New Urbanism: Bringing New Life to Urban Living

Trends come and go, but sometimes they turn into a lifestyle. Improved urban living and environmental efforts are rising, but will they last?

As an apartment marketing agency, Criterion.B’s expertise in multifamily marketing and real estate gives us great insight into what’s coming and phasing out. 

The New Urbanism movement is a trend that is rapidly gaining popularity. This urban planning philosophy seeks to create walkable, mixed-use communities that are sustainable, efficient, and livable. 

The trend inspires remarkable change in urban planning, sustainability, and multifamily development, providing an alternative to the traditional suburban living model. And it just might be here to stay.

What are this new-urban renewal plan’s challenges, benefits, and concerns?

The Background of New Urbanism

The movement has garnered new life since it gained momentum roughly 25 years ago. Before the late ’80s and early ’90s, the urban environment was typically avoided and crime-ridden; the suburbs remained the hub for retail, restaurants, and recreation. 

However, New Urbanism changed that by replacing negative city stigmas with fresh architecture, cleaner streets, and green initiatives. As a result, a renewed concept of urban living emerged. New Urbanism brought new life to the city, and Americans flocked to experience this lifestyle.

Benefits of New Urbanism in Multifamily Development

The New Urbanism trend attracts much interest from developers, investors, and homebuyers alike. One of the key benefits of this trend is that it creates a more walkable and livable environment. Residents can walk to work, shopping, dining, and entertainment destinations, reducing their reliance on cars and improving their quality of life.

In addition, New Urbanism encourages public transportation, making it easier for residents to get around without a car. This helps reduce traffic congestion and air pollution while also promoting sustainability.

Another benefit of New Urbanism is that it provides a mix of residential, commercial, and retail spaces within the same multifamily development. This creates a sense of community, making it easier for residents to interact with their neighbors and the surrounding environment.

Nowadays, it’s unsurprising for young professionals and active individuals to live in the city’s heart. Millennials, especially, are driving this movement (whether they know it or not). They clearly desire prime locations, luxurious amenities, and walkable neighborhoods. As a result, these requirements force urban multifamily properties to keep up and stand out. The millennial lifestyle exemplifies New Urbanism and stimulates the evolving urban revival.

A great example of New Urbanism in action is Klyde Warren Park. Take a busy, bustling city, and drop a giant patch of grass on top of an Interstate overpass. That’s the exact action Dallas City Planning took to revitalize the city streets. Stop by, and you’ll find a line of food trucks, yoga classes in the park, picnic blankets, a playground, and a band playing at sundown. Cities flourish when safety, community, and accessibility are at the forefront of planning.

Challenges in New Urbanism Multifamily Development

However, there are also challenges and concerns associated with New Urbanism. One of the biggest concerns is the cost. Developing New Urbanism communities can be more expensive than traditional suburban multifamily developments due to the need for infrastructure such as sidewalks, bike lanes, and public transportation.

Another challenge is that New Urbanism multifamily developments may not appeal to everyone. Some people prefer the traditional suburban living model and may not want to live in a more densely populated area.

In addition, there are concerns about the potential for increased traffic and parking issues in New Urbanism multifamily developments. While the trend encourages public transportation and walking, some residents may still need to drive, and there may not be enough parking spaces to accommodate all residents.

Will the Trend Last?

Despite these challenges, the trend toward New Urbanism in multifamily living will continue. The demand for walkable, sustainable, and livable communities is growing, and developers increasingly recognize the benefits of New Urbanism.

In addition, the trend toward New Urbanism aligns with the broader trend toward sustainability and environmentally conscious living. As more people become aware of the environmental impact of traditional suburban living, they seek alternative models that are more sustainable and efficient.

What will this living look like? Apartments that blend with the environment; smaller and more thoughtful multifamily projects; carless cities and larger sidewalks; community gardens integrated into multifamily properties; or even smart cities. New Urbanists are working towards building cities that revolve around maximizing space, community, sustainability, and efficiency.

Buildings will no longer be a monument to themselves but instead, to the city streets.

Shaping the Future of Apartment Living

Although the popularity of New Urbanism is widely accepted, “an enormous invisible structure” hinders its full overhaul. To the government, this reinvention of city living is breaking code after code. 

Local zoning codes restrict modernist design, form, and projects, ultimately restricting wider streets and increased walkability. However, there’s hope in progress; as this movement gains momentum, its impact will reach public officials and make a difference in urban life.

While there are challenges, the benefits of creating walkable, mixed-use communities are too significant to ignore. The trend toward New Urbanism in multifamily living is expected to continue, and it is poised to play a major role in shaping the future of apartment living.

