CREJ - page 8

Page 8
— Property Management Quarterly — August 2015
“T
he best way to find your-
self is to lose yourself
in the service of others,”
said Gandhi – a quote
that exemplifies property
management. We should all feel for-
tunate to be able to lose ourselves by
providing service to others.
I have been in the property man-
agement industry for over 30 years,
and over half of those years have
been with Transwestern in Denver. I
have enjoyed every minute of it, but
it never was just a job. It has been a
career in which I have the ability to
always look for how I can do more,
how I can increase enhancements,
how I can create a synergetic sur-
rounding for clients, and how I can
think outside the box to increase a
strong building culture of service. By
doing more for our team members
and tenants, more for our vendors
and more for our community, we are
creating a better environment and a
responsive place to work.
However, many things have
changed in the last 30 years – tech-
nology, innovations, best practices,
sustainability, carbon footprints, etc.
The one constant is that property
management is providing a profes-
sional service to tenants. This does
not mean managers are providing
the service of turning on and off the
lights at the end of the workday or
making sure the office is clean. To the
professional manager, the building
should be viewed as a canvas, and
when the work is done the manager
should be proud to put his name on
the completed work of art.
The challenges are what make this
industry exciting – to stretch oneself
to be better every
day to provide cus-
tomers the best
service. Before
management can
start thinking about
the next customer
enhancement, a
manager must
first make sure the
“house” is in order
with standards that
exceed expecta-
tions.
Taking a vir-
tual tour will help
illustrate what a
property manager
should look for when entering a
building. It’s important to consider
if the entire property can pass the
white glove test.
While walking around the property,
one thing to watch for are painted
ceiling tiles, rather than new ones
installed when the ceiling tile is dirty
or damaged. Ceiling tiles need to be
changed immediately even if your
engineer feels that he should find the
leak before changing it out. A dirty
ceiling tile is one example of not pro-
fessionally managing your building.
Another example is if the mechani-
cal rooms are dirty, dusty or have
storage in them. If the mechanical
room is not clean, this gives the per-
ception that the property is not prop-
erly maintained, which is not accept-
able. The mechanical rooms should
be clean, contain no storage items,
have the floors painted, and equip-
ment should be washed down and
immaculate. My philosophy always
has been that the bowels of a build-
ing should be as clean as your lobby.
Managers should complete a jani-
torial walk through at least twice a
month. How do your thresholds look
on the entrance doors, elevators,
mechanical rooms and janitorial
areas – are they clean and shin-
ing? When walking down a corridor,
notice if the lighting is different col-
ors, some warm versus white. Every
building must have a standard. If you
don’t have one, it is recommended
that you implement one. This affects
the aesthetics of a property, and it is
noticed. Tenants care about how their
building looks and want to be proud
of it for their clients.
Another key area to check in on is
vacant spaces. These spaces should
be clean, floors waxed, all cable rolled
up, holes filled in, the necessary
walls painted, and signage that states
availability and broker’s number.
Potential tenants cannot visualize
their office if all they see is dirt and
debris.
Walk your properties all the time
– looking up and down. Create lists
and action plans, and implement
procedures to ensure that at all times
the building is ready for sale. That is
the owner’s objective and should be
ours as well.
Remember, it does not cost more
money to have a clean building ver-
sus a dirty building – it just requires
diligence. Tenants appreciate good
service and want to stay in build-
ings where management cares. Don’t
expect if you don’t inspect.
Tenant relations are the most
exciting and rewarding. We have the
opportunity to connect with people
on a personal level. The management
and engineering staff create the cul-
ture of the building. You want your
tenants to believe that management
is friendly and easy to work with, and
that you genuinely care. Elements of
a successful tenant relations program
include the celebration of holidays,
hosting community service events,
going above and beyond expecta-
tions on service requests and sending
hand-written notes to individuals.
“Thank you” needs to be the theme
of property management’s busi-
ness – thank you for allowing us to
serve you, and thank you for being in
the building. We cannot thank them
enough because they are the ones
who make our jobs possible.
Property management is the oppor-
tunity to serve and to serve well. We
should all make the most of it and be
thankful.
s
Perspective
Lyla Gambow
Managing senior
vice president,
Management
Services,
Transwestern,
Denver
It does not cost
more money to
have a clean
building versus a
dirty building –
it just requires
diligence.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,...32
Powered by FlippingBook