No one likes to complain and no one likes a complainer.  Sometimes, it's not the words that are said, it is the way the words are said.  Customer experiences can be misinterpreted or lost if they aren't offered in an informative manner. Anything you need to convey to a business can be offered as feedback instead of a complaint.  "I didn't want to complain." Complaints conjure unhappy people and carry a negative association that's often complimented by an emotional reaction.  On the other hand, feedback is not only appreciated, it is welcome.  Businesses see feedback as a pulse check on their real-time operations. In the multi-family industry, we get our share of complaints.  We lease and manage housing for the general population so complaints come with the territory. But feedback is reserved for the organizations that want to hear from their customer.  When you seek feedback, you are afforded an opportunity to resolve issues before they turn into a problem. Feedback offers a perspective that may not have been obvious to the employees of the business.  Sometimes on-site teams need your feedback to support and validate their budgets and purchase requests.   It's important to tell a company what you liked about their service.  You can point out an exceptional employee or offer a simple fix to a frustrating process.  Don't be afraid to tell them what you don't like because you are offering valuable customer intel.  They pay big money for the same information in focus groups and surveys.  Things may seem obvious to you but it's not always so obvious to a business owner or customer care employee.  Multi-family is no exception.  Some pretty intense situations can occur and when they do, we have to maintain a calm demeanor and muscle through it with poise and respect.  Since the properties are operated by humans, it is possible our teams can miss something.  Please bring it to their attention.

Many organizations diligently seek feedback.  Camden is very interested in knowing about your experience.  Each resident living in a Camden Community is offered two random surveys per year.  A survey is available anytime a customer receives service through our maintenance department.  In addition to paying customers, every prospective renter is offered a survey and asked about their experience.  Camden wants to know how their teams performed and how they stack up.  They want to know what a Camden experience looks like through every set of eyes.  When you ask for feedback, you will get it.  As the feedback rolled in, Camden employees were empowered to make changes based on customer requests.  Camden turned a corner when they realized the magic of proactive customer care.  It wasn't long before they created a site to house inquiries and show progress.  That site is called "Voice of the Customer". Both customers and suppliers want respectful consideration and diligence from one another. When people do good things, tell them.  When people do nice things, thank them.  When a business exceeds your expectation, tell them (and then write a  review).  When a business drops the ball and misses the point, offer them feedback on what went wrong from your perspective and give them an opportunity to correct it. Don't shy away from giving feedback to a business because that feedback is precious.  Don't short-change a business because you think you are "complaining".