Who Should Be in Charge of Social Media for Apartments?

By now, we’ve established that social media is another platform for communication.

Renters want information anytime, anywhere, and they want it at their fingertips. Their need for information is instantaneous, and social media for apartments is the only marketing source to deliver that.

Residents are increasingly connecting with properties online throughout all phases of the renting process, from research to retention. As a result, property managers need to be able to do their jobs online, requiring them to have a certain amount of autonomy. Social media for apartments presents several opportunities for leasing, multifamily marketing, and building relationships. However, it also presents many risks.

A Balancing Act Between Corporate and Property-Level Marketing

Online word of mouth and one bad resident experience can taint an apartment brand. Property managers (not just corporate) must be present, helpful, and interactive on social media to read, respond, and act on any negative resident feedback.

It’s natural for corporate management to want complete control over their properties’ online activity, as doing so would limit risk and maintain consistent apartment brand messaging across all properties. However, this isn’t realistic. 

The key to success in multifamily digital marketing lies within the property managers — they’re the ones who know their residents better than anyone else. They live and work in the communities they serve, and they’re the ones interacting with residents daily.

So, how do we balance apartment brand consistency (corporate-level) and local content/personalized service (property-level)? The answer is quite simple. It just calls for a little training and education.

Corporate Responsibility: Training

Resident interactions on social media must be handled at the property level. Corporate management needs to take the necessary steps to train property managers. They need to provide resources (e.g., content guidelines, tone), that property managers can customize according to their residents. Employees should feel empowered to communicate on social media — that is the corporate’s responsibility.

We recommend providing your properties with standard corporate messaging via a “Voice and Tone Guide” for social media and all content marketing, then allowing each property to personalize its content.

Focus on keeping messaging simple and consistent. By providing guidelines for use, you can strengthen corporate apartment branding across all properties while still allowing local social media to take the shape of its own at the property level.

The most important thing to remember is that corporate training should be ongoing. Organizations like the National Apartment Association (NAA) make that easy for corporate management to implement.

The NAA Education Institute offers the National Apartment Leasing Professional Program. The course includes six modules, which corporate management can license and provide for employees, either online or in the classroom. The curriculum includes everything from monitoring your online reputation to optimizing content for search engines.

Property Responsibility: Open Communication

Successful training requires an earnest effort on the part of each property and its employees. Without their commitment, an effective digital marketing strategy is impossible to implement.

The property manager must consult their regional or national corporate representative anytime they have questions, feedback, or insight regarding social media use.

Corporate management should serve as a resource for properties and vice versa. Property managers should provide feedback on local apartment marketing efforts (What works, what doesn’t?). They should also be able to ask corporate representatives for help in unfamiliar situations and provide them with insights from their resident community.

Open communication is the key to balancing strong apartment brand messaging on social media with local personality and service.

Tying It All Together

To sum it up, here are some common threads in establishing multifamily brand development and character: A customer-centric approach is essential to the success of any multifamily digital marketing effort, whether that’s differentiating your property, meeting millennial expectations, designing your multifamily website, and so on. The most successful properties are capitalizing on the relationship-building attributes of social media for apartments and intercepting prospective renters in the places they’re already searching.

Technology is fast-changing the apartment marketing environment, and it’s up to you to respond or risk falling behind.

4.3 Million Units Needed By 2035 to Fuel Multifamily Demand

The future of urban living is inherently mixed-use. As population density inevitably increases and real estate prices continue to soar, more apartments are being developed in mixed-use buildings and communities. This type of development can provide the post-pandemic demands of developers, owners, renters, and workers. 

Here’s a look at some of the latest multifamily trends in mixed-use development across the United States. 

Multifamily Development on the Rise

There’s no denying that multifamily development is on the rise in the United States. The National Multifamily Housing Council and National Apartment Association’s latest research estimates we need to build 4.3 million units by 2035 — 600,000 to meet the current apartment shortage and an additional 3.7 million to keep up with annual demand.

Multifamily development dropped after the Great Recession, resulting in a shortage of apartments. While development has started to ramp back up, demand has also been high. Multifamily units under construction are now at a historic high of 841,000 (seasonally adjusted) in June 2022.

What’s driving this growth? Several factors include population growth (both domestic and foreign), increased urbanization, changing demographics (such as millennials delaying marriage and starting families later in life), and rising rental rates. All of these multifamily trends point to one thing: continued demand for multifamily housing in America’s cities. 

