Customer Service Excellence Starts with Strategic L&D
Kindness is key in customer service—especially when backed by strategic learning and development (L&D). For Greystar, excellence goes beyond skills; it’s about embedding core values into every part of training. This values-driven approach unites teams around a shared purpose, laying the foundation for service excellence. Here’s how Greystar does it, with insights for L&D professionals seeking similar success.
Onboarding: The Competitive Edge
Greystar turned onboarding into a tool to reduce turnover and set up new hires for success. Its “Unified Onboarding Experience,” combining virtual training and mentorship, cut 90-day turnover from 20.5 percent in early 2022 to just 6.4 percent by 2024.
Beyond essential skills, Greystar’s onboarding introduces team members to the organization’s core values. This integration gives new hires a clear understanding of why their work matters, aligning their early contributions with the company’s mission.
Balancing virtual modules with personalized support wasn’t without its challenges, especially for a dispersed workforce. By pairing interactive learning with role-specific mentoring, Greystar built engagement and a sense of belonging from day one.
TAKEAWAY: Craft a layered onboarding process that pairs broad training with role-specific support. Early mentorship strengthens engagement, connects new hires to core values, and keeps turnover low.
Personalized Learning Paths for Every Role
Each role at Greystar requires unique skills, so it designed Role-Based Onboarding Journeys and Skill Paths to deliver a tailored experience. This role-specific learning approach accelerates skill mastery, leading to improved customer satisfaction.
Regular updates based on feedback and market trends ensure these paths stay relevant and effective.
TAKEAWAY: Design role-specific learning paths that adapt to feedback. Tailored training makes learning impactful and meaningful across diverse roles.
The RISE Program: A Mentorship Model that Works
Mentorship is the heart of Greystar’s L&D. The RISE Mentor Program pairs new hires with experienced mentors for a 12-week journey, focusing on real-world guidance. With retention rates above 90 percent, this program also supports career advancement, as many mentees and mentors earn promotions.
Mentors are ambassadors of Greystar’s values, helping new hires see how these principles shape their roles. Mentor Omar Leal says, “It fills me with joy seeing the progress my mentee and I make together. Helping someone grow into a strong team member at Greystar—now that’s a win!
TAKEAWAY: Structured mentorship drives engagement. Provide mentors with clear guidelines and regular check-ins to ensure lasting impact.
Leadership-Driven Learning Culture
Greystar’s leaders recognize that a strong learning culture attracts talent and fosters growth. They create a psychologically safe environment where team members feel encouraged to learn from mistakes, stay curious, and share diverse perspectives.
Leaders champion the organization’s values, using tools such as Leader Conversation Guides to drive learning-focused discussions, role-plays, and small group sessions reinforcing core principles. These guides and eLearning equip leaders to lead impactful conversations and deepen team insights.
Finding dedicated learning time is always a challenge, especially for frontline teams. To address this, one Greystar division established a bi-weekly “learning hour,” closing offices to the public so team members have uninterrupted development time. This leadership-backed initiative increased engagement with Greystar’s learning management system (LMS) and boosted participation in Viva Engage, where teams celebrate growth milestones.
TAKEAWAY: Leaders play a pivotal role in embedding a learning culture. Structured conversations and designated learning times foster continuous growth.
Integrating Technology for Seamless Learning
Greystar’s tech approach is straightforward: Integrate learning into the workflow. Tools such as WalkMe offer step-by-step digital guidance, enabling team members to apply skills on the spot and reduce errors.
Augmented reality (AR) provides instant troubleshooting support for maintenance techs, while Greystar’s LMS personalizes training based on learning preferences. Think of it as a virtual coach on standby—minus the awkward hovering.
TAKEAWAY: Embedding learning into workflows supports on-demand skill development. AR tools enhance productivity by offering timely, relevant guidance.
Data-Driven Learning for Continuous Improvement
Greystar’s data-driven L&D aligns training with metrics such as customer satisfaction and retention. Programs such as the Dale Carnegie Advanced Sales Certificate and the Beyond Expectations Customer Service Program support revenue and satisfaction goals, contributing to high resident satisfaction on the Kingsley Index.
Gathering actionable data was challenging initially. But with team surveys and feedback loops, Greystar adjusted its approach to programs such as the Property Management New Hire Experience, creating a finely tuned training model.
TAKEAWAY: Use a blend of qualitative and quantitative data for continuous improvement. Data-driven L&D aligns training with business goals and team growth.
Key Practices for L&D Professionals
- Align learning with core values: Weave organizational values into every layer of training to build a unified, purpose-driven culture where team members feel connected to the company’s mission.
- Customize learning for immediate impact: Design role-specific onboarding that prepares new hires to contribute early.
- Invest in structured mentorship: Mentorship boosts new hire support and long-term engagement.
- Integrate technology into learning: Tools such as AR and in-app guidance directly provide real-time, relevant learning in workflows.
- Measure and adapt: Use key performance indicators (KPIs) and feedback to keep learning initiatives relevant to business needs and team growth.
Building a Service-Centric Learning Model
Greystar’s L&D approach offers a blueprint for embedding customer service excellence into a learning culture. By aligning training with values and objectives, embracing technology, and fostering mentorship, the company creates an environment that boosts engagement, satisfaction, and organizational growth. With data, mentorship, and a touch of technology magic, L&D leaders can cultivate a culture where every team member feels empowered to thrive.
