Last week, I talked about Minutes and my process for recording them in a specific and repetitive format for consistency and effectiveness. This week, I want to talk about working with vendors and the technology available to help us help them.
First and foremost in working with my vendors is the relationship. As in all good relationships, this means communication is key to our working together. Every service provider has “hiccups” in service. I know I have had incidents when I missed a deadline or messed up a communication – we are all human. So why do we hold our service providers to any other standard? Of course, we all want to be professional, effective, efficient and exceptional in the service we provide our customers. If you don’t believe that about your vendor, it is time to change.
Many boards and management companies have the policy best described as “in with the new and out with the old.” I subscribe to the policy that everyone wants to do a good job and in 99 cases out of 100, if the vendor isn’t doing a good job, I need to look at myself.
Am I communicating my expectations?
Do I issue Work Orders and expect a reply?
Do I follow up on outstanding work orders?
Do I call my vendor when there is a problem?
Do I pay them on time?
Do I accept responsibility when I make a mistake?
Do I hold them accountable when they do the same?
Do I take the time to really talk to them when I do call or email?
Do I appreciate them for the work they do for me and my clients?
I learned the most effective method of communication is the “love sandwich”… and it took some time to learn.
In the past, I would just dash off the email request with no “dressing” nor did “close” well. Here is an example: (wrong) ___________________________________________________________
Katrina,
Can you cut a special check for the disposal company? They are such idiots. I need it tomorrow.
Gayle
Here is the same example using the “love sandwich” method:
Hi Katrina,
Hope your weekend was great! Little Bella must be growing like a weed these days.
The disposal company is having issues in applying payments. I really appreciate your calling them to get this resolved and would like to pick up a special check that I will hand deliver by the end of the week.
I understand the issues are on their end and that you always pay our bills. It must be as frustrating for you as for us. Please call when the check is ready.
Thanks! Gayle
_____________________________________________________________________________
Yes, it takes a little more time to dress up your emails or a few more moments on the phone (where I use the same approach.) When I first started, I would write my email, then have to go back and put the “sandwich” part into it. It took energy to think about really personalizing emails and making them feel good to the recipient. Now it is a habit and it has really helped in all my communications resulting in better relationships, both personal and professional.
The golden rule is “treat others as you would like to be treated.” It builds relationships when you meet your vendors on walk throughs and point out what they are doing right as well as what they are doing wrong. I ALWAYS want to do a better job when my board thanks me and acknowledges how much I mean to them after a meeting – and they do let me know this after every meeting without fail.
It helps to own your own frustration and not take it out on others. When there is a particularly difficult letter to write I will draft it and let my anger come out then put it aside. I’ll go back and laugh at how outrageous I was because I was angry and clean it up. Then, just to make sure that nothing “leaks”, I’ll ask my assistant or a board member to review it and give me feedback before it goes into the mail. If the board or my actions are the subject of the letter, it comes from the board president, not me!
How, you may ask, does “technology” fit into this blog? History is the key! We log all calls and emails into the call log and the work orders are also generated by our management program. Then, when I meet with a vendor, I can take reports of outstanding work orders and a history of emails or calls in a simple report format so I don’t have to struggle to remember details…they are at my fingertips. I’ll take an extra copy of the report for the vendor so we can make notes and those notes are summarized in a follow up email recorded in the database. Without this kind of organization and history, it is a “he said/she said” world.
I would love to hear your thoughts and feedback. Your questions can also help me direct my blog. We often work in isolation so this is a way we can also share things that work for each of us. Please email me at Gayle@campro.us if you have anything to share.
Gayle J. Hasley,
Community Association Manager
Community Association Homeowner
info@campro.us
www.campro.us
