In today's world, word of mouth has the power to influence like never before; it has moved from personal communication to the online world of the Internet. Where once positive or negative remarks were shared strictly among people speaking face to face, opinions can now be preserved for all time, and anyone with an interest can search for them and read them.

For property management, this has changed the nature of the way residents and their opinions can be handled. If a negative review is written and posted somewhere, this goes far beyond just a personal complaint to a remark that can negatively impact your future ability to attract and retain residents. Here's what to do when negative reviews start appearing.

Acknowledge The Complaint

This must be handled with diplomacy and delicacy, but it is crucial in the online world not to go "radio silent." An online complaint or grievance that is left unanswered will read to others as if the person lodging the complaint is not only right but also that the people responsible don't care. That can mean trouble with longer-term vacancies, as potential residents may pass over your property for fear that if things go wrong, they'll be ignored, just as displayed online.

Acknowledging the complaint is always better—especially in the public world of online interactions—as it shows you are listening and aware. While you don't necessarily have to apologize for the complaint itself, apologizing for the negative experience is also a good start. If possible, you may also want to consider taking things a step further and personally discussing the issue with the resident. It's not unusual for some people to not realize they can take issues up with management and resort to an online complaint before doing anything else.

Address The Problem

Just as important as acknowledging there is something wrong, it's crucial to actually look at a problem and see if anything can be done about it. For example, if several reviews hit on the same complaint, such as a problem with sanitation, a plumbing issue affecting multiple apartments, or even a specific staff member, such as a security guard, it is critical to analyze the issue and see if a change or improvement can be implemented.

For example, if there's a complaint about plumbing, failing to address this issue may cause a much bigger, more expensive problem in the long run. Fixing the problem, however, satisfies both residents and saves money.

Ask Happy Residents To Contribute

No matter what business it is, one truism of word of mouth is that people tend to be more diligent about complaining than praising. For every complaint that is posted online, there are usually five or more satisfied people who haven't felt motivated to talk about their experience.

If you know you have plenty of satisfied or even happy residents, and the complaint is an outlier, don't be shy about asking those satisfied residents to contribute their own reviews. In most cases, they'll be more than happy to, simply because they've had a good experience and don't mind sharing it on request.

For more ways to ensure a good return on property rental investments, contact Occupancy Solutions and let us help.