MAXIMIZING THE BENEFITS OF ONLINE RATINGS & REVIEWS

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)