SERVICE / EXPERTISE
FUN / COMMUNIT Y
SPRING 2013
david bowden, Chief Executive Officer | Canada
The NPS Results are in… The Top 5 Ways to Turn Your Clients into Raving Fans
Checking your Net Promoter Score (NPS) is more than just aiming for the highest number. It’s about learning what your clients think about the service quality you’ve provided, and getting insight into how you can give even better service. Using the feedback we’ve received through NPS, we’ve taken the process a step further and compiled a list of factors clients consider integral to excellent service.
Top 5 Contributors to Service Excellence: 1. Make the client feel valued Be it emailing them an article or research report relevant to their business or following up to see how their space is post-transaction, letting your client know that you are equally invested in their business and success goes a long way in ensuring they call on you again for the next deal. 2. Know your stuff Your client hired you for your expertise and thorough understanding of their business needs. Make sure they get their money’s worth by researching and knowing their property and business requirements, inside and out. Stay on top of the latest industry developments and trends. Your client looks to you for your expert opinions and recommendations, so be prepared to give them – even when the client doesn’t straight out ask.
Employee Engagement Survey open from June 3rd to 21st
by Keri Fraser, Director, People Services | Canada
Colliers is once again preparing to participate in the Aon Hewitt Best Employer survey. The survey will be open from June 3rd through to June 21st, 2013. Please take the time to give us your feedback via this confidential, online survey. We want to hear from you it’s important that you share your insight and tell us how we are doing so we can continue on the path of creating a great place to work.
Since the launch of our first survey in 2010, we’ve made a lot of progress in key areas on which employees provided feedback. In March of this year, we completed the launch of the new Colliers Benefits plan and made the switch to Sun Life as our insurance provider. This was a major milestone in our journey to becoming a Best Employer. Thank you for joining us in our effort to become one of Canada’s Best Employers. Together, we will create a best place to work so you can ultimately “love where you work”.
3. Perform effective crisis management Property transactions have their share of bumps, curves and roadblocks. When dealing with one, the most important thing is to meet it head-on; ignoring it won’t make it go away. Keep your client in the loop and inform them how you’re dealing with the situation. Present realistic solutions, scenarios and consequences. Ensure you have contingency plans in place. Try to put yourself in their shoes – how would you want the situation handled and resolved? 4. Customize your service If you were specifically buying a sedan, would you want the sales agent to give you information on the latest SUV? The same philosophy applies to our business. Every deal, property and client is unique, so don’t treat each one the same way. Take the time to get to know your client and their needs, and cater to them accordingly. For example, if you’re dealing with a law firm, get to know the competitive space they’re operating in and the hot topics in their industry. Are they a boutique firm? Or a national one with offices in every major city? There is no one generic pitch or formula that works for every transaction. When you take a cookiecutter approach to a deal, the results – and your client’s feedback – will speak for themselves. 5. Conduct yourself professionally The simple act of promptly responding to phone calls and emails is a major factor in establishing and maintaining a successful client relationship. Failing to do so can be a dealbreaker, literally. So can negativity. As a general rule, avoid undermining the competition and let your performance do the talking. Having a bad day? Don’t complain! The client doesn’t need to, nor want to, know. The empirical evidence from 1,500 NPS surveys is clear: these are the five factors that will make your clients raving fans of your services. So talk to your Managing Director about your own client feedback and identify which areas will most likely improve your service delivery and generate even more revenue.
Accelerating success.
02
Service
Congratulations, Service Excellence Award Winners! This year’s Service Excellence Awards set yet another record number of nominations – 550 – for a total of 187 nominees! Thank you for your continued avid participation in this program that celebrates and recognizes exceptional service delivery.
Steven Blas Calgary Brokerage
AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE | CANADA Service
Congratulations to the 2013 Service Excellence Award winners, who each received a vacation package valued at up to $3,000 plus up to five paid days off. We also commend our award nominees from across Canada who demonstrate our core value of Service every day, and make such a positive impact on our Colliers experience.
