The customer service strategy of Andy Cohen, president of Rock Properties, begins with hiring the right people for the job, and continues by making customer service a company-wide priority.
Cohen’s Newark, NJ based property management company is seeing an investment in customer service pay off. His company, Rock Properties, was recently featured on Inc.com as an example of a company that prioritizes providing great customer experiences. We reached out to Cohen to learn more about his perspective on how to improve customer service every day.
After Rock Properties’ 18 years in business, Cohen has developed a customer service strategy that starts by hiring people who are responsible and considerate. Hiring is one of the 5 tenets of customer service, and Cohen has learned how start things off on the right foot by hiring the right people.
“The members of our staff are the kinds of people who can take care of themselves,” reports Cohen. “For example, if someone pays all their bills on time, we assume they are respectful of others.”
Recognizing and valuing customer service is also critical. Cohen reports that his staff gets a great deal of satisfaction from managing multi-home properties well. Quarterly company meetings offer Rock Properties the chance to recognize examples of when the staff provided a great customer experience. Cohen says, “We make sure to revel in examples of good customer service.”
These empowerment techniques resemble those of one of our previous examples of great customer service happening at Delta Airlines. Employees who want to give customers a great experience, and are encouraged to do so, will often handle problems on their own, to the benefit of both the company and customer.
Rock Properties’ philosophy can be found within the company motto, which reads “Our Mission: Inspiring Our Neighbors.”
“This is the test we hold all our decisions against,” reports Cohen. “If it won’t inspire our neighbors, we don’t do it.”
By focusing on putting themselves in their customer’s shoes, and only acting in ways they can be proud of, Rock Properties has created a notable customer service culture.
Read more about Cohen’s customer service strategy on Inc.com.