OpinionINTERVIEW day’s All in a Flat living


spoketoFelix Keen to find outwhat


As heAd of Pembertons Property Management,Felix Keen is usuallytobe foundinhis office in Swiss Cottage overseeing themanagementofmorethan200 Residential Management Company(RMC) developments in centraland southwest London.Atypical daywould involvehim in internal business meetings,looking at anything fromhealth andsafetytoreviewing andimproving communicationwithcustomers andhow to best providevalue formoney.There couldalso be externalmeetings with clientssuchas RMC directors. OneMonday in June turned outnot to be a


typicalday,asFelix left hismanagementrole behind andwent‘back to thefloor’,taking theopportunity to engage directly with someof thethousands of residentsliving in developments across Londonmanaged by Pembertons. Instead of heading to the office,hespent themorning at prestigious Putney Square in southwest London working as aconcierge.The development,which comprises214 apartments,has aconcierge available 12 hours a day, 7 days a week, between 7amand 7pm. Theprimaryfunctionofaconcierge is to


help residentswiththe daytoday issuesthey mightbeexperiencingwiththeir home.This canrange fromholdingkeysfor aresident expecting avisit froman estateagent or supervising contractors working on site, to getting works instructed following an inspection of thedevelopment. Occasionally it canalsoinvolve moresensitive issuessuch as workingwiththe police andhelping them with CCTV pictures. As the public face of Pembertons, concierges


play avital role as Felixexplains. “Arounda quarterofour developments have oneand they deal with allmannerofqueries,from handlingmail to lookingafter sparekeys. Our residentsreallydoplace theirtrust in them”. As head of propertymanagement,Felix


has ultimate responsibility forabout 120 concierges andcleanersbased on sitesacross London.“Ifeltitwas importanttobetter understandthe issuestheyfaceonaday to day


38


FelixKeen handsover thekeysto a Putney Square resident


happenedwhen theheadofPembertons Property Management went ‘back to the floor’


work


Prestigious Putney Square in southwest London


basis. Also,these colleaguesplayavital role in theservice we give to ourcustomers andit was really important formeto get a closer look at howthishappens,” he says. It wasalsoimportant forFelix to


understand more about howPembertons interacts with customersatthe sharp end. “No-one has more direct contact


direct contactthana concierge


Noonehasmore


than aconcierge.AsanemployerwithIIP accreditationitwas also importanttoshow theteamthatwereallyvalue theworkthey do,” he adds. Felixspent hismorning at Putney Square


workingalongside concierges Ken andLouis, whohedescribes as “veryconscientious andcustomerfriendly”.Their role involves covering thefrontdesk,meetingand greeting residentsand carrying outgeneral tasks for customers, such as signing for flower deliveries andorganisingtheir drycleaning. Ken andLouis look after thesecurekey holdingservice so friendsand family canget access to resident’s apartments and they are also responsible forensuringthe fitness suite


Autumn2012 Flat Living


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