What Real Estate Customers Really Want in 2026
If boards measured just one CX metric: thoughts from Experience Makers’ first event of 2026
January 16, 2026
Experience Makers kicked off 2026 with an honest conversation about customer experience
People joined us from Workman, BCO, Shaftesbury, Hines, Helix, Places for London, CLS Holdings, Pembroke, Locale, McKinsey, Natwest, Logicor, Populate and others. But what mattered more than logos was the quality of the room: senior people who care deeply about customer experience in real estate, and who are clearly wrestling with what comes next.
This wasn’t a panel in the traditional sense. It was a moderated roundtable. We sat around the table, flattened the hierarchy, and invited the whole room in. The event was - dare I say - rather fun?
As always, the discussion was under Chatham House Rules - which means what follows isn’t a transcript or a set of quotes. It’s my take, shaped by moderating an honest, thoughtful discussion.
The question we put on the table
We asked everyone one simple question:
| If boards focused on just one customer experience metric this year, what should it be?
On the surface, it sounds straightforward. In practice, it cuts right to the heart of where our industry is - and where it’s stuck.
What stood out to me
Customer experience is no longer optional
One thing felt very clear to me in that room: we’re past the “nice to have” phase.
Great real estate customer experience and customer satisfaction is no longer about polish or brand halo. We’re fighting for relevance. Customers have more choice, less patience, and higher expectations. Experience is now part of whether assets remain competitive at all.
The mood wasn’t academic. It was urgent.
We’re overthinking measurement
Another strong takeaway for me: we’re getting in our own way.
Too many boards are stuck trying to design the perfect CX metric. The reality is simpler and more uncomfortable. Not measuring anything is now the riskiest option.
You don’t need perfection to start. You need intent, visibility, and accountability. Momentum matters more than elegance.
In some parts of real estate, this isn’t new
What also struck me is that in offices, in particular, this conversation is already happening in practice.
Many occupier-facing leaders are already measured and paid bonuses based on customer satisfaction. That raises an obvious question: if this is possible here, why does it still feel radical elsewhere?
The industry needs a shared reference point
I also came away convinced that we need an industry-wide way of talking about customer experience.
Not to flatten nuance. But to make CX visible and comparable at board level. Without some form of shared benchmark, experience is too easy to deprioritise when trade-offs get hard.
Independence really matters
Finally and this is important, and I might be biased, but who measures matters.
If customer experience is only ever assessed internally, it will always struggle for credibility. Independent evaluation brings discipline. It also builds trust internally and externally. And trust is becoming a currency in its own right.
Thank you
A huge thank you to Workman for hosting us so generously in their lovely boardroom.
Thank you as well to our roundtable contributors:
And to everyone in the room who showed up with honesty and curiosity.
Want to join a future Experience Makers conversation?
Experience Makers exists for one reason: to create space for honest, practitioner-led conversations about customer experience in real estate - without stages, scripts, or sales pitches.
If you’d like to learn more about Experience Makers, or join us at one of our upcoming events, we’d love to see you there: https://www.experiencemakers.com/events
If this first event of the year is anything to go by, 2026 is going to force some uncomfortable and necessary decisions on customer experience.
And that’s no bad thing.