Louise Flower Vancouver Valuation and Advisory Services
Catherine Morton Edmonton Real Estate Management Services
Melissa Vergara Vancouver Brokerage
Jacques-Yves Bouchard Montreal Brokerage
Vanessa Pepin Vancouver Brokerage
Cathy Allan Toronto Brokerage
Amy Ngui Vancouver Real Estate Management Services
Marci Bodnar Toronto Brokerage
Paul Cremin Victoria Facility Services
New Green Partnerships Help our Tenants Meet their Goals By Melissa Mugridge, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Real Estate Management Services | Canada
Last summer, Real Estate Management Services introduced an exclusive partnership with 1-800-GOTJUNK? to assist with waste management for our properties across Canada. To date, they have removed 27 tonnes of waste from our managed properties, and of that, 47% was diverted from the landfill and sent to recycling stations – that’s 12.7 tonnes!
Lights out! MEC used 30% less energy during Earth Hour.
Creating a sustainable environment in the buildings we manage has always been at the forefront of Colliers Real Estate Management Services’ philosophy. On March 23rd, Colliers-managed properties across Canada took part in Earth Hour 2013, a global event that urges people to turn off their lights for just one hour. Mississauga Executive Centre (MEC), a 1.1 million-square-foot office complex located in Ontario, used 30% less energy during Earth Hour.
Real Estate Management Services Restores Power to Adgar by Peter Willmott, General Manager, Facility Services | Eastern Canada
Late at night last November 8th, a hydro vault fire in the City of Toronto knocked electricity out of the city block where Colliers Real Estate Management Services client Adgar’s three buildings (40, 75 and 110 Eglinton Avenue East) were located. Responding to various alarms from the building systems, Colliers’ Service Technicians attended to the emergency. Throughout the following day, in addition to keeping the property manager and building tenants updated, our staff shut down non-essential equipment to protect it from damage and to “gracefully“ restart the building when power was restored. While power was initially restored to the buildings late morning on November 9th, we were advised that only emergency repairs were completed and there was uncertainty on Hydro’s behalf as to whether an additional shutdown would be required. Colliers’ team planned for the worst and arranged for security coverage of the buildings – and well into the evening on November 9th, the power went out at 110 Eglinton. While security covered the building during this shutdown, our Service Technician was on site when the power was restored to ensure that everything was working. Colliers’ team members and security provider were on site non-stop from the initial outage to full power restoration to ensure that all building systems were operational when power came back on. A big thank you to the dedicated team members who worked on-site at the affected properties during this time: Alden Morales, Sidnei Ramalho, Nillon Ross, Paul Sousa and Anthony DeMederios. The team worked together, taking ownership of the buildings and constantly communicating with the client, which allowed us to further strengthen our relationship with Adgar and demonstrate our value.
Recently, we entered into an agreement with Shift Recycling, which will provide electronic waste removal for tenants in our Ontario properties. Colliers’ Toronto West office took advantage of this new program, diverting 297 pounds of electronic waste for recycling as opposed to sending it to the landfill. These initiatives help us support and encourage tenants, clients and ourselves to be greener at work and in our day-to-day lives. Colliers has also recently commenced facility services for 136 Isabella Street, home to the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario and the first LEED® Platinum property under Colliers management – a shining example of sustainability in the built environment!
A ‘thank you’ meal for the primary responders
03
Toronto Town Hall 2013 – a Culture of Collaboration
Waterloo Region’s 4th Annual Market Outlook Breakfast” Serves up “Uncommon Knowledge”
by Vanessa Garcia, Marketing and Communications Coordinator | Toronto
by Andrea Dubeckyj, Marketing & Communications Coordinator | Waterloo Region
Employees from across the Greater Toronto Area came together on February 12th to celebrate another great year at Colliers. Everyone was treated to popcorn upon entering the cinema at the iconic TIFF Bell Lightbox, and a stylish reception followed at Malaparte by Oliver & Bonacini. An even bigger feature this year was a fireside chat with Jay Hennick, Founder & CEO of FirstService Corporation.
Despite snow and slush, the Waterloo Region office held the annual Market Outlook Breakfast on February 28th. Speakers Karl Innanen, Ron Jansen and John Lind did an excellent job summarizing current market trends and opportunities in the local industrial, office and investment markets. The theme of “highest and best use” was woven throughout the presentation with each speaker walking the audience through current market supply and demand in his respective field of expertise.
