Are You Invisible?

The time and effort individuals are spending on sites like Apartmentratings.com detailing their experience, (most of which involves trashing the community and management staff in explicit detail) is appalling, and threatens the integrity of the site.

Yet, on almost every on every page I review, the only people talking are the disgruntled residents, (or family members of disgruntled residents), and occasionally a prospective resident whose observation of the horrific commentary has spurred them to speak on the lack of useable information provided, and proclaim the residents a bunch of whiny babies. The result is a whole lot of screaming and trash-talking and very little relevant information. The resident spends an hour creating an in-depth dissertation on why they hate the community they live at, then proclaims it to the world, and the management company says nothing. They are completely invisible and therefore not part of any conversation. Why not? Why are we ignoring these sites? They’re not going away, and they certainly aren’t doing the consumer any good given their current scope. In fact, they are turning the consumer off all together by making our industry appear pretty pathetic.

What’s a savvy property manager to do?

Reality Bites.
Perception is 99% reality, and the disgruntled resident has an outlet to proclaim their reality. Instead of being defensive, try to look at it from the resident’s perspective. Why are they so mad? Why are they willing to spend extensive time and energy proclaiming how incompetent you are?
It’s simple - some don’t feel heard, and some don’t like what they heard. If they don’t feel heard, why not? Is communication breakdown at your community commonplace? Do residents ever feel like they have been left “hanging” ? If they received an answer they did not want to hear, how was it delivered? Are residents expecting a level of service that is impossible to deliver, given variables at the community? Why do so many refer to the office staff as “rude and uncaring?” Take a hard look at your operation and the way you deliver. Where is the missing link causing the negative perception? Even if most of it is slander, try to find the real issue that is sometimes lurking below the surface. Stay away from being defensive, and acknowledge that they have a right to their feelings, exaggerated as you might believe them to be.

Say It To My Face
Gossip, rumors, did you ever notice the most outlandish claims against someone usually develop when they are not there to defend themselves? It’s easy to talk about somebody behind their back. But say it to their face...now that is another story. If residents that vent on these sites know you are there and present are they as likely to be as vicious? Probably not, and they may think twice before making broad, exaggerated statements. You are not there to call them out, but you are there, and they know it because you regularly respond, acknowledge their feelings and work to find solutions.

Who’s the Bigger Person?
When an individual trashes you and your integrity, your first reaction might be to get the boxing gloves on, yell “Oh no you did not!” and run at them swinging. Not a good idea as you have just stooped to their level. It will make you feel better for a moment until they punch back and suddenly all you have accomplished is your own version of a VH1 reality show. Lots of clawing, screaming and finger pointing and in the end, you lose. A better move would be to acknowledge the commentary, i.e.
“I am sorry you have had parking issues and can understand your frustration at not being able to find a parking space. As you have posted anonymously, I don’t know where your apartment is, and in order to best help you, may I contact you off line at your convenience? Or, if you prefer, we are open every day from 9 until 6 pm and our phone number is .......... . We will do whatever we can to help you.”
Stay calm, cool and collected and be the bigger person.

No Sniping When There is Nowhere to Hide
One of the attractions to individuals hell-bent on destroying you is that the review sites offer the cover of anonymity. They can say whatever they want, because nobody knows who they are. Until the FTC develops rules on testimonials and disclosure to force individuals to clarify who’s behind the recommendation or conversation sans ambiguity, your goal will be to draw the Sniper out of cover.
“I understand your frustration over the water leak that forced us to strip your floor bare of carpet and leave you like that for 8 days, and have reviewed all of my service requests in an attempt to determine who you are and why we would have erred this enormously, but I have not found any record of such action. We definitely want to speak to you about this and get it solved. Please contact us at your earliest convenience at.............”
Your writing should contain a neutral tone and an innocent look. Your goal is simply to understand and help.

At this point, you may receive additional sniper fire. Again, simply seek to understand, and suggest a civil future.
“Again, I understand your frustration and promise to hear you out one-on-one. Please contact us at your earliest convenience.”

What this says to others viewing the site, is “Maybe this person is a lunatic. The management company seems to be trying to work with them. Hmmm.”

Educate and Communicate
Many of the “complainers” at these sites seem to have an unrealistic expectation regarding apartment life. Complaints regarding noise, crime and the behavior of others can stem from a misunderstanding regarding expectations. If you have, for example, a parking issue at your community, teach the leasing team to define the expectation without damaging the benefit. Try something like this -
“How is the parking?”
“For this building, parking during the day will most likely not ever be a challenge. One of the wonderful things about this apartment is that it has a fabulous golf course view. That means there is only parking on one side of the building, limiting close-in access. You may find in the evening hours you may need to park in the lot one building over. I know a view is important to you - are you willing to make the accommodation for the peace, quiet and environment or should we consider other options where more parking is available?”

Teach your people to share the benefit in not having parking close-by. There are many scenarios that might be played out on this topic alone, dependent on community, amenities, etc.. Find what is good and build on that, rather than skirting the issue or making broad statements that don’t answer the question like this:
“There is one space designated for every apartment and you probably won’t have any issues, but it is first-come, first-serve. There is additional parking in front of the clubhouse if you should ever need it.”

Sharing in this regard requires a high degree of emotional intelligence and extensive training, but the time investment will be worth the reward.

Make sure your leasing professionals clearly understand and can explain the lease and the expectation regarding it. There is nothing wrong with stating, “Since this is a legal document between you and XYZ Apartments, we both have obligations to fulfilling it. Let’s review them. “

Explain the consequences for lease break, etc. I used to give my clients a brief quiz at the end, by saying, “OK, time for a lease quiz. If you decide to give notice at the end of your lease, what do you need to do? Why is it important to have renter’s insurance?” etc. Every good teacher knows to reinforce learning. Don’t assume they understand. Make sure they do.

Don’t spend all your time at these sites, but stop being invisible. Focus most of your attention on defining the expectation and treating your residents really, really well. Remember that the complainers, justified or not, are the minority. Let the happy people know they can go there and comment when they have a positive experience. Get a stamp that says, “Pleased with the service, pleased with us? Let the world know at apartmentratings.com.” Focus on service, consistency in delivery and communication training. Understand that while you want everything to be perfect, sometimes it just isn’t. We will not be able to live up to every expectation. Don’t beat yourself up, but be accountable for service delivery. Watch your scores rise.