How to Respond to Negative Apartment Reviews
The multifamily industry is the second most impacted industry by reviews. In addition, 90% of customers buying decisions are influenced by online reviews. So, it’s safe to say reviews matter.
On the flip side, responding to reviews actually builds trust with your customers, according to Google My Business. It may be easy to respond to positivity, but responding to a negative apartment review is a learned craft. Responding to harsh comments can be difficult without responding in anger or out of emotion. But, it’s crucial to your online reputation to be as professional and understanding as possible!
We assembled a step by step guide on to how to respond to your negative apartment reviews. Use these 6 tips to build trust and transparency with your residents and prospects!
Your Guide to Responding to Negative Apartment Reviews
1.) Use the reviewer’s name, if available.
Before you say anything, start with the reviewer’s name, if it’s available. Did you know, a person’s name is the important word to that person? Personalizing your response will automatically get their attention, in a good way.
Using a person’s name is a sign of courtesy and a way of recognizing them on a personal level. Want to earn a reviewer’s respect? Start with, “Hi Teresa” or “Dear Mark” and avoid broad terms like, “Dear resident”. It will make a world of a difference in response to a negative review.
2.) Say thank you.
Yes, even to negative reviews. Your response needs to show the resident or potential renter that you appreciate their honest feedback on the apartment community.
Examples of what you could say:
- “Thank you for your honest feedback on our apartment community. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention.”
- “Thank you for letting us know about this issue. We value your response and are looking to resolve the issue, quickly and effectively.”
- “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. I’m so sorry you had a bad experience, but I appreciate you letting us know.”
3.) Respond with sympathy and empathy.
It’s always best to apologize for any issue or problem the reviewer mentions. Let your response be words of empathy. Sympathize with the reviewer and let them know just how sorry you are for their inconvenience.
There will be times when it is not the community’s fault. However, apologize none the less. It shows the reviewer and other prospects that your apartment community is on their side. In addition, own up to your mistakes and always try to make things right.
Here are ways to show sympathy & empathy:
- “We apologize that your experience did not match your expectations. This is on us.”
- “We set high standards for ourselves, and we’re sorry to hear this was not met in your experience with our community. Please let us know how we can make things right.”
- “We strive to provide the best apartment living in the area, and we’re truly sorry we missed the mark.”
4.) Make it right.
The most important factor in your response to a negative apartment review is how you fix the issue. Strive to always make things right with the reviewer. Generic responses that don’t specifically provide an answer or resolve the problem aren’t going to cut it.
Get on their level and effectively communicate how you and the team are actively working to provide a solution. If it is a situation where there is no way to fix their complaint, take responsibility for what happened, and promise to improve on behalf of the community and the staff.
An idea for how to make it right:
- “On behalf of the entire staff, I want to apologize that the area around the community pool was not cleaned to your expectation. We set our standards high for cleanliness and appreciate your feedback. Know that our staff is quickly working to resolve the issue. If there is anything we can do to make it right, please let me know.”
5.) Sign-off with a real person’s name.
Signing-off with a team member’s name is the final thing you’ll want to do. We recommend the response to come from management to showcase how serious their feedback means to your community.
Ending the response with your name may seem simple and insignificant, but it actually demonstrates transparency and authenticity to the reviewer.
For example, imagine you received an email from a company about a shipping error to a package. What would resonate with you more? The email coming from customer service or the president of the company? Exactly. The same goes for responding to reviews.
Next time, sign-off with “Sincerely, John Adams, Community Manager” or “Kindest Regards, Mary Smith, Community Director”. It’ll go a long way with a negative apartment review!
6.) Take the conversation offline.
If the conversation continues back and forth and doesn’t resolve, it is best to go ahead and take the conversation offline. This way, you can talk directly to the reviewer and sort out the details of the problem they had without it being displayed online.
Be sure to include a phone number or email address to a specific person so they can easily get in contact. Don’t simply send them to your website or a bot email. Provide contact information to a real human being.
Take these 6 tips with you and use them next time you respond to a negative apartment review. Hopefully, it will take the pressure off of having to think up a perfect response to a bad review.
Dealing with some negative reviews on your Google My Business? Take a look at this blog post to help you find the perfect strategy for your community.
Negative reviews are going to come up. Mistakes happen. But the way to resolve it is how your community responds to the bad review.
Need help with reviews? Contact us today! Our reputation management experts are always here to assist you.
Repli Apartment Marketing Blog
Subscribe to our Newsletter & Blogs
Blog Post Subscribe Form
Share Our Post!
Apartment Marketing Blog
2022 All rights reserved. Repli, Inc.