Expertise
This year’s theme centred on celebrating a culture of collaboration – in keeping with this, senior employees, along with new and junior team members, were invited to participate in a video showcasing their Colliers experience. Jonathan West had this to say about his first Town Hall and participation in the video: “It was great to learn about the significant progress Colliers has made in recent
Jay Hennick and Scott Addison
years and more importantly, gain an understanding of the key goals and objectives going forward for 2013. As someone who is relatively new to Colliers, it was easy for me to speak on the great culture that exists within this organization and highlight the different training programs that I have benefited from early in my career.” Cheers to an even better 2013!
Edmonton Lends Expertise to CRER 2013
Vancouver Launches Market Intelligence Platform
By Nandini Ramachandran, Marketing Coordinator| Edmonton
by Tanya Neuffer, Marketing & Communications Manager | Vancouver
On February 7th, the 8th annual Edmonton Colliers Real Estate Review took place at the Sutton Place Hotel in downtown Edmonton. Various Colliers representatives presented the market outlook for each asset class: Rick Argue spoke on the Investment market, Amit Grover on Multi-Family, Eric Slatter on Retail, Ian Bradley on Office, and Darryl McGavigan on Industrial. Managing Director John Frederickson opened and closed the evening with remarks on the state of the Edmonton market. The evening wrapped up with appetizers and drinks as guests enjoyed the company of their peers.
During the first quarter of 2013, Colliers Vancouver launched the Market Intelligence platform, an integrated team of Market Intelligence Coordinators and Financial Analysts committed to providing critical market insight to internal and external clients to support business development efforts.
John Frederickson
Rick Argue
Ian Bradley
Victoria Hosts Market Survey Reception by Carla Girvin, Marketing Coordinator | Victoria
On February 7th, Colliers Victoria hosted the 24th annual Market Survey Reception at the Hotel Grand Pacific.
In only a few months, the team has demonstrated their in-depth knowledge of the marketplace by introducing the Tenant Demand Survey, a unique tool that captures the appetite for office space throughout Metro Vancouver. In addition, they are set to launch two new market reports in the spring and summer, focusing on the land and investment markets. With an expanded toolset and working within an integrated platform, the team is also committed to securing many medium to large-sized opportunities by providing customized research, analysis and valuation services. In the first three months of 2013, they have made a significant contribution to numerous proposals totaling over $370 million in property value. Building upon their early successes, the Market Intelligence team continues to expand their service offering and capabilities to reinforce themselves as the industry leaders.
2013, noting that the right location and right price are the key to success. A highly anticipated networking and market knowledge event in Victoria, the annual Market Survey Reception touches on the industrial, retail, mid island, office, capital and investment markets, as well as lends insight on the forecasted business for the year based on our year-end market reports.
With approximately 156 clients in attendance, Colliers market specialists provided an update on the state of the Victoria market and what to expect in the upcoming year. Guest speaker Brian McCauley, President and Chief Operating Officer of Concert Properties Ltd, presented on local multi-family development in comparison to larger markets and the challenges that the market will face in
Dave Ganong and clients Ron Greene of Store Street Holdings Ltd and his daughter Evelyn Black of Capital Iron network prior to the presentation
The planning and effort that go into this event each year are considerable. Our presenters work closely with our research department to examine market statistics and extract insight from these numbers to help identify trends on the rise. Once developed, their ideas are challenged and honed by the entire office, resulting in truly “uncommon knowledge” that our clients can apply to their businesses today. We received excellent feedback from our guests, so thankfully, the comprehensive process of pulling the event together was well worth it.
Junior Agents Go to CAMP By Meghan McGarrell, Marketing & Communications Coordinator | Toronto
This past February, Colliers Canada put on the first annual CAMP – Colliers Accelerating Maximum Potential – at Hockley Valley Resort. A select group of junior agents participated in an intensive, two-day training session jam-packed with leading-edge teachings from Colliers University’s very own Craig Robbins and the always captivating David Hibbard. The participants also took part in a hands-on, team building activity – a cardboard boat regatta. The training was invaluable, the kinship strong and the memories priceless. One CAMP participant, Jonathan Howard, explained, “Colliers Bootcamp is a must-attend for anyone relatively new to the business. The two days of intensive training with senior management, including David Bowden and Craig Robbins, introduced me to the vast tools and resources Colliers can offer someone who is looking to accelerate their success. After participating, coupled with my action plan going forward, I am confident in saying that in three years, I will be part of the Colliers Top 20 percent in Canada.”
