Regardless of the type of business you’re in, people are going to leave negative comments or reviews. However, how you handle the negativity can set the tone for what your clients should expect when working with you and living at your community. Before you respond, think about your mission statement and values. Ask yourself how you can best portray your multifamily community along those lines.

Generally speaking, follow these guidelines whenever responding to a negative comment or review.

Please note, it’s important to consider each comment before responding. Not all comments warrant a response. For example, if a comment contains extreme profanity or would be offensive to any one group of people, it’s sometimes better to simply remove or hide the comment.

Response Guidelines

1. When responding to comments, always respond in a timely fashion. Set a goal for your community (e.g. 24 hours) and hold each property to this standard.
2. Never rush a response in an effort to be timely. Instead, give creating your response the necessary time it needs and deserves, but do ensure it’s a top priority.
3. Be sympathetic to the commenters situation. Do not be defensive.
4. Give a genuine apology to the commenter. To make your apology as authentic as possible, personalize it by mentioning their name.
5. Let the commenter know their opinions have been heard.
6. Be sure to avoid referring to the situation as a “problem.” For example, if the respondent says they’ve had a problem with the fridge, include the fridge in the response to they know you’ve actually read their complaint.
7. Take the conversation offline as soon possible. Ask the commenter to respond via private message, email or phone call.
8. Diagnose and resolve the situation and keep in touch with the commenter during this process.
9. Monitor additional comments and conversations after a negative review or comment has been posted.
10. Use the negative comment or review as an opportunity to build trust among your clients and prospects.
11. Share the feedback with your team to avoid similar situations in the future.  

Sample Dialogue

Check out some examples of the types of comments you might receive, and how to respond:

Facebook Comment: I had a terrible experience with your community and no one is willing to help me!

Example Response: Hi [NAME], I’m so sorry to hear you’ve had a bad experience with our service and team! We always strive to deliver superior customer service, and I’d like to get this issue resolved for you as soon as possible. If you wouldn’t mind, could you please send a private message with your preferred contact method? Again, I’m so sorry for this experience and I hope I’m able to help you resolve it.

Facebook Comment: Hi, I need your help in this. [Property name] has wrongly started dispossessory and my rental history is ruined. I am not able to find any apartment in my city. Expecting quick reply. Thanks, [NAME] 

Example Response: Hi [NAME], we’re sorry to hear you’re experiencing difficulties with [Property name]. Please email us at social@lincolnapts.com so we can get more information and put you in contact with the correct person to resolve this.

Facebook Comment: Who deals with problems at a property when answers are not being given by the property manager?

Example Response: Hi [NAME]! It sounds like you are having issues. Would you like to email us at social@lincolnapts.com to let us know what’s going on?

Ideally, no one wants to get negative comments on Facebook. However, if you find yourself in this situation, we hope these guidelines will help you respond to feedback in the future!

Interested in learning more about Lincoln Property Company? Contact us for additional tips, management service inquiries, and more!