In our experience operating in offices across the United States and abroad, one of the easiest ways to foster a sense of community within a building involves a tenant experience strategy that includes organized promotions of simple items people enjoy, like cold brew coffee, smoothies, or succulents. While these things may seem irrelevant, when a landlord provides extra, unexpected benefits for their tenants, it can completely shift their experience of a building.
In Tenant Experience, Kindness Compounds
Watch this short clip from our co-founder and CEO Chase Garbarino’s lecture, “PropTech Without Purpose: Don’t Buy It,” at Propmodo’s NYC Real Estate Technology Week in which he discusses the impact tenant experience can make.
As Chase said, no change is too small:
“Those changes, even if they’re small — not necessarily the million-dollar lobby renovation or the big things that you typically put CapEx into — small, incremental changes will compound over time, and that’s how the market is going to need to operate.”
Small changes can create lasting effects. However, this isn’t news to most; this sentiment spans almost all disciplines, from scientific findings to job coaching strategies. Euphemisms like “stop and smell the roses” reflect our society’s belief in appreciating the little things. The widely-known Butterfly Effect, even, describes that while “a single act may seem inconsequential, we cannot predict all of the possible outcomes that may be triggered.”
A Tenant Experience App and Strategy Matter
Equipped with a tenant experience app, landlords can organize, announce, and hold engagements that feature items people love, such as such decorative plants, cold brew, or donuts. The power in these small acts of generosity lies in the appreciation that they convey to tenants of a building. A coffee promotion every once in a while not only helps to make their lives easier, but also can foster a sense of inclusion and appreciation in a building as a whole. These events gather members of an office space together in a way that potentially has never happened before.
We’ve seen this principle translate across different buildings. In a recent EQ Office case study on our presence in The Willis Tower in Chicago, EQ’s Community Marketing Coordinator remarked that “there is so much interest and buy-in and commitment from tenants, making it come to life, and people know: there is a team of folks looking out for me, that have my interests and my needs at heart.”
Research like that of Mary Rowe confirms small, incremental behaviors that she calls “micro-affirmations” further foster this sense of inclusion. She describes them as lying in “the practice of generosity, in consistently giving credit to others.” While this encompasses behaviors within the office, we also know that it translates to the landlord-tenant relationship. If you’re a landlord, creating a space where your tenants feel appreciated is invaluable because it not only keeps them happy, but it keeps them coming back.
HqO’s resident TeX Analyst, Saul Rosen, noted the importance of this while reflecting on the trends we saw in our tenants in 2019.
“Work can be an environment for nurturing, but often it isn’t,” he wrote. “Nothing offers a convenient, non-stressful-but-fully-rewarding opportunity for tiny acts of caring like a small desk plant. I have my own succulent on my desk, and whenever I water or care for it, it’s a friendly reminder that my desk is my own space.
“Whether we admit it to ourselves or not, work is an emotional home for us. Having a personal touch that reflects that emotional investment acknowledges the humanity of the places we work.”
As Chase pointed out, rather than focusing on the “million-dollar lobby renovations,” landlords should start focusing on showing appreciation for their tenants in the small, everyday things — like giving your tenants a tiny desk plant that makes them feel more at home, or a morning coffee to brighten their day from the jump.
The power of little things, compounded over time, can create lasting change for your assets. Start earning that appreciation interest today.
Ready to bring tenant experience in your buildings to the next level? Contact us today to request a demo, or download our guide to tenant experience below.
