by bothering them too frequently, but you also don’t want problems or complaints to become too far gone before you find about about them.
Use this as an opportunity to continually present yourself as an expert on the property. Ask them specific questions, and do so proactively. Remind them that you are there and ready to respond to their issues, because you want them to be happy in their space.
Make Maintenance a Priority
If you're a corporate real estate developer or broker, every space needs a little TLC from time to time, but high traffic spaces or older buildings will most likely need some extra attention. If you are aware of existing or potential problems in any of the spaces you manage, you have to stay on top of them.
Preventative maintenance is always key. This includes everything from changing light bulbs to controlling pests. Let your tenants see you taking pride in the spaces you manage, and they will feel like they made the right decision with their office location.
Hiring the right property manager takes prioroty above all else.
Add Extra Touches
Anyone can throw a bunch of gray cubicle walls up and paint a wall flat white. However, with the recent trend of business owners looking for more economical work areas, this style is heading downhill. The problem with this approach is that there is nothing separating the gray space you provided them from the gray space your competition could have easily provided.
Adding little touches here and there can make a world of difference. Something as simple as live plants or custom lighting can really help your space stand out. If you really want the extra kudos that will buy you loads of tenant goodwill, you could offer a basket of personal care items for the use in restrooms - it could be enough to make the difference.
Offer a Fair Deal
Once you have a tenant in place, it can be really tempting to feel inclined to raise rent every time a renewal comes around. Sometimes, rent hikes are unavoidable, but in the majority of situations, they’re not strictly necessary. Few gestures earn you as many “Brownie points” as telling your clients that you’re not going to raise their rent.
This is one of those situations where you have to consider value in terms other than money. What is it worth to you to have a consistently paying client who doesn’t cause issues or demand too much? Is the increase in rent worth the gamble you take on bringing in an unknown client to the same space? For many property managers, it’s often best to recognize a good thing when you have it.
The Value of Office Design
No matter how great your relationship is with your tenants, at a certain point, they just want to move. Maybe it’s because they expanded, or maybe they’re looking for a more updated space. Sometimes, there’s just nothing you can do, right?
Wrong! By partnering with an office designer, you are suddenly in a position to offer your tenants a much wider choice than either “stay or move.” For the company that’s experienced growth, you can bring in an office designer to recommend ways to maximize workspace. If your clients got a little too enthusiastic about knocking down all the barriers in their offices, you can bring in a designer to help maximize privacy in open floorplans. When you have the ability to reimagine and reorganize existing space, you save your tenants the trouble and expense of moving, and you save yourself the loss of a valuable client.
There is no great mystery to keeping your clients happy in their current space. It’s usually just a matter of letting them know that you hear their concerns, that you appreciate them as tenants, and that you’re willing to go beyond the typical duties of a property manager or property owner in order to maintain the relationship. The old adage certainly rings true when it comes to being a property manager - Treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. If you do this, you’ll keep your tenants satisfied, while ensuring your properties are always occupied.
At the end of the day, remember to always think outside the box. You have the space, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do anything to improve, streamline or organize it for your clients. Supporting your clients in an office re-design can offer a value-add that your competitors may not be offering. Same goes for maximizing space when your clients are experiencing growth. Of course, that is easier said than done and it’s not always a walk in the park to determine if you’re clients are looking to expand. To learn when you should step in, download our free guide, “7 Signs Your Clients Are Ready To Expand” and you’ll be provided with the valuable insight of what to look for.
