It’s no secret
that the world is changing. How many times have you checked a restaurant out on
Yelp before you went, or read reviews on the newest products. All companies now
face the challenge of maintaining a high level of customer satisfaction, both
in person and online. In a recent commercial for Nationwide Insurance, toddlers
face everyday problems: like waiting to talk to someone at National Grid for 55
minutes (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAAvZURxFFw). The premise is that these companies are not
treating their customers as a priority. The Dolben Mission statement proclaims:
“We are committed to creating and
maintaining communities that [residents] are proud to call home. We will
consistently provide prompt, professional service with attention to even the
smallest detail.” Customer service is a key to getting and maintaining
residents, and people are talking about it online.
Sometimes Bad News is Good News!
Whether one
writes a review online or not, he or she is reviewing your property from the
moment a building comes into view. To a potential resident, the appearance of
the property is a reflection of the service they will receive from its staff.
Potential residents often scrutinize our properties to an extent that they can
often catch issues we might miss. For instance, they might notice a light bulb
out in a parking lot, extensive trash or dog poop around the property, old
paint on a building, items that we might miss or pass off as “ok”. It is
important to remember that these are not exclusively bad news. These are merely
opportunities to improve the reflection of the staff, the property and The Dolben
Company as a whole.
Timely Response is Key!
As review
sites garner more traffic, companies that care about their public perception
are focusing on them with greater interest. For instance, a team member
recently had what ended up being a very positive experience with the restaurant
Wegmans. After a less than satisfactory visit, he posted a review detailing his
experience. Within 24 hours, Wegmans had contacted him and offered a
complimentary lunch upon his next visit. Their timely response demonstrated
that they were both attentive to and concerned with their customer’s
experience. In our business, some of the most common negative reviews focus on
maintenance or noise. Generally, residents feel as though their issues are not
being addressed in a timely fashion. Timely responses to complaints and work
orders will help shift the focus from the lack of work done, to the quick
response time and attentiveness of the staff. Even if the issue cannot be
resolved immediately, your quick response will signal that you are aware of the
problem and are finding a solution.
Don’t Fight It, Face It!
A negative
review can be seen as detrimental to your property; however we can use these
reviews to demonstrate our value as management professionals. People may try to
test us by bringing up negative reviews they have found. Embrace them! Changing
the subject or ignoring the question will only demonstrate that you will ignore
their problem if they were to move in. People appreciate the honesty. This is a
great time to profile any recent changes that have been made to the community
and to boast about the staff. Demonstrating attentiveness to the problem and a
willingness to solve it will overrule most anything that prospect has read
online. Successfully accomplishing this will turn what could be seen as a
negative, into a strong selling point which demonstrates your team’s attention
to detail.
Customer service is the name of the game!
In a time
where huge companies dominate the economy, people crave the personal attention
that Dolben communities provide. People love to rant online when they have had
a bad experience; however, people are generally slow to rave about their good
experiences with companies. They need our help in this. When residents come in
and praise your property in anyway, give them the “People are talking about us
…” card provided by Dolben and encourage them to write a review online. After all, more positive reviews mean more
traffic, happier residents, and lower turnover. Treating every resident as a
priority makes them feel valued and will increase their trust in you to solve
whatever problem they might have next.
Whether it’s
good news or bad news at least their talking about us! That’s what’s important.
Is
there a Customer Service Experience that you went online to discuss that you
could tell us about?
Tim’s Team (Orange Team)
