How to Handle Negative Reviews

Online reviews are often among the first forms of interaction potential renters have with your community. Reviews, whether negative or positive, will greatly influence their desire to visit you or your website. Four specific tools will open the doors to effectively and thoughtfully responding to negative reviews, thus increasing the respect and opinion others have of your community.

1. Respond quickly.

The first key is to respond quickly to negative reviews. Google Reviews date each comment made, and a timely reply shows that you are not only on top of things, but sincerely invested in helping resolve concerns and provide solutions for disgruntled residents.

2. Offer solutions, not justifications.

Instead of using your comment to justify yourself in regards to the resident’s complaint, use your response to offer a solution.

For example, a resident of the Liv Northgate Apartments in Gilbert recently complained on Google Reviews that they were receiving mail for someone else and that the office was waiting to process rent payments in order to charge them late fees.

The property manager kindly responded by stating that she had reviewed his records and saw that there were no late fees associated with his account. They waived his July late fee as a courtesy. She additionally promised to bring the mail issue to the attention of the US postal carrier.

3. Invite to have personal contact

One of the best ways to establish a reputation of commitment to resident satisfaction is to invite the person to have personal contact with you. At the end of your response provide a phone number and email address and let them know that they can reach out to you at any time with further questions or future concerns.

4. Personal Responses.

Be sure to personalize your responses and avoid generic comments or phrases. Specifically mention their concerns in your response and how you are resolving or have already resolved them. With complaints that are either unfounded or unresolvable, do your best to put a positive spin on the issue.

 

What techniques have you used to reply to negative reviews? Join the conversation!

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Taylor Fish
Taylor is a staff writer for Multihousing Friends and a student at Brigham Young University.