Of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.
Of consumers say that negative reviews made them not want to use a business.
Of consumers need at least a four-star rating before they choose to use a business.
Of consumers search online for local businesses. 12% of consumers do so on a daily basis.
With 91.4% of apartment prospects seeking out the community's reputation before they make a decision, it shows how vitally important it is to have a team monitoring reviews and responding to them. Make no mistake; prospects will take the time to read reviews, more specifically the negative ones. If they find the issues handled professionally and with great care, they will choose your community over those who don't share the same sentiment.
The benefits of having the community's reputation handled professionally show how essential it is. Industry experts say that reviews play a massive part in rankings in SEO, but that is not all. Responding to reviews allows the community to create a marketing platform to say thank you for the positive ones and learn how to improve services when a negative one is left.
When responding to reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, Apartments.com, or ApartmentGuide.com, our team responds with a spirit of thankfulness to a positive review. For any less than desirable, we create an environment of urgency to make things right. A person who leaves a review (negative) wants to be heard most of the time. It does not mean that a negative review is right; it just means that the community cares enough to respond and show their willingness to make things right.
Our process is simple once a review is handled, we email them to the community reference or handling. We find this step necessary as it can come as a pick-me-up for a job well done or offer an opportunity to provide feedback and resolution on any negative ones. For example, a resident leaves a review; their microwave is not working with a 1-star rating. The manager is notified, so they may reach out to the resident to resolve the issue (If they know who they are.) Once the issue is resolved, a request to update the review to the resident is appropriate. 9 times out of 10, the resident will either remove the "bad" review or update it to a more positive one.
Don't make the mistake of allowing the community's reputation to be in the reviewer's hands; take control of the online platform by bringing in a team specializing in responding to reviews with great care and a sense of urgency.
