hereSAY’s latest mystery shopping report in the BTR sector has seen a drop in customer service that could be damaging the reputation of developers and their properties.
The team behind the hereSAY Build-to-Rent Mystery Shopping Benchmark Report contacted and visited 50 BTR developments between October 2022 and February 2023. 68% of shoppers rated their experience of contacting the scheme and attempting to book a viewing as ‘poor’ and ‘very poor’, while 28% received no response to their enquiry.
In contrast, the presentation of the apartments, amenities and communal areas was the highest-rated part of the experience, scoring 88% – an 11% increase from the 2021 benchmark.
For those that secured a viewing, only 53% were addressed by their name during the viewing, a 19% decrease since the 2021 benchmark. Overall, the schemes received the lowest score for incentives and value for money, with 51% of viewers not being told that Wi-Fi was included in the rent, 44% not made aware of any on-site events, and 34% not told about maintenance being included. 36% of mystery shoppers also received no follow-up in the seven days after their viewing.
Debra Yudolph, partner at hereSAY, commented: “Five years ago, the BTR market had to work hard for its residents, as such the customer service and attention to detail was exemplary. With the ‘race to rent’ demand far exceeding supply, people have less ability to shop around, so the BTR sector hasn’t had to work as hard and unfortunately, we have seen a significant dip in customer service at the enquiry stage.”
“Although BTR remains an extremely attractive proposition, the industry must not rest on its laurels and go back to getting the customer service fundamentals during the lead-to-lease process on point. If the sector wants to continue to grow at the rate and popularity it has to date, it cannot be seen to shun prospects simply because so many people need somewhere to live.”
The research by hereSAY, part of SAY property consulting, also showed that there are still those that consistently deliver the highest standard of customer service. The top 10 developments scored 100% on quality, cleanliness and tidiness.
Mystery shoppers were also asked if they received any information regarding environmentally friendly, sustainable features or initiatives of the development during the viewing, such as energy and carbon monitoring, green rent rebates and eco-friendly features. 78% were not informed about environmentally-friendly or sustainable features or initiatives of the development and 90% were not made aware of their role in the building meeting its sustainable objectives.
This is despite the significant amount of money being invested into greener, smarter buildings, as well as eco-credentials becoming more of a factor for house hunters.
Debra Yudolph added: “Young people especially are conscious of the environment, and the sector is rightly playing its part using tech and innovation to reduce their carbon footprint. Yet, despite this, it isn’t being communicated to the end user.”
hereSAY is the first service of its kind for BTR, benchmarking the ‘lead to lease’ customer journey. This provides BTR operators and developers with valuable insights into how their leasing team performs compared to their competitors.
The report covers eight categories, including pre-viewing experience, building and apartment presentation, development, final thoughts, viewing experience, brand and marketing, post-viewing experience, incentives and value for money.
