Meeting notes · Team training
Who we are, why we do what we do.
The itinerary from our team training: part one introduces Mica Creek Living, our new platform and centralized services, which launch November 13. Part two is customer service training. Part three is Entrata + How We Sell.
Itinerary
The agenda
Here’s the fun stuff — everything we’re covering, in order, and who’s leading each part.
- 3:00Everyone
Get settled and grab food
Find a seat, get some food before training starts, and complete this quiz.
- Maintenance Scenario
- Porter Scenario
- Office Team Scenario
- 3:15Chuck
Who we are, why we do what we do
Training starts with an introduction to Mica Creek Living: why we made the change and the future of the company.
- ThenSam
Meet Sam
What Sam does, the platform we’re bringing and the systems we’re adding.
- Then
Centralized sales
What centralized sales looks like, what’s to come and why we’re doing it.
- Then
Meet Charlie
- Centralized CRM
- Tour Insights
- Delinquency Support
- Resident Concierge
- Knowledge Bank
- Automations
- ThenDom
The training rollout
Dom trains managers 1:1 at HQ, then meets with each team for walkthroughs. Services launch November 13.
Itinerary · Part two
Customer service training
Why customer service matters, where we stand today and what we can start doing right now.
The stats
One bad experience can be enough to lose someone.
of consumers will switch to a competitor after multiple bad experiences.
More than half of consumers will switch to a competitor after only one bad experience.
Google reviews across our company.
of those reviews are bad.
How do we rank?
A snapshot of our company as a whole, based on what reviewers are saying.
How we measure customer service
Opinion
What residents and guests tell us and post about us.
MeetCharlie
Conversations, follow-ups and insights tracked in Charlie.
Surveys
Feedback we ask for directly from residents.
How does this make you feel?
Open question: why does customer service matter?
Check off each reason as we talk through it. Finish the list to get certified.
0 of 5 done. Start at the top.
“At the end of the day, people have options. They can choose where they live, who they trust, and who they recommend to their friends. What they won’t always remember is every detail of a conversation, but they’ll remember whether we listened, whether we followed through, and whether we made them feel like they mattered.
Customer service isn’t about being perfect or always having the answer. It’s about how we show up when someone needs us. It’s taking ownership, being kind even when a conversation is difficult, and treating every person like they’re worth our time.”
What does good customer service look like in your role?
Open discussion for each team.
Maintenance
Notes from the discussion are added here.
Leasing staff
Notes from the discussion are added here.
Managers
Notes from the discussion are added here.
Customer service scenarios
Work through the scenario for your role.
What people say about us
A recap of what’s being said: the good and the bad.
The good
“They are sooo kind and helpful. Every time I went in for a problem they weren’t rude and were empathetic. Best apartment building on-site team! P.S. the cleaning team keeps everything spotless, it’s amazing.”
“The maintenance team here is amazing. I’ve never had to wait longer than 24 hours, and it’s always been an easy quick fix.”
“My move-in experience was great, loved how Garri and her staff made me feel right at home.”
“Move in was great, I didn’t like my unit and you guys switched it to an even better and clean one with ease.”
“I lived here just under 2 years and loved it. I have met lifelong friends here and have fond memories. Maintenance was always on top of everything and the front office was helpful and nice. Only complaint is some of the residents are gross, but that does not fall on the building itself. There has been dog poo in the hallways, dog pee in the elevators, and people leave their trash just randomly on the ground. That is not the company though, more so the residents. I am not sure why people cannot be respectful of other people’s space but all in all this was a great place to live. A little pricey for Tallahassee.”
The bad
“My move-in experience was very stressful and unorganized. I was told I would be able to move in as early as August 9, however that date was not honored. I had to call so many times to get anybody to pick up the phone and coordinate a move-in date that I was promised.”
“We’ve had so many maintenance requests for our dryer and each time they come they haven’t fixed it, we still get an error message (which we looked up online and it says it is a fire hazard).”
“Horrible move-in experience. My apartment was not ready AT ALL. Workers were still building my living room and my bedroom. A TERRIBLE MESS.”
“I submitted several [work orders] for AC over summer and the maintenance guy finally came at the start of fall semester and just held his hand to the vent and said ‘it’s literally blowing, what do you want.’”
“Beautiful building. Lovely apartments terrible customer service and maintenance support. My daughter’s AC has not worked properly since she moved in and they continue to do bandaid repairs her sink has been leaking for over a week - nothing has been done. We pay $200 a month for parking and a pipe has been leaking on her 2024 white vehicle causing brown staining that will not wash off and needs to be professionally restored. I sent a video, spoke to a supposed manager about it and the other issues….nothing has been done.
Don’t waste your money. Find somewhere else.”
Part two · Start today
Things we can change now
- Greet Everyone Who Comes Into the Office. It’s the first impression of every visit, and it sets the tone for the rest of the conversation.
- Maintenance Is Our Best Source of Experience. You’re in residents’ homes more than anyone. How can you play into this?
- Overcommunicate. We have an obligation to train people. If an issue is user-caused, let them know why. If we’re waiting on a vendor, tell them.
- Say Hello in the Hall.
- Operate Like a Hotel. We’re a Team. If you can’t complete something, hand the information off so the team can be the communicators.
- Managers: When We Say We’re Going to Follow Up, Follow Up.
- Under Promise, Over Deliver.
- Don’t Let Someone Sit and Wonder. Updates help ease concern.
- A Check-In Goes a Long Way. Big shout out to Garri for following up via email.
Itinerary · Part three
Entrata + How We Sell
Scheduled activity
Here’s the key to success when managing your leads. As a new lead comes in, here’s how we follow it:
- Call / text / email. Work to get as much information from them as possible. Lead as a human, not as a robot.
- 24 hours. Schedule a manual contact for 24 hours from the day the lead comes in.
- 48 hours. Schedule a manual contact for 48 hours after the 24-hour contact.
- 72 hours. Schedule a 72-hour contact point from the 48-hour contact point.
- Every four days. Keep reaching out every four days.
Be human
Being a human makes a world of difference. Make every interaction intentional.
Your 5 gotta knows
We want to see five points of information on every lead.
Don’t sound like AI
People want a human.
Talk the talk, walk the walk
How to sell the community: what makes your community great, and why do you love it?
Open discussion
Group activity
Grade the calls
Discuss the good and the bad.
- Call 1 · 8:06
- Call 2 · 10:30
Grade the tour
Watch both tours below, then grade them together.
Recap
What to remember
Key takeaways
- Lead with the experience. Show guests their life here, not just the floor plan.
- Learn every name. Use the guest's name at least three times on a tour.
- Follow up the same day. Every guest hears from us before close.
Action items
- Leasing: practice the new tour route twice this week.
- Managers: share updated pre-leasing goals with each team.
- Everyone: send a same-day follow-up after every tour.
Highlight
Pre-leasing + leasing
Where our communities stand today, and how the rest of the Tallahassee market is pacing.
Our communities
Osceola
Renegade
Industry Tallahassee
TrendingThe market
PL = pre-leasing.
- Perla40.1%
- Hub37.1%
- Hall35%
- Leo34.1%
- Nova30.5%
- Reign20%
- Saga19.24%
- Standard11.76%
- Met10.26%
Keep going
Back to training
See every meeting recap, the training modules and who to ask for help.