Putting in a Shift

Now and again, I will spring a surprise on one of my on-site teams and work alongside them for a shift.

I get to see them in action in several ways, such as how they have applied their technical and soft-skills training, how they work with each other, and how they interact with residents or commercial tenants. The experience gives me the opportunity to do some ‘on the job’ training and it helps me to shape the service we offer our clients in the future.

Recently I put in a shift. An all-nighter in fact, working alongside a concierge we had recently recruited. It’s not an easy 12-hour shift – 7pm to 7am – as it can be lonely, quiet, boring even. That wasn’t the case on this occasion!

One of my managers had suggested I spend some quality time with concierge ‘Eva’ (not her real name) who he described as “very diligent”, “a bit shy” but making “good connections” with the residents of this large, prestigious central London block of flats.

She was very surprised to see me arrive and even more surprised when I explained I would be there for most of the night. We made coffee, started to get to know each other, walked the internal common areas and perimeter of the block, then the excitement began.

Fire Alarm Activation

Not atypical in this block are fire alarm activations which can lead to complacency amongst residents in the event of a real emergency, so every activation must be dealt with swiftly and decisively, and the event fed back through the managing agent to educate and alter behaviour. The audible alarm was activated by smoke in the common areas, so we took the stairs to the second floor (as indicated by the fire control panel at reception) to see a front flat door wedged open and smoke billowing out…a cooking malfunction we were told reassuringly! We satisfied ourselves that there was no fire, explained the consequences of their actions to the residents who were suitably apologetic. We returned to reception to silence the alarm. Another coffee.

Eagle-eyed

We had a good walk around the car park then reviewed the same views but on monitor. At one point, we received an intercom call from a resident who was unable to drive his car out of the car park. Once directed to the exit (as opposed to driving out the entrance), all was well!

The car park had seen its fair share of bike thefts. Before the state-of-the-art CCTV installation, everyone was a suspect. Who was the thief: A visitor? An opportunist? A resident? Once the CCTV was installed – at no insignificant cost – this gave my staff the chance to catch the thief red-handed. Eva explained that she knew one of her key roles at night was to keep a close eye on the cameras, and recalled the time one of her colleagues scared off a thief who dropped a resident’s bike he was attempting to steal, and ran off into the night. We are very security aware at Cledor and recognise that our concierges have a vital security role to play.

Being security conscious is a full-time requirement on a day or night shift. Eva and I talked about the importance of ascertaining if visitors are bona fide. Has someone shoulder-surfed to get into the building? They may walk with confidence but they should be challenged, politely. Offering to call the resident for them is always recommended – visitors should wait at reception. A bona fide resident will have a fob.

A courier arrived, crash helmet on, package in hand. I advised Eva to ascertain his identity through the intercom and once she has done that, to ask him to remove his helmet before entering. He did and that made for a more human conversation. Instincts are important, so I explained to Eva that if she was unduly concerned about a visitor – such as someone unwilling to remove a hoodie or a helmet – she should refuse them entry.

Takeaways

The next couple of hours were dominated by take-away deliveries... More crash helmets so plenty of practice asking for them to be removed and numerous calls made to hungry residents. This was clearly a block with a ‘night-time economy’ – and that (i.e. prostitution) is something else the concierge needs to be aware of and through Cledor senior management, fed back to the managing agent.

Dressed to Impress

I have always found that if site staff are dressed to impress, they are more likely to be treated with respect. Both Eva and I looked the part as smart concierges and during our interactions in the hours together than night I very much had the impression that the residents appreciated our helpful demeanour, and that there were two of us on duty (two is better than one, if the budget can stretch). We made them feel safe and we were there when they needed us.

At no time did I reveal my identity, although one resident commented with an eyebrow raised, “I see you have plenty of life experience”.

Mystery Shopper

To be entirely truthful, I left Eva in the early hours once the food deliveries had stopped and all was silent. Eva undertook to keep a close eye on the cameras and thankfully the rest of her shift was peaceful.

I hope Eva (and the residents) benefitted from my mystery shopper visit and I certainly enjoyed my time on site…Eva is personable, calm, intelligent, and wants to make sure the residents are happy. Although my manager’s description of her was accurate (diligent, shy), she is a credit to Cledor and the building is lucky to have her.