Onsite Insites by SatisFacts Research 2014 - 4th Quarter | Page 14

a word from Doug...
I started SatisFacts for a reason: I have a passion for caring,
dedication and service. This passion has to do with how I
was raised and my DNA. I have always been very sensitive
to service, and am inspired when I interact with someone
who really cares about how they perform for you – whether
at the grocery store or dealing with a service provider. My
reaction is 180 degrees different when I deal with someone
who does not care. If you are being paid to do a job,

autograph your work with excellence...especially
after you make a mistake. To err is human…but to care
is what separates rock stars from the rest of the pack. This is
a principle we’ve preached for years, along with the value of
remarkable recoveries.
I have a keen eye for people who strive to provide world
class service, people whose DNA only lets them
perform one way! The superstar has all of the traits
one expects, plus one – the desire and ability to rise to
the occasion when issues occur.
I was fortunate to deal with an incredible team member
of a multifamily industry service provider we work with;
we’ll call her “RW.” We got an email about an issue
regarding our account, however it was accidently sent
to us. I responded to the email, sharing I had no idea
what they were talking about. What happened next
was a “Wow”! Mistakes happen, but taking advantage
of opportunities to create remarkable recoveries is
priceless! Let me share some contents of the emails I
received from this amazing woman, RW!
Upon reading my initial email, here is part of the reply I
got back: “I’m sorry for the delay in responding but your
email came after I had to go to the oncology clinic to be
with my husband, and I just got back to the office. I feel
horrible that your email address locked into my ‘copy &
paste’ – the email was supposed to be sent to another
gentleman. I am truly sorry for my error. I know my
error has caused you a lot of grief and I promise to be
more careful so something like this does not happen
again. If there is anything I can do for you, please don’t
hesitate contacting me.”
I responded that I appreciated her concern and
professionalism, and that I was glad things were cleared
up. Then I received the following email. Pay attention

to the second sentence (re: “reflection on the
company”):
“I guess it’s just my nature Doug. I’ve been with the
company for almost 5 years and when I mess up – it’s a
reflection on the company – and I know I’m better than
that. I can’t thank you enough for being understanding
and patient.” (Author’s Note: She also apologized again
for the slight delay in getting back to me because she
went to be with her husband at the oncology clinic!
Despite that, she still got back to me later that day.
Incredible. You can’t train someone to care this
much…it’s in their genes!!!)
I responded about how impressed I was with how much
she cared. When reading her response below, focus on
her attitude about when a mistake is made:
“I don’t think I could have lived with myself without
apologizing – I’ve been in customer service for close to
30 years, and the one thing I believe in is honesty. Over
the years I’ve learned something important – anything
that can be messed up can be fixed as long as you are
honest about the mistake, and don’t try to brush it
under the rug. You hit the nail on the head – I do care.”
If your team is comprised of wonderful people like this,
people who take immense pride in their work and
really, really care…then your residents feel this and
reward you with their renewal as well as outstanding
online reviews!