The Shift to Mixed-Use Development

One way developers are meeting this demand is by shifting their focus from traditional single-use developments (i.e., residential buildings, office towers, retail centers) to mixed-use developments that combine two or more uses (i.e., residential + retail, office + residential, etc.). 

Mixed-use developments have several advantages over single-use developments. For one, they’re a more efficient use of land — a crucial consideration given the premium placed on real estate in urban areas. They also tend to be more resilient to economic downturns since they provide a mix of uses that can appeal to various renters, buyers, investors, and tenants. And lastly, they create a more lively and vibrant streetscape that can contribute to the overall livability of a neighborhood or district. 

It’s no surprise that we see a shift towards mixed-use development in America’s cities. Renters’ needs have changed in recent years, particularly with the popularity of working from home during and after the pandemic. This change fueled the spike in live-work-play developments, bringing living, working, and entertainment together in a central location. In fact, 49,100 live-work-play units were completed in 2020 — the peak year for these developments.

Further, the yearly supply of live-work-play developments quadrupled in the last 10 years, going from 10,000 in 2012 to 43,700 in 2021. These communities also represent more than 10% of today’s apartments, a significant jump from 2% before 2012.

This multifamily trend is only expected to continue as developers look for ways to meet the growing demand for multifamily housing while maximizing land usage efficiency. 

What’s Next for Multifamily Development?

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted virtually every aspect of American life — and the real estate industry is no exception. The pandemic has forced us to reexamine many aspects of our built environment, from office space design to residential amenity offerings. 

And while it’s still too early to say definitively what changes will stick around long term, some emerging multifamily trends suggest the future for development in America’s cities. 

One such trend is an increased focus on health and wellness amenities — such as outdoor spaces for exercise and recreation, contactless access control systems, air filtration systems, and on-site health clinics — as renters place a greater emphasis on their health and well-being. 

Another multifamily trend is shifting from central business districts towards suburban locations as workers embrace remote work arrangements and seek out larger living spaces outside of dense urban areas. Lastly, we’re seeing a renewed interest in micro units and other small living spaces as renters seek affordability and flexibility in their housing arrangements. 

Reexamining Multifamily Trends to Plan for the Future of Development

Multifamily development is rising across the United States as developers strive to meet the growing demand for rental housing. One way they’re doing this is by shifting their focus from traditional single-use developments to mixed-use developments that combine two or more uses — a multifamily trend that is only expected to continue in the coming years as developers look for ways to maximize land usage efficiency. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted virtually every aspect of American life — and the real estate industry is no exception — forcing us to reexamine many aspects of our built environment. It remains to be seen which changes will stick around long term. Still, some emerging multifamily trends suggest the future for multifamily development in America’s cities.

Here’s Why 1 in 4 Millennial Renters Claim They Will ‘Rent Forever’

According to Census data, the millennial homeownership rate is currently 48.6%. That’s a significant drop from the ownership rates of previous generations.

And nearly 25% of millennials said they planned always to rent and not buy a home. Millennials entered the prime homebuying age amid the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, this generation overtook baby boomers as America’s largest generation.

So, what’s behind this trend? And what impact does it have on the rental market? Let’s take a closer look.

What’s driving millennial renters?

Several factors have contributed to the decrease in millennial homeownership. For one, the Great Recession left many millennials saddled with debt and uncertain about their financial future. As a result, many have chosen to rent instead of buy to keep their monthly expenses low.

In addition, the cost of living in many parts of the country has increased faster than wages, making it difficult for millennials to save up for a down payment on a home. And with student loan debt still weighing heavily on many young adults, buying a house is often seen as an unaffordable luxury. 

Giving millennials what they want

The future of multifamily apartments relies heavily on Gen Z and millennial renters. The impact they’re having on the economy is paramount.

Millennials are renting longer and waiting to get married. Their lifestyles drive the amenities, which are now heavily focused on bike storage, cyber cafes, resort-style pools, and dog parks. And they are no strangers to spending 60% of their income on housing — anything to be in the best locations.

So, what is the multifamily industry doing to target this coveted demographic? These lifestyle choices have largely altered multifamily development. Here are a few key trends being implemented throughout new construction projects to appeal to the millennial demographic:

• Apartments are getting smaller, common areas are getting larger. Developers are doing more pocket courtyards and green spaces — all beautifully designed with Wi-Fi access.
• More amenities. Millennials love bells and whistles, from interior finishes to reserved parking spots.
• Pet amenities. This demographic loves their pets, and they’re looking for amenities that cater to their furry friends: dog parks, pet daycare, washing and grooming stations, etc.
• Walkability. This is increasingly important to the millennial demographic, who are increasingly forgoing cars for public transportation.
• Parking. Because more millennials are opting for bikes and public transportation, there is also a drastic reduction in the need for parking, which developers are taking into account for new projects.

