Regardless of your industry, putting the customer at the center of your business is the only way to be successful. For Jennifer Taylor, senior community manager with Waterton, that means so much more than getting residents to renew their leases.

While she certainly strives to generate renewals, Jennifer is really looking to create “moments of truth” for her residents. These aren’t big events or some amazing new service. Instead, they are meaningful, valuable interactions — everything from a smile to remembering a birthday or helping with a package. They are about serving residents in a way that will make them want to stay at her properties for a long time, because they feel at home.

“This isn’t just an apartment,” she said. “They’re not here just to pay rent. This is their life. What’s really going to have them renewing and calling this home for another year? They have to feel like they’re at home, that they enjoy the people around them. They need to feel like they’re taken care of. Those little moments can make all the difference in the world.”

Helping create positive experiences and memories —  “moments of truth” — is what makes Jennifer #RenterProud™.

“It doesn’t take all the bling bling,” she continued. “As much as resident functions and services are important, it’s the interaction that counts. When a resident comes in to the office or you see them in the hallway, you can make them light up if it’s meaningful. The value comes from the rapport we build.”

Jennifer understands that her on-site teams play the key role in this. They are the people who connect with the residents day to day.

“I don’t have the same opportunities with the residents,” she said. “The on-site associates have the interactions that create those moments that make residents feel like they’re at home.”

She manages two communities in Georgia, the 400-unit Two Blocks Apartment Homes in Dunwoody, and Savannah Midtown, a 322-unit property in Atlanta, and 14 associates. She’s been with Waterton for four years and a professional property manager for 10. Before that, she was a licensed real estate agent.

While many companies across industries say they are consumer-centric, Jennifer is incredibly proud of her teams at Waterton for “living and breathing it.” The company recently combined their hotel and residential arms and created a new concept of living: Resitality™. At their apartment communities, she and her team provide residents with a hotel-like experience, while Waterton-managed hotel properties aim to make guests feel like they are at home.

“I apply the same concept of service excellence to my associates,” she added. “I found that when you celebrate successes, show the same level of appreciation and make them feel valued, they’re happy. And, when happy teams come to work it’s contagious.”

Jennifer holds morning communications meetings with her teams at both properties.

“They’re crucial,” she said.

It’s during those huddles that they discuss what’s going on that day, review any construction or service updates (since Waterton is a value-add company), make a plan to communicate those updates to residents, and go over any issues with residents or vendors. During one recent meeting, Jennifer learned it was a particular resident’s birthday.

“It was just something that stuck with me all day,” she said.

As she was walking the property that evening, she saw the resident in the hallway. So, she gave her a happy-birthday shoutout. From the resident’s reaction, she could tell that those few words made her day. The resident still calls one of Jennifer’s communities home.

“Here we are three years later and she still remembers that day,” Jennifer said. “It’s those moments of truth — if you can impact someone in a positive way, it becomes much more than property management. It’s rewarding on a personal level. Utilize and capitalize on every single interaction. It doesn’t take much, and it makes a big difference.”