 Member
Satisfaction:
Does your association have what it takes to be a
customer-focused association?
Strong
customer satisfaction can be defined as meeting and exceeding
the needs and expectations of the homeowner members. Customer
satisfaction can be achieved by fulfilling the less obvious needs
of the membership. Good customer service is a balance of satisfying
these needs and supporting established member expectations. When
was the last time the board members or management company spoke
to the membership about the quality of the service? Has the association
been sending out questionnaires on a periodic basis to test the
level of satisfaction from their members? Has the management
staff been asking the membership what, if any, new services are
needed? What communication channels exist to support a strong
customer service relationship between the association and its
membership?
The
key to good customer service is communication. The first
perception is the only chance to make a good impression. A positive
attitude has the best possibility of creating a positive customer
perception. Some key ways to build up the communication channel:
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Communicate
on friendly terms, with a willingness to help
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Offer
options and alternatives
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Board
members and manager support the staff
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Training
for board members, homeowners, manager, and staff
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Recognition
for services and assistance
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Participative
management style
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Long-term
thinking attitude
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Respond
to inquiries timely
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Availability
of board members, management staff
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Complete
commitments on a timely basis and as promised
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What
are the needs of your association members? In the simplest sense,
they are looking for friendliness, understanding, empathy, information,
fairness, options, and alternatives. The association board and
management staff should be viewing the homeowner as the most
important part of the job, not merely an interruption to the
day-to-day operations. Many times policies and procedures of
the association can actually hamper the association's ability
to provide good customer service to its members. Associations
need to have policies and procedures in place to serve as guidelines
for the management staff, but these same policies can serve to
impede the ability of the staff to meet member needs. For the
association to meet the needs of its membership, the management
staff must be empowered to identify and resolve problems as an
integral part of its operations.
How
does the association measure member satisfaction? A solid customer
service approach builds communication channels, establishing
the much needed relationship between all the parties. Determining
whether the association has a customer service attitude can be
done in many formats:
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Face-to-face
interview is one of the simplest tools for the association
to implement. This type of interview allows the interviewer
to observe reactions and follow up with additional
questions.
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Telephone
survey is a very quick and useful tool for gathering
data.
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Focus
groups are generally effective, but can be costly and
limiting. Gathering data through focus groups may involve
numerous groups and the validity of the data can be
compromised with dominant person(s).
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Surveys
can gather large amounts of information quickly, allow
the respondent to answer at their leisure, and permit
informality and anonymity.
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Management
staff evaluations and questionnaires are essential
to understanding if the association is addressing the
concerns and perceptions of its own personnel.
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After
all the data is gathered and summarized, the association needs
to be able to put the information to good use. The key to a successful
customer service action plan is to not only discover what the
members want, but to implement points that will improve service
and add value. Some key elements for the association to keep
in mind are that:
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The
members are number one
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Listening
to the members shows they are the focal point
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A
feedback system is the most proactive approach to continuous
customer service
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Making
customer service part of the mission of the association
encourages personal commitment
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The
conversion to a customer-focused association begins when everyone
decides to start doing it. To foster the customer service climate,
an association needs to understand its membership, go beyond
what is expected, measure membership satisfaction, create a customer
service action plan, and continuously seek feedback to determine
member needs.
Mark Lewis, CMCA®, AMS®, PCAM®
President / CEO
Community Archives
Tucson, AZ
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