When Prologis acquired a large portfolio in the spring, comprised of 11 properties at close to 300,000 square meters, Robert Wiström transitioned with the arrangement to manage the new properties. With Wiström, Prologis could immediately offer new customers continuity and change simultaneously.
Wiström had held the property manager position for little over a year under the previous owner, and his experience spans 15 years total with other companies, such as Castellum. Now, after almost six months on the job with Prologis, Wiström summarizes his impressions and experiences that came with the change.
“There’s a big difference in working for a large company like Prologis,” says Wiström. “It’s an organization where I have a lot of freedom to solve the task, access to resources and global expertise—everything to handle customers’ challenges quickly in the manner that they wish.”
An important difference is being able to respond rapidly onsite. To do this, he has a large team of janitors around the country that can address emergency issues on short notice. Action that previously could have taken weeks, Prologis manages within a couple of hours.
Wiström says, “The customers perceive the change and see the increased level of service as something very positive.” And along with voicing customer appreciation, he expresses his own, recognizing the Swedish team that “has made me feel very welcome and given me a lot of support and encouragement.”
Customers today expect an answer to email within 30 minutes. With this rapid work pace, resolving customer worries as quickly as possible is a clear target for Wiström—with everything from minor to large adjustments and contract questions.
“My strength is my experience, my versatility and my responsiveness. The philosophy is to take care of problems directly—they never disappear,” Wiström explains. “I like the constant learning at work and being in a business where we have to be better than the competition all the time.”
In Wiström’s words, being a good property manager requires “understanding the customer’s problem, working proactively and having the ability to discover upcoming problems before the customer does.” This can include everything from replacing parts that have reached the end of their lifespan to fulfilling proposals for changes and improvements, such as an upgrade to LED lighting.
But there’s more to property management that simply anticipating and addressing customer needs. Wiström says, “Other qualities that are necessary are being perceptive, liking to connect with people, working toward a common objective—creating growth together with the customer. Winning the customer’s faith and trust is what it’s all about. You can deserve this trust through understanding the customer’s problems, showing commitment and, naturally, by delivering.”