What does this multifamily trend mean for the rental market? 

In short, demand for rentals is likely to continue to increase. As more millennials marry and start their families, they’ll need larger living spaces than they do currently. And since student loans and other debts will still burden most, renting will remain the more affordable option for many years. 

The decrease in millennial homeownership is a ripple effect on the rental market. As more young adults choose to rent instead of buy, demand for rentals will likely continue to rise in the coming years. Property managers and leasing agents should keep this trend in mind when marketing their units to potential renters.

And this delay in homeownership is a multifamily trend that will not change anytime soon. In fact, Gen Z renters are poised to rent longer than generations before them, often by choice. If you compare it to the millennial generation, who waited longer to get married and start a family, Gen Z is expected to follow a similar path. This trend will undoubtedly extend their rental lifetime well into their professional years.

In the years ahead, it will be paramount for industry leaders to alter how they market to millennials and the up-and-coming Gen Z renters. These generations prefer to communicate and search for apartments differently than their parents, so it will be paramount for property managers, agents, and multifamily marketers to take note of this change.

Just because you are working from home, doesn’t mean you have to drink alone. Have you ever tried hosting a virtual happy hour for your team?

The coronavirus pandemic has altered the way nearly every organization conducts business, but luckily for the Criterion.B team, we’ve worked remotely now for a couple of months.

Our team has quickly learned the ins and outs of working from home, and with team members spread across the country, we understand how important it is to stay connected and communicate regularly with all team members.

However, working from home shouldn’t be all about boring Zoom meetings and pesky “reply all” email notifications.

We’ve found several ways to conduct team-building exercises virtually so that all team members can participate — and we’re sharing one of these exercises with you today.

How to Host a Virtual Happy Hour

Hosting a virtual happy hour for your team is pretty straightforward. Set a time, create a meeting, and make sure to get it on the calendar. Instruct everyone on your team to bring their drink of choice.

But why not add a fun twist? Recently, the Criterion.B team turned happy hour into a bit of friendly competition.

Each team member was tasked with creating their own themed cocktail (or mocktail) with plans to present their drink at the meeting and vote on their favorite. We chose to have a Spring and Easter-themed happy hour, and boy did our team deliver on this theme!

From “Buzzed Bunny” cocktails to Peeps-infused drinks, everyone went all out playing bartender in their own kitchens. We presented our drinks, including fun names we gave to our cocktails, then voted on our favorite. The winner took home an Amazon gift card.

Need a few cocktail ideas? We’re including our team’s recipes below. If you recreate these drinks, be sure to tag us on social media!

Buzzed Bunny

1 Orange Gatorade

2 Shots of Jack Daniels

½ C. Pino Grigio Wine

2 Tbs. Lime Juice

Blueberries and Raspberries

Tajin Salt

Instructions:

• Add liquids to a glass along with the berries. Dip the glass in a little lime juice then line the rim with the Tajin salt.

The Naughty Peep (Jell-o Shot)

1 Packet Blue Raspberry Jell-o

Vodka

Whipped Cream

1 Bird Peep

Instructions:

• Create blue Jell-o mix according to the box and add in the desired amount of vodka. 
• Pour the Jell-o into small cups or shot glasses. Set in the fridge overnight.
• Top shots with whipped cream and 1 bird peep.

Easter Buzz

Iced Hot Chocolate

1 Packet Hot Chocolate

6 Oz. Milk

1 Shot of Bailey’s Irish Cream

Caramel Syrup

Whipped Cream

Bird’s Nest Garnish

1 Bird Peep

Robin Egg Chocolate Candies

Melting Caramel

Instructions: 

• Start by making the hot chocolate with Bailey’s Irish Cream and cool in the fridge for at least an hour. While the hot chocolate is cooling, melt the caramel to make the bird nest. 
• Take a greased stemless wine glass (or anything with round bottom) and drizzle the liquid caramel back and forth making a “nest” like shape. Let caramel harden in the fridge with hot chocolate. 
• When ready to serve, pour hot chocolate into a glass and drizzle caramel syrup to taste. Add whip topping on the top. 
• Carefully remove the caramel nest from the glass and place on top. Add the peep and robin eggs.

