TLDR; Millennial residents make up a majority of the population living in high rises across major cities. Their time is valuable and their attention span is short – here are the top requests for property managers from millennial residents.
Self serve options/hands off approach. We live in a very face paced environment where wait times and unnecessary lengthy conversations are often avoided. Millennials are used to getting what they want, when they want it. Offer quick and easy hands off or self serve options to basic operations in order to increase efficiency and satisfy resident needs!
Parcel pickup – Millennials love to shop online (Amazon prime is basically a necessity) with over hundreds of packages being delivered daily to concierge services. By implementing digital notifications of deliveries to residents and storage information systems creates a seamless and hands off approach to parcel pick up. Residents can simply be notified their package has indeed arrived by e-mail or messaging app and can purposefully visit concierge for its retrieval. This not only helps residents know their package has arrived safely, it allows time for concierge and management to properly receive, process and store packages safely and streamlines resident retrieval encounters.
Printing parking tickets – Printing visitor parking tickets can be a hassle for many, especially when time is of the essence. Waiting in line behind other resident inquiries at the concierge desk can be a daunting task. Allowing online registration for parking tickets or other digital options can alleviate stressors in regards to visitor parking. A simple online registration through the online condo portal could be a paperless option where all information could be inputted by the resident online and the information would be readily available to security/concierge when checking for registered cars. Moving to an online paperless only option could be difficult for other generations in the building so registration by concierge and printable tickets should still be available. Another option could be a secured touch screen tablet in the lobby area where inputs could be performed by the resident/visitor and the option for a printed ticket could be available. This option could continue to pose registration waiting times as well as increased contact and additional sanitation procedures.
Logging service items – By moving service items communication online can be an effective way for both residents to input information and for management to organize requests and track their status. Management can design an easy to use form to further assess service categories, urgency and completion. By refining the request or complaint process this helps eliminate time for both residents and management. Communication can be limited to the online portal to check the status of the request (reviewed, next step, appointment window etc.) and more in depth communication (if required) can be executed through phone/e-mail as requested.
Going digital. Paper? Who needs more paper accumulating in their apartment? Or more notices being placed on door handles and beneath doors only to be stepped on and forgotten? Going digital is not exactly a new trend, but a necessary one. Digital communication if used properly can be a fantastic way to reach your millennial residents while also contributing to sustainability efforts.
Forget paper – Digital communication can be shared on multiple platforms without accumulating waste the same way posting paper reminders on doors, in lobbies and in elevators which are often damaged, ignored or not received in a timely manner. Stressing the importance of a digital profile for residents when moving in removes the need for paper communication. Arguments that information can sometimes be missed by the removal of a physical paper presence or signage further amplifies the importance of disseminating on multiple channels. TVs in elevators and lobbies can be further supported by e-mail communication, online condo portals and connecting on social media. Digital communication also provides an accurate history of communication that can be easily accessed at any time.
Don’t push unnecessary content – Stay away from pushing unnecessary, lengthy content. When communicating effectively in a digital landscape the style must follow a concise, light and a timely overall theme that is receptive to millennials. Subject lines and story highlight wording is important to generate higher click rates. Millennials shy away from lengthy, unnecessary and unorganized content or messaging. If content is too frequently irrelevant the communication loses its lustre and important updates in future could potentially go unnoticed. Most importantly, providing quick updates to emergency situations or scenarios that have created buzz in the condo must be addressed quickly. This proves to residents there is effective two way communication that builds rapport between management, staff and other residents which is an important aspect to condo living. For example, a scenario of emergency personnel or vehicles on site increases resident uncertainty – quick updates assuring safety to the digital outlets minimizes unnecessary questions or communication to staff on site and provides peace of mind for residents through communication.
Connect on social – create a profile online for the building and engage your residents! Offering important updates and current information on platforms millennials utilize everyday such as Instagram (stories) generates an effective, relative and timely communication channel. Utilizing insights through professional profiles on Instagram generates complimentary and accurate statistics to measure dissemination reach and actions generated from posts. Statistics include interactions, profile visits, reach, saves and links shared to other profiles. This creates instant gratification that the information is in fact being seen by residents and can be organized into a “digital library” for easy access at any time for residents. Important information or FAQs can be very effectively organized into story highlights to allow quick and easy navigation as well. Utilizing popular channels such as Instagram, notably stories and posts, offers an effective two way communication medium not only frequented by millennials but also residents and staff with first and second generation millennials in their families or networks who are also utilizing this platform.
