The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a once in a lifetime challenge for everyone. From socially isolating for the greater good to staggering losses, it’s created a whole new landscape in property management. The EPOCH Residential team has stepped up to the plate and taken on the role as essential services for their residents. Our team at Wildflower Apartments in Gainesville, led by Community Manager Evan Jackson, understood that these unique times require additional attention to detail.
One of the main concerns on everybody’s mind regarding COVID-19 and community operations is ensuring that public spaces are adequately sanitized to reduce the spread of the virus. Evan and his team overcame this challenge by implementing cleaning protocols constructed by EPOCH Residential, but by also introducing additional procedures to address his specific community. Wildflower is a mid-rise community with interior hallways and consistent foot traffic to the nearby hospital. Evan’s team of maintenance and office staff met the challenge head on by sharing the workload for the betterment of their community.
A common issue with any community is how to maintain a strong line of communication with the residents. Throw in a pandemic and this can become much more difficult. Evan has worked closely with his team to send out weekly updates to their residents. These updates have included temporary policies and procedures for the community, as well as helpful resources related to COVID-19. Evan knew that transparency was especially important during these difficult times, so he wanted to keep everyone in the loop on the status of the community. This didn’t just encompass his residents. He understood the importance of leading his team and providing them with as much information as possible. Beyond providing information, Evan wanted to remain social with residents by creating virtual events and games through social media and other platforms. In-person events were no longer possible, but a new normal could be created for the time being. A couple examples were a virtual escape room game played with residents and various interactive social media posts.
“Never compromise on quality or service” has always been a staple in Evan’s work ethic and this was especially necessary when dealing with COVID-19. Although the amenities had to close at Wildflower, just like many communities, Evan found ways to overcome this obstacle for his residents. He would highlight the community’s prime location on a walking trail and provided information on an on-demand service with videos for fitness and personal health. Wildflower has also consistently provided the convenience of personally organizing packages in the Leasing Office for residents. When residents could no longer enter the office, the Wildflower team set up a system where residents would call ahead for their package. The team would then set it outside for the resident to pick up while practicing social distancing. To help prospects, the Wildflower team created a virtual tour platform that included a video of the model and scheduling FaceTime tours. Additionally, Evan knew the importance of understanding all levels of guidelines regarding COVID-19. He remained aware of national, state, and local guidelines to provide the best and most accurate service to his residents. He also wanted to make sure his team was well prepared to answer any questions.
Although these difficult times caused by COVID-19 are temporary, it’s great to see our management teams working hard for their residents to ensure the service they expect from an EPOCH Residential community is received. We’re all in this together and are eager for the day when COVID-19 is behind us all.