04
COMMUNITY
Calgary Bowls over the Competition By Raina Bhasin, Marketing & Communications Coordinator | Calgary
Vancouver’s Jim Smerdon and South Lions Club Give Community a Ticket to Ride by Tanya Neuffer, Marketing & Communications Manager | Vancouver
Colliers Calgary participated in the 22nd Annual Bowl for Kids bowl-a-thon in support of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary. Three teams (The Spice Girls, Twister and The Flintstones) raised over $6,500, with The Spice Girls winning Best Costume and Lisa Herchak of the Flintstones Team receiving a plaque for raising the most money during the night – $2,510!
As an active member of the Vancouver South Lions Club for more than five years, James Smerdon, Vice President and Director with Retail Consulting in Colliers Vancouver, wanted to re-energize members by demonstrating new ways to help out their community and recruit new members. James proposed the idea of using some of the profits from their annual Christmas Tree Lot to purchase and maintain public bicycle repair stations in hopes of promoting their club to bicyclists – a healthy, active and young(er) demographic. Two repair stations have now been installed in Vancouver and welcomed with open arms by the communities. James commented on the help the program is receiving from both the community and the stations’ local agent Urban Racks: “I’m amazed by the local support and effort to help maintain these public stations. Vandalism has been virtually nil, but some tools get damaged through normal use.” Occasionally, James will get a call saying “Okay, now it really needs repair”, only to go over and find it taped, wired, patched and glued back together – and still working! James is optimistic that this initiative represents an opportunity for other clubs to advocate bicycles and riding in their own neighbourhoods.
John McLernon Dons an Apron and Lends a Hand at Hastings Elementary
Cody Watson, Nikki Brown, Leigh Kirnbauer, Tyler Mayerchak and Nicole Mann
Victoria Tees Up for 25th Annual Charity Golf Tournament by Carla Girvin, Marketing Coordinator | Victoria
Colliers Victoria is gearing up for the 25th Annual Charity Golf Tournament taking place on June 20th at the Cordova Bay Golf Course. For the second year (of a five-year pledge), funds raised will directly benefit the BC Cancer Foundation’s Vancouver
Fun
Calgary vs Toronto – Grey Cup 2012! by Melissa Mugridge, Marketing & Communications Coordinator, Real Estate Management Services | Canada
The Grey Cup celebrated its 100th anniversary this year with the final game between the Calgary Stampeders and the Toronto Argonauts. Real Estate Management Services’ Calgary and Toronto offices fiercely cheered on their respective teams, but in the end, the Toronto Argonauts came out on top, winning the final game 35-22.
Lisa Herchak, Jason Isfeld, Matt Lannon and Kayla McNabb
Island operations and Inspire the World campaign. The event will see approximately 120 participants enjoy a day filled with golf, prizes, live and silent auctions, and dinner. The current focus of the Vancouver Island Centre, located in Victoria, is immunotherapy research. In the past five years, DNA sequencing has become extremely fast, accurate and cost-effective. Immunotherapy research will use this information to prepare an individual patient vaccination to target a patient’s cancer. Raising more than $72,000 the previous year, Colliers Victoria hopes to match or exceed last year’s numbers to help celebrate the 25th year of our tournament and make this event the best one yet.
Colliers Victoria Takes a Break by CARLA GIRVIN, Marketing Coordinator | Victoria
Colliers Victoria has organized monthly, office-wide Coffee Breaks, during which employees take some time to share a coffee and morning snack, and chat about topics besides commercial real estate, as part of a teambuilding initiative. Proposed by nine-year veteran Damaris Przybylski, Victoria’s receptionist and administration assistant, the Coffee Break allows employees to connect between platforms and build relationships beyond work interactions. “The Coffee Breaks are a phenomenal team-building opportunity,” said Vancouver Island’s Managing Director, Dave Ganong. “It’s one more thing that will enhance our corporate culture.”
The Calgary office cheered on their team with “Stampeder donuts”. by COLIN SCARLETT, Senior Vice President | Vancouver
Held the third Wednesday of every month, the optional break encourages team members to take a moment to connect with others outside their department and decompress from the daily grind.
There is no one more passionate about helping the community than Honorary Chairman John McLernon. Leading by example, John visited Hastings Elementary School in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside with me to whip up pancakes for the school’s breakfast program. Way to go, John!
The Mississauga Executive Centre team celebrated the Argonauts win.
Tyler Dolan and Ken Cloak enjoy a Coffee Break.