Blooming Orange Cocktail

1 Oz. Casamigos Tequila

Splash of Dole Pineapple Juice

Fresh Orange Slices

1 Squeezed Lime Wedge

1 Lime for Garnish

Instructions:

• Line your glass with fresh orange slices, then add all ingredients. Garnish with a lime and enjoy!

Mango Sunrise

1 C. Frozen Mango

1 C. Lemon Lime Bubbly Water

½ C. Ice

¼ C. Mango Nectar

⅛ C. Simple Syrup

Instructions:

• Blend all ingredients until smooth!

Frozen Violet Vodka Lemonade

3 C. Ice

12 Oz. Frozen Lemonade Concentrate

½ C. Violet Syrup

2 Drops Red Food Coloring

2 Drops Blue Food Coloring

Desired Amount of Vodka

Lemon Circle for Garnish

Instructions:

• Blend all ingredients together, then garnish with a lemon!

Blueberry Lemon Ginger Fizz

8 Oz. Vodka

2 Bottles Ginger Beer

2 Tsp. Sugar

2 Tsp. Fresh Ginger

2 C. Blueberries

Springs of Mint

1 Lemon

Instructions:

• The night before serving these drinks, make ice cubes with lemon, blueberry, and mint. Squeeze lemon juice over the ice tray before adding water.
• Mix your blueberries and add the sugar, ginger, and lemon juice into a glass. 
• Add 1/3 cup of your blueberry mix and chopped mint to a shaker. Then add vodka and ice and muddle thoroughly.
• Add lemon slices, blueberries, and mint to the bottle. Repeat with another shaker. 
• Finally, add the ginger beer!

Greyhound

Gin

Diet Tonic Water

Club Soda

Fresh Lime

Splash of Grapefruit

Instructions:

Mix together your desired amount of gin, tonic water, and club soda in a glass. Add fresh lime and a splash of grapefruit. Garnish with a lime wedge.

Springtime Mixer (Gin & Juice)

Tanqueray Imported London Dry Gin

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

Guava Juice

Instructions:

Add your desired amount of gin and juices to a glass and garnish with an orange slice, if desired!

As we prepare for the next year, it is important to reflect on the past year in order to grow and progress. What’s worked well? What hasn’t worked so well? How we can we improve?

Below are some examples of trends I expect to continue in the DFW office market next year:

Creative Space is King

Creative/loft office space in DFW used to be primarily occupied by marketing, advertising, and other “creative” industries. Today, we’re seeing all types of industries (legal, finance, professional services, etc.) demanding a more unique environment for their employees. This is accomplished by leasing older, redeveloped buildings or creating that aesthetic in a more typical highrise.

Exposed brick, stained concrete floors, copious natural light (for everyone, not just those with exterior private offices), and exposed ductwork — are the things many companies want as they attempt to create a workspace that promotes innovation and productivity. Many landlords are also more open-minded to less conventional ideas as they face increased competition from co-working spaces.

The War for Talent

With the risk of sounding like a broken record here, this has to be the most reoccurring theme in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex today. It has been an unprecedented time for corporate headquarter relocations to DFW over the past few years. In addition, millennials are the largest generation in the labor force, and prudent business owners are using their real estate as a competitive advantage for recruiting and retaining top talent.

Personnel costs are a much larger line item on a company’s balance sheet than real estate occupancy costs. I expect more companies to consider higher-priced buildings with additional amenities in live-work-play areas. By doing so, for many companies, the avoided costs of losing valuable employees and training new hires outweigh the additional occupancy costs. It could be its own bullet point, but employee happiness is critical for productivity.

Increased Parking “Squeeze”

Companies are designing more efficient workspaces and becoming denser, almost across the board. This is problematic for older buildings that were built to accommodate three parking spaces across 1,000 square feet in suburban markets and one space across 1,000 square feet in the Central Business District.

Companies are putting more people in less square footage by utilizing building amenity areas or creating larger “shared areas” within their spaces and attempting to offset higher rents. Securing additional parking spaces nearby is an obvious solution, but oftentimes, easier said than done. Some companies are offering incentives for their employees to ride DART or are relocating to a space that is in walkable proximity to a majority of their employees as a solution. It is also important to evaluate the maximum number of employees on-site on any given day versus the total number of employees.

Some Things Never Change

Not to contradict my “millennial schpeel” above, but I expect some companies will revert back to more traditional ways of working after making drastic changes over the past few years. Many companies that hopped on the “open office layout” trend a few years ago will realize that it does not work well for their specific business for whatever reason.

