Onsite Insites by SatisFacts Research 2015 - 1st Quarter | Page 9

Most leasing agents really enjoy what they do. There’s a thrill of matching a prospect to an apartment home that
meets everything on their personal wish list (and the commission certainly doesn’t hurt either). That enjoyment
and pride in work is shining through. When it comes to the personal interactions and perception of courtesy and
professionalism of the leasing staff, prospect satisfaction scores have increased steadily over the past 5 years, from
a 4.24 (Superior Rating) in 2009 to a 4.66 (Exceptional Rating) in 2014. That trajectory of improvement has been
reflected in the appearance and features of the apartment home, as well. Prospects have gone from rating the
apartment home as a 3.87 (Average Rating) in 2009 to a 4.28 (Superior Rating) in 2014.
Those are significant jumps!
While this improvement in the presentation to the prospect has been remarkable and exciting, this same sense of
pride has somehow lost momentum when it comes to the new resident who is moving in. They go from being a
prospect who rates the apartment homes as a 4.28 to a new resident who rates their new home a 4.20. In case you
are guessing that the same improvement will be reflected in the “then” vs. “now,” I’m afraid I have some bad news.
When we look back to 2009, the rating residents gave their new home was a 4.19.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

To be fair, a 4.20 is a Superior Rating. It’s good. It’s… fine. But is that really what we’re striving toward? Being fine?
There are 2 basic steps any team can take to move that “fine” score into something “fantastic.” While the tasks
aren’t necessarily sexy, the result is happier, more loyal residents beginning on Day 1.

#1-Leasing agents take the lead on the final wa