With more and more tenants turning to online review sites like, Google, Facebook, and Yelp, it is more important now, than ever before to provide your building tenants with exceptional customer service.
Unfavorable reviews online can deter great tenants from renting in one, or any of your buildings, even if the online review provides false information, or just one side of a “story.” (It is very difficult, nearly impossible, to have a review removed from an online forum.)
Here are some tips to help property managers provide tenants with exceptional customer service:
Ensure that tenants are always able to reach you, or a member of your team. Property management isn’t always a 9-5, Monday to Friday job. In fact, you’re more likely to have a tenant call outside of those hours (they work 9-5 too, remember.) This doesn’t have to mean that you are required to be accessible at all hours, but you should have someone available to answer, assess and schedule appointments when you’re not available. Consider hiring a call centre to handle calls from your tenants.
Create a FAQ section online. Ever feel like you are answering the same question over and over again? If your tenants are calling, they have likely already looked for an answer to a simple question elsewhere. If you create an FAQ page on your building’s, or companies website your customers are likely to discover when garbage day is (or any other frequently asked question) without having to call you.
Respond to tenants quickly. If you receive a message from a tenant, remember to get back to them as soon as you can to schedule a time to meet if that is required. Don’t let your tenant’s requests go unanswered. Even if you won’t be available right away, connect to discuss and set a timeline.
Follow up proactively. Make it a point to connect with your tenants regularly. If you can’t commit to a monthly or quarterly call, have a member of your team reach out. If there are many calls to make, consider using a call centre to make the calls for you. Your tenants will feel valued when you contact them at a time that they may or may not have questions. Otherwise, you’re only speaking to them when they have a problem, or worse, when they are on their way out the door for good.
These tips will help you keep your tenants happy and help you avoid a bad online review.
If you do get a poor online review, be sure to engage with the reviewer on their post, in an attempt to come to an agreeable conclusion, and remember to ask for a more favourable rating if you succeed.
If not, at least others will see your response and willingness to work together to find a solution, which could win them back.