In the legal industry, the egalitarian layout of equally sized offices for associates and partners alike will likely change for many firms after making the switch within the past few years. (Side note: I still expect increased collaboration areas — such as open break rooms — even from companies that revert back to a less open layout with more private offices.)

As another example, IBM decided to end its “working from home” policy for a large sector of its workforce. IBM realized that a collaborative effort was more beneficial than the savings in real estate costs by having remote workers. Some people can work from a coffee shop and be just as or more productive than in an office, but some can’t. The challenge is finding the right balance between employee happiness and productivity.

Looking Forward to 2019

Overall, we’ve made huge progress in understanding that a happier worker is a more productive worker. This is beneficial to everyone as more and more companies place a higher emphasis on wellness, balance, and flexibility. While some of the newest trends do not work well for all industries, an increasing amount of companies in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex are making improvements that support employee well-being. I look forward to seeing how we progress in 2019.

This article was written by Jayson Montoya. He is an Executive Vice President with NAI Robert Lynn’s Office Division. He assists office space tenants and users with lease renewal negotiations, relocations, building purchases, and other real estate needs. You can reach him at 214-256-7136.

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” — Brian Halligan, CEO, HubSpot

Every day, business leaders, media outlets, and best-selling authors spout advice on how to run a business and their idea of what it means to be successful. At the core of any business, the secret sauce lies in customer service and developing an effective customer feedback program.

If you don’t know what’s wrong with your products or services, how can you improve them and drive sales? Likewise, if you don’t know what you are doing right, you can’t build a structure based on those wins.

According to HubSpot research, trust in business has eroded. In fact, 55 percent of customers do not trust businesses they buy from as much as they used to, and 65 percent do not trust company press releases or advertisements.

But they do trust their peers, and gathering customer feedback is the key to creating brand loyalty, Cambria Davies, Product Manager at HubSpot, told attendees during her presentation at Inbound 2018 in Boston.

What’s the Benefit of a Customer Feedback Program?

Did you know that the No. 1 most common source of new leads are referrals? Or that it costs 5 to 25 times more money to acquire new customers than to keep existing ones happy?

Loyal customers grow a business much quicker than marketing or sales, and it all begins with gathering customer feedback.

“In order to delight, you have to understand what customers expect of you and the current state of your customer experience,” said Davies. “However, companies are more and more out of touch with how their customers really feel, often because they are not collecting actionable feedback.”

The default for many marketers is to draft a standard satisfaction survey and email it to all customers. However, if you want to receive actionable, invaluable feedback from your customers, then it’s time to develop a sustainable framework for measuring their satisfaction.

Establish Listening Posts

When developing a customer feedback program, it’s crucial not to take a “tunnel-vision approach.” In other words, do not bulk customer dissatisfaction together or assume all customers have the same experience. Many organizations generalize the obvious: they know customers do not want to wait on hold or be transferred to an answering service. But these aren’t specific to that business so they won’t help you create a personalized plan.

Organizations must move past these obvious customer dissatisfactions and take a deeper dive with listening posts. This serves as a way that companies can assess the customer experience at an individual and aggregate level, then identify both pain points and positive feedback.

To start, you must “define your customer journey and what you are looking to learn at key customer milestones,” said Davies. “Then align the right survey methods with your goals and start collecting feedback,” said Davies.

Your organization should collect feedback through a variety of listening posts, including:

• Social Media
• Online Review Sites
• Talking to Front-Line Employees
• Client Testimonials
• Satisfaction Surveys
• Direct Client Communications

Understand Customer Sentiment

After gathering your customer feedback, then what? It’s important to make sure that your customer’s complaints do not fall on deaf ears, said Davies. Determine the common themes and root causes of your customer’s experiences. Then gather corollary data from support requests, sales, and services, and start categorizing common themes and patterns.

Do multiple service requests indicate issues with usability? Have you received a series of complaints regarding pricing or billing? Identifying themes will help you drill down into specific problem areas that need to be addressed.

For example, if several clients love the product but have recurrent issues with the reporting structure, you can determine that the feedback theme is “reporting” and the specific problem area is “functionality.”

Improve the Customer Experience

Once you have determined common themes and problem areas, it’s time to take action to improve the customer experience. First, prioritize changes that matter, said Davies. Analyze the common themes and number of complaints or requests for each problem area.

If you received 50 requests for improved reporting functionality but only five requests for quicker response time, you know reporting is a higher priority. Set up a timeline and arrange which problem areas need to be addressed now, tomorrow, next week, and next quarter.

Next, develop and implement an action plan, then measure and share progress to keep your team on track. Consider forming a committee that meets monthly to make actionable decisions, reinforce the importance of enhancing customer experience, and remove barriers that might prohibit progress.

