The document discusses M&R Holdings' approach to customer service which focuses on employee satisfaction and empowerment. M&R believes that taking care of employees ensures they are better equipped to care for customers. By training and motivating employees, M&R sees increased employee satisfaction, lower turnover, and improved financial performance. Other companies like Four Seasons Hotels and Starbucks also emphasize supporting employees to enhance customer experience.

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Rather than imposing an exclusively customer-centric
culture on its people, the company’s approach to increasing
resident satisfaction focuses on employees—the people
in the trenches—in a model that is unique to the property
management industry. The strategy stems from Herb Kelleher’s
operating principle, which he established at Southwest Airlines.
M&R believes that employees come first and the customer
comes second. Why? Because taking care of employees ensures
they are better equipped to take care of renters.
By putting such a large emphasis on training and motivating
its team members, M&R sees increased employee satisfaction
rates and happier renters who stay longer and refer other
residents. Ultimately, this approach results in lower turnover
rates, lower vacancy loss and an improved bottom line. After
all, it’s the employees who are in the trenches, day in and
day out, doing what needs to get done in order to ensure the
success of the business.
Other organizations, like Four Seasons Hotels, have similar
visions for the future of customer service. In the case of Four
Seasons, founder Isadore Sharp has said that the greatest asset
to a company’s triumph is its people—something M&R has,
quite literally, taken to heart.
Feel the beat
M&R’s comprehensive strategy includes ongoing customer
service training for its employees, and adhering to the values
Making Cents of
Human Capital
InspireYourStaffandYourCustomerswillBenefit
By Randy Daiter
Management
While popular belief may tell you that focusing solely on the customer is the key to success,
getting your staff on board with a comprehensive resident satisfaction strategy will pay
dividends. Armed with this knowledge—that customer service starts on the frontlines with
your team—M&R won the Customer Service Excellence award at the 2015 FRPO MAC Awards
in Toronto.

3. May/June 2016 41
Management
Randy Daiter is Vice President, Residential Properties at M&R Holdings
espoused in the acronym HEART. This
acronym was developed by M&R staff,
who were urged to contribute ideas to
build the customer service credo that
would come to define the company:
Honesty
Excellence
Accountability
Respect
Teamwork
By involving staff in larger business
decisions and empowering them to define
how the company will move forward,
property management companies
will foster a supportive workplace and
give employees the tools they need to
succeed. Confidence comes from knowing
that everyone’s contributions, and ideas
matter. In a culture that places value on
those ideas, employees are able to make
better decisions that will ultimately
improve the lives of renters.
Support greatness
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz echoes
this sentiment. In interviews, he has often
mentioned that, “We all want the same
thing as people—to be respected and
valued as employees and appreciated as
customers.” In order to provide a great
working environment and facilitate
treating each other with respect and
dignity, Starbucks gives employees the
opportunity to work with a diverse team
in a position where they feel empowered
to add value. Employees also receive
medical benefits and the opportunity to
grow within the company.
By celebrating the unique greatness of
each employee, you are providing them
with a platform to perfect their unique
skills, giving them a clearer path to
increased job responsibilities and chances
to flourish both professionally and
personally. Furthermore, it’s important
to arrange periodic check-ins with your
team to see how things are going. For
some people, it can feel daunting to bring
forward issues on a day-to-day basis; an
informal meeting is the perfect forum for
encouraging an open dialogue.
You could even take it one step further
and bring agility into your workplace. A
common practice among web developers
and other technology-based companies,
agile activities provide a safe, caring and
understanding environment in which to
discuss what’s working and what isn’t. A
“retrospective” meeting ideally held at
the end of each quarter, is a way to look
back at everything you and your team
have worked on over the past three
months. Adding an agile activity like
“Mad, Sad, Glad,” a game that involves
each employee writing down everything
that made them feel, well, mad, sad or
glad over the past quarter, facilitates
conversation. You would be surprised at
how much better employees feel after
a retrospective, as they often come
away with a clearer picture of what is
expected of them and how they can
achieve positive outcomes.
Show appreciation
Staff appreciation events are an integral
part of any successful business strategy.
M&R, for instance, organizes outings
each quarter to encourage teamwork
among staff and to recognize their hard
work on a more frequent basis. The end-
of-year party sees staff walk off with
prizes that range from sports tickets to
big screen TVs.
Now that M&R has been recognized
for its innovative approach to customer
service by the Federation of Rental
Housing Providers of Ontario, it is more
motivated than ever to keep pushing the
envelope insofar as investing in human
capital is concerned. To truly honour
accomplishments like this award, the
company’s leadership team knows that
progress only happens when the bar
is consistently raised higher. The goal:
to exceed the customer’s expectations
by mining ways to build up the skills,
confidence and satisfaction of frontline
staff. For any company, you couldn’t ask
for a better challenge to have.
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WHY PIPE SHIELD?
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THE SOLUTION:
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WORLD’S MOST ADVANCED
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BPA-Free Hospital Approved Epoxy 25 Year Warranty
Complete Turnkey Solution Video Camera Inspections
Over 15 years lining experience Licensed In-House Plumbers
Full Plumbing Services Available 24/7 Emergency Response
CONTACT US TODAY 905.670.7481
WWW.PIPE-SHIELD.COM INFO@PIPE-SHIELD.COM
WHY PIPE SHIELD?
THE PROBLEM:
Replacing leaking, corroded and worn
pipes is expensive, invasive and time
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THE SOLUTION:
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