I’m so excited to introduce our new VP of Education and Consulting, Lia Nichole Smith, through her first Resident Retention blog post! Talk about a Remarkable Recovery story! Welcome to the team, Lia, and thank you for sharing your experience! – Jen Piccotti
I love everything about Panera Bread. One day, I was working at a community and stopped by Panera for a quick bite and to check my email. I had never been to this particular location before and I was a little surprised at how disheveled the store appeared to be. Typically, Panera is organized and their staff is always in a serving spirit. Well, they were not very welcoming and my overall impression on this day was not a good one at all.
After placing my order, I sat down and turned on my laptop. As I opened my internet, a survey request appeared on Panera’s home page. Usually, I decline the request but on this this day, I decided to leave my comments about the store and the staff. After answering a few short questions, I clicked submit and proceeded to eat my lunch.
About ten minutes later, my cell phone rings. It was the Manager asking me if I was still in the store. I told him I was and he came out of the kitchen and sat down at my table. He sincerely apologized for my less than stellar experience and told me they were short two staff members that day and had just finished their lunchtime rush, which he attributed to the appearance of the store and the poor service of the staff. He said that while he didn’t offer that as an excuse and that every customer deserved better service, he wanted to personally let me know that this is not what Panera was all about and asked me what he could do to set things right. I told him that I didn’t want anything and that his talking to me was good enough.
He then offered me a free pastry and said to try his location again the next time I was in the area. As he walked back to the kitchen, I thought of how that short conversation was so impactful. Taking the opportunity to immediately address my concern was something he didn’t have to do. In fact, many companies never contact their customers. Not only did the conversation change my opinion of that location and its service, but what really stood out was the speed in which my survey was read and acted upon.
The services we offer at SatisFacts give our clients the opportunity to make remarkable recoveries every day. By addressing the needs and concerns of your residents you are able to show them that they are valued and appreciated. Never let a survey response go unvalidated.
Lia Nichole Smith has joined SatisFacts as Vice President of Education and Consulting. Lia has over fifteen years of experience in training, property management and marketing. After being responsible for training 1,000 Customer Care Representatives at Nextel Communications, Lia began her property management career with Lincoln Property Company. In 2006, she became Director of Training and Marketing for SPM Property Management, a 14,000+ unit portfolio; in this position, she created the SPM Academy and a Learning Management System, as well as developed and managed SPM’s resident feedback program.







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