Finally, arrange for one-on-one follow-ups with the affected customers to let them know their feedback is making a difference. Follow-ups do not have to be a direct phone call; in fact, they can be a personalized email template or a simple handwritten note letting the customer know their voice was heard.

Is remote work the way of the future? According to guest speakers at the recent Inbound 2018 conference in Boston, building a remote team is a recipe for company growth and success.

While working remotely is not a suitable avenue for all businesses, when executed correctly it can offer many benefits to small and large companies alike.

However, senior leadership often struggles with the real-world implications of building a remote team. How do you know your employees are working? Are there ways you can help them feel connected, even though they are miles apart?

These are the questions managers face when developing a remotely distributed team.

For project management company Trello, a work-from-home strategy has proven immensely successful. In fact, 70 percent of Trello’s 150-member team is remotely distributed, Head of Marketing Stella Garber told attendees at Inbound 2018.

Benefits of Building a Remote Team

Working remotely allows the Trello team to “eat our own dog food,” said Garber, referring to the fact that all team members utilize the company’s project management tool. “We are using [Trello] for the same reasons as our customers. We are experiencing the same pain points, so we understand their requests.”

However, using the Trello tool isn’t the only reason the team opted to go remote. There are various other benefits for the company, leadership, and employees that helped grow the Trello brand to where it is today.

For example, remote teams allow a company to hire new members without geographic limitations. This enables them to hire the very best candidates globally without worrying about location restrictions.

Additionally, Trello has experienced higher retention for remote employees. Several studies have revealed that remote workers are actually happier and more productive than those who work in office. With so many distractions in today’s office world, employees ultimately end up working longer hours to make up for lost time.

“Someone from my team just went remote a couple of weeks ago,” said Garber. “I asked her, ‘What are your impressions?’ She said, ‘The biggest thing is that I’m getting so much more work done.’ If you can control your work environment, then you are more productive. It’s not rocket science.”

Rules for Engagement

Remote work is not for everyone; it requires a lot of effort and resources, in addition to organizational buy-in. When building a remote team, leadership should have standards, rather than exceptions, according to Garber. In other words, all team members should abide by a common set of rules.

For Trello, the team is held accountable to the following rules:

1. Assume Remote

Regardless of whether an employee is in the office or not, all team members must “assume remote.” For example, if five employees have a meeting scheduled but one of them is working outside the office, then all team members will dial in via a video conference from their desks. This way, there is consistency on the call. The key is to avoid situations where remote workers will feel ostracized, and to create an environment where everyone is part of the team.

2. Create a Dedicated Working Space

For Trello’s team, employees must each have a dedicated space for working. This space includes a desk, chair, quiet room, and a door that closes. Employees cannot work from their kitchen, couch, coffee shop, etc. From a noisy atmosphere that is not suitable for video meetings or calls to a sketchy internet connection, public spaces are often unreliable locations. In addition, all team members must have dedicated childcare to ensure they are giving their work undivided attention.

3. Default to Over-Communicating

In a typical office environment, many strategy sessions or shared ideas occur when team members bump into each other in the hallway or kitchen. This is an interaction that remote workers do not share, which is why it’s important for all team members to over-communicate across various channels.

At Trello, the team has a rule that “if you have something important to say, say it three times in different venues to make sure you are heard,” said Garber. Never make the assumption that your Slack message or email was received.

4. Make Time for Facetime

Slack and email can only go so far; face-to-face conversations will really drive your business. However, video conference calls are not just for meetings and strategy sessions. Just as you would in a typical office environment, it’s crucial to get to know your team as people. Employees across various departments should schedule time with each other to connect, interact, and build relationships.

5. Make it Fun

While there are many benefits of building a remote team, perhaps the most impactful is the cost savings of not leasing office space. But to upkeep morale and maintain a happy workforce, leaders need to funnel some of those saved expenses into off-site trips, team-building events, and other fun activities.

For example, many of Trello’s remote workers will get together for “biweekly jam sessions” where they will play some icebreaker games to get to know each other or grab a beer for happy hour. The Trello team also utilizes Slack to create fun channels for non-work banter to recreate those “water-cooler conversations” that occur in a typical office environment, said Garber. For example, Trello has a channel for cat people, dog people, an outfit of the day channel, and others that draw employees together over shared interests.

The Trust Factor

When building a remote team, successful implementation all boils down to one thing: trust.

“How do you know when a person is working? Well, how do you know they are working when they are in the office? Trust,” said Garber.

