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Since the beginning of the year, Chainbow’s had half a dozen unforeseen, emergency maintenance situations arise at developments we manage. These included a water pump breakdown at 6:00am on a Monday morning, a lift breakdown at the start of a weekend and a utility shut down where residents were temporarily placed in local hotels.
The biggest issue we faced with these circumstances was trying to communicate with all residents. Though developments’ private websites, part of the MyChainbow.com brand, was updated, residents may have missed the alerts while they were on the go. Posters were displayed in the developments but these aren’t time-sensitive tools. We couldn’t phone every resident because the time this would have taken, the situation would have progressed towards a resolution which would mean another round of phone calls.
So we asked ourselves, what is the one communication tool modern society is addicted to and frequently checks? Social media! Chainbow has entered the world of Twitter on a new level. Individual Twitter accounts will be set up for each development Chainbow manages so residents can receive updates via their mobile and email.
Most businesses are sceptical about the benefits of Twitter but as an instant communication devise, it is most effective way we can talk to residents. Unlike other businesses, there is also an incentive for residents to join the Twitter account because the information they receive impacts on their day-to-day lifestyle. For example, if a lift breaks down at 10:00am, we can alert residents by 10:05am so they have an opportunity to adjust their evening plans. They may postpone a big grocery shop or decide to rearrange friends visiting them. We can also send updates on the situation’s progress.
Yesterday, Monday 1 February, was the launch of the pilot Twitter account for The Water Gardens in Canary Wharf which is being coordinated in conjunction with the development’s letting agency, Young Group. Chainbow is starting to roll Twitter accounts for other developments as well. http://twitter.com/chainbow/developments
One of the biggest criticisms about property managers is the lack of communication between the company and leaseholders or tenants. Our hope is Twitter will help Chainbow bridge this communication gap and set a new trend for the industry to follow. And hopefully, Stephen Fry won’t be the only one benefiting for this social media outlet.
02 Feb 2010 15:23:14