I talk a lot about Customer Empathy when working with coliving spaces. When it comes to crafting a perfect experience for your residents, it’s important to be able to put yourself in their shoes.
For instance, when a resident first arrives at your space, how are they feeling? For some, a busy day of travel or moving could leave you feeling tired, hungry, thirsty and/or irritable.
One thing I learned during my time in the hospitality industry, is that you want to help your guests fill those basic needs as quickly as possible. How do you do that? By telling them where to find food and drinks, for one.
It sounds very basic, but when you come to a new space, you don’t know any of these things. You don’t know the easiest place to grab a sandwich is across the street, or that there’s filtered water in the fridge. The whole experience feels a little out of your control in the beginning, and no one likes that feeling of being out of control.
The goal is to get your guests to a place where they can set their things down, take a deep breath and think, ‘Alright, I’ve got this. I know how to take care of myself from here.’
In doing this, you’re putting your residents in control of their environment, making them feel welcome and at ease.
What can you add to your welcome process to make your residents feel comfortable in their environment right from the start?