In the end, it’s all about trusting your remote workers but checking in regularly. Whether through periodic check-ins to see what projects are currently on their plate or a weekly one-on-one video call, leaders need to clearly articulate their goals, then follow up to track the employee’s work product.

It was not long ago that landlords had it easy. Pop in a small building deli so that your tenants do not have to leave the property if they need a quick meal and they were satisfied. Over the past five years, however, there has been a huge shift in the importance of building amenities.

Today, companies are placing a much greater emphasis on employee happiness, wellness, and flexibility. As Mark Cuban said, “everyone is a free agent” in today’s job market. Not only is a business owner required to recruit well — once they have hired that potential “all-star,” how do they retain them?

Utilizing Building Amenities to Gain an Edge

There are numerous ways businesses use their office space to promote company culture and increase productivity. However, what must landlords do to get an edge in today’s competitive and busy office market?

In Downtown Dallas, it is normal and necessary for buildings to have expanded amenity packages. The larger buildings, high density, and parking situation in the area make it much easier to support and justify a full-service gym, convenience store, or food court.

As tenants tour smaller buildings in suburban markets, they will be in for a pleasant surprise as they notice that even smaller buildings are adding all types of amenities and services in hopes of increasing occupancy.

Below are a few of the basics we are seeing, even in smaller office buildings:

• Upgraded building deli or “grab ‘n go” lunch area — that actually offer good food!
• Fitness facility, complete with towel service, state-of-the-art equipment, trainers, and workout classes
• Shared conference facility — an area that “pops,” not just some spare office they could not lease
• Common area lounge equipped with high-speed Wi-Fi where employees can get away from their desk

A Growing Office Market

Demand for office space in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex is at an all-time high, thanks to a booming economy, no state income tax, easy access to international airports, low cost of living, and a solid labor force. Businesses in many different sectors are growing and there have been several corporate headquarter relocations to our city over the past few years.

As companies compete for talent, it is imperative that they offer their employees as many benefits and “perks” as possible. As business owners evaluate their office building options, it is clear that many favor buildings that offer a full “experience” and motivate employees in the workplace. This is causing these types of building amenities and services to become the norm in the DFW office market.

Many landlords are getting more creative, adding the following building amenities to set themselves apart from the competition:

• Putting greens and driving range simulators to entertain the golf-lovers
• Daily food delivery services like Foodsby
• Shuttles to nearby retail restaurants and shops to offer additional convenience for employees and residents alike
• Beer tap or kegs (free beer!)

Measuring Success Through Implementation

Some landlords are more successful than others with their implementation of building amenities. But providing these benefits to office tenants is not always easy. In some buildings, I see tenants utilizing the amenities frequently; in others, not so much.

Building architecture, current vacancies, building location, and employee type all impact what a landlord is able to provide. However, it’s important to offer these amenities to remain competitive as well as to give tenants the opportunity to motivate and delight their employees.

This article was written by Jayson Montoya. He is an Executive Vice President with NAI Robert Lynn’s Office Division. He assists office space tenants and users with lease renewal negotiations, relocations, building purchases, and other real estate needs. He can be reached at 214-256-7136.

Rentlytics, a provider of a SaaS-based data analytics platform for the multifamily industry, knows that creating great content is one of the best ways to generate leads, which is why they enlisted the help of Criterion.B to bring their content marketing campaigns to life.

Knowing the popularity and perceived value of eBooks among Rentlytics’ target audience, the Criterion.B team went right to work to deliver high-quality content that would drive engagement.

The Process

Our content writers and designers collaborated to create an educational and engaging eBook filled with valuable information geared toward Rentlytics’ buyer persona.

We researched and developed 15 pages of copy focused on a highly relevant topic in the multifamily industry — “Why You Need Business Intelligence in Your 2019 Budget (and How to Get It).”

Our team also set out to deliver an eBook that matched Rentlytics’ branding while incorporating new design elements inspired by innovation, technology, and the future of multifamily.

The finished eBook demonstrates the quality of work our team produces in order to earn engagement for our clients and showcases a perfect marriage between strong design and compelling content.

The Results

While quality long-form content is a great way to drive engagement, downloadable offers can drive even better results when paired with a robust marketing distribution strategy.

With our attractively designed eBook in hand, the Rentlytics team pushed the offer through various channels including an email blast, newsletters, their blog, and social media. Our eBook, coupled with their robust distribution strategy, resulted in more than 500 downloads — and counting!

Download and view the complete eBook here to see for yourself! Interested in learning more about Criterion.B and our past successful projects?