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"Online reviews are basically an after-the-fact result of your actions or lack of actions in a particular renter situation. The reviewer has gone online and left you a negative or positive review is because either they are very happy with how you handled their situation or they’re very unhappy about it.”
In this densely packed episode, Mindy Price converses with Priyanka Agarwal, who shares her insights regarding responding to online reviews as an expert in reputation management for the multifamily industry. Priyanka stresses the impact that these reviews have on a community’s online reputation. She notes the exponential growth in review volume and the trend of reviews becoming more vicious. Priyanka offers advice for managing your online reputation and the importance of focusing on heartfelt, smart customer service, listening to your customers and associates, and anticipating renter needs.
Mindy and Priyanka then discuss how to manage challenging reviews, including trolling situations, reviews left on multiple review sites, reviews that drag staff members’ names through the mud, and fake reviews. As communities see more and more of these types of reviews, Priyanka emphasizes how important it is to not rush into a response. She talks about responding politely and tactfully, stating some facts in the matter, and encouraging the reviewer to move the conversation offline. She notes that a response is not only for the person who left the review but also for prospective residents to see how you handle certain situations as they consider their choice of home. Priyanka shares response examples in negative situations involving trolls and fake reviews.
Finally, Priyanka shares some of the more bizarre reviews her team has encountered. And she wraps up by expounding on three pieces of advice she’d offer for responding to reviews in general. She discusses the Four P Rule of responses: crafting professional, polite responses, ensuring they are personalized, and being prudent, which encompasses taking a step back to find out what is really going on in a given situation and responding skillfully with facts.