My friend Sarah works for an assisted living home.
“And on weekends, if there is a maintenance emergency, the phone number for the maintenance man on-call is back here,” her trainer told her. The paper listing the name and number is kept behind a locked door in a random corner of the room.
Sarah’s expression must have seemed confused because the trainer then explained, “We can’t let the residents see this. If they get his number they call him at all hours of the day with issues like a light bulb being out. It can get out of hand.”
“They really do that?” Sarah asked.
The trainer nodded her head. “When the residents let you know about a problem that can wait to be fixed until weekday hours, let them know you understand the issue and then tell your supervisor so she can make a note of it.”
This was one company’s problem and solution regarding how to address maintenance issues. There really are dozens of ways that the process can be streamlined, but one of the main steps to figure out is how residents can report maintenance issues. Just like they have different, preferred ways of paying rent, they’ll have different ideas of how the office should be informed that water is leaking through their ceiling or that the dishwasher stopped working.
For example, they might-
Call
Text
Leave a note on the door
Wait until they see the maintenance man walking around the property
With so many ways to gather maintenance requests, some issues can get lost or overlooked. A burst pipe is not something that any property owner wants overlooked. Be sure to pick only two or three methods that are acceptable and let residents know when they move in. Then remind them from time to time in the monthly newsletter.
