GESOBAU AG – an approach that leads to results

GESOBAU AG, one of the leading housing companies in Berlin, are conducting several extensive tenant surveys to find out directly from tenants what they want and where there is room for improvement. We interviewed Melanie Geyer, responsible for Corporate Communications at GESOBAU, to learn how they worked with the results of this survey and what measures were taken to increase their tenants’ living quality. What has changed specifically and how do they put tenants' feedback into practice?

How do you deal with customer feedback?

We involve the whole organization in the work, it was not just a matter of management or C-level, but everyone is involved and committed. After presenting the results and defining key topics, we conduct workshops in each customer center to discuss the results and derive appropriate actions. This is done for the entire block as well as analyzed for each property. We take it one step at a time and develop action plans and measures that we then follow up on an ongoing basis.

What kind of feedback do you get internally from employees when you work this way?

We have a very positive response and occasionally even some aha moments among our colleagues. The staff were surprised that such a detailed basis could be obtained, and that was also appreciated. We see that there are different opinions within the different residential units, and there are many interesting discussions on site. Internally, we talk a lot about how important it is to provide information before, during and after the projects. Sometimes I am asked why this is so important and the answer to this lies in the data; information and communication with the tenants.

How do you work on your tenant communication?

After the survey, we give feedback and share our results. We report back to the tenants what actions we will take, what we want to improve, what measures we are planning to take, also what is already going well. It is important for our tenants that they feel included and that we listen to them. The advantage of a survey is that we receive a large amount of information in a fast and smooth way - then it is up to us to implement it. We must ensure we do what we promised. That is why it is essential that we maintain a constant dialogue, e.g. in the form of events such as "GESOBAU on site". Important to us is also the credo: Do good and talk about it.

How do you work with goals?

We always want to improve and link results to our goals. We monitor our progress consistently within the company. We believe we need to set clear goals and pursue them continuously to improve.

This year, there will be another representative tenant survey across the entire portfolio. In addition, GESOBAU is launching another survey to obtain targeted feedback on its innovative offers. Coworking spaces, gardening projects, common areas and mobility are examined more closely. We are excited to see what the results will show.