Describe a scenario where you had to balance competing customer demands with project constraints. How did you ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining the goals of the project?

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Answer Example

Think about the constraints you have encountered with projects. Weather, contractor availability, employee availability, city regulations (permits/zoning permits/inspections/environmental compliance), and budget are all possible constraints you may have encountered. Next, think about how these constraints affected your customers. Consider the feedback you received, questions customers were asking, and fears about not being able to provide customers with what they want. Providing examples of similar things will make for a solid response to this question. Start by telling the interviewer what project you were working on, the constraint you had, and the customer demand that you were competing with. Next, share what steps you took to ensure customer satisfaction during this time.
In a rental industry, perhaps you focused on the customer relationship by offering guests at your property a free nights stay. If your restaurant was shut down, maybe you set up a discount with another local establishment for your guests. In a corporate or commercial property management setting, perhaps you acted as an advocate for tenants encouraging the city to keep the process for inspections on schedule. Maybe you opened the door for the city representatives to meet with tenants to allow them to have all of their questions answered about regulations before the project began. It's all about maintaining the positive customer relationship, so whatever action you took in your industry, explain the positive outcome your efforts had!

"In my previous role, the owner of the commercial property I managed wanted to give the shopping center a facelift. They wanted to completely renovate all storefronts and signage to make the building appear more modern. I was nervous to present this to the tenants, as there would be a few days throughout the course of the project that construction would be completely blocking the entrances to their storefronts. In order to soften the blow and make up for a potential loss in revenue on those few days of construction, I spoke with the owner about a 5% rent reduction that month. The owner agreed and the news went over well with the tenants. I was able to communicate information about the project well ahead of time and the rent reduction helped the tenants agree to the renovations. In the end, everything went off without a hitch!"

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How to Answer: Describe a scenario where you had to balance competing customer demands with project constraints. How did you ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining the goals of the project?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for a Property Manager job interview.

2. Describe a scenario where you had to balance competing customer demands with project constraints. How did you ensure customer satisfaction while maintaining the goals of the project?

How to Answer

Think about the constraints you have encountered with projects. Weather, contractor availability, employee availability, city regulations (permits/zoning permits/inspections/environmental compliance), and budget are all possible constraints you may have encountered. Next, think about how these constraints affected your customers. Consider the feedback you received, questions customers were asking, and fears about not being able to provide customers with what they want. Providing examples of similar things will make for a solid response to this question. Start by telling the interviewer what project you were working on, the constraint you had, and the customer demand that you were competing with. Next, share what steps you took to ensure customer satisfaction during this time.
In a rental industry, perhaps you focused on the customer relationship by offering guests at your property a free nights stay. If your restaurant was shut down, maybe you set up a discount with another local establishment for your guests. In a corporate or commercial property management setting, perhaps you acted as an advocate for tenants encouraging the city to keep the process for inspections on schedule. Maybe you opened the door for the city representatives to meet with tenants to allow them to have all of their questions answered about regulations before the project began. It's all about maintaining the positive customer relationship, so whatever action you took in your industry, explain the positive outcome your efforts had!

Written by Ryan Brown on March 19th, 2021

Answer Example

"In my previous role, the owner of the commercial property I managed wanted to give the shopping center a facelift. They wanted to completely renovate all storefronts and signage to make the building appear more modern. I was nervous to present this to the tenants, as there would be a few days throughout the course of the project that construction would be completely blocking the entrances to their storefronts. In order to soften the blow and make up for a potential loss in revenue on those few days of construction, I spoke with the owner about a 5% rent reduction that month. The owner agreed and the news went over well with the tenants. I was able to communicate information about the project well ahead of time and the rent reduction helped the tenants agree to the renovations. In the end, everything went off without a hitch!"

Written by Ryan Brown on March 19th, 2021

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