Customer opinions: data you need to learn to manage

Even if some people fear them, customer reviews have many advantages. They help to raise the profile of your estate agency in the local area, build a relationship of trust with your prospects, improve your services and increase your visibility. But you still need to learn how to use them to your advantage...

All too often, customer opinions still strike fear. But rather than fearing and enduring them, the aim now is to learn to take advantage of them and act proactively to turn them into a strength.

Of course, in real estate as in other sectors, the main difficulty is that, by nature, dissatisfied customers are always more talkative than satisfied ones. The former are sometimes prepared to make a lot of noise to express their grievances, while the latter opt for discretion. So the idea is to reverse the trend. To encourage satisfied customers to express their opinions, and at the same time to calm the ardour of annoyed or grumpy customers.

Customer feedback should be seen as a form of recommendation. These notices are good for your brand imageWe can also help you with the management of your team, your brand awareness, your digital visibility, your acquisition of prospects and your volume of mandates.

Customer opinions: the importance of not having to put up with it

These days, customer reviews are simply unavoidable. So you need to learn how to use them. Before entrusting you with their sales, purchase or rental projects, prospective customers want to be sure that your team is up to the job, that you're going to provide them with a high quality service, and that you're going to offer them the best possible service. experience and quality services. So they talk to friends and family, consult social networks and read comments on customer review platforms.

The slightest negative review will raise doubts in the minds of Internet users. Some will then prefer to turn to competitors with a more positive image, i.e. a better average online rating and more positive reviews. It is therefore important tolearn to master this information. The first step is to move from a passive position to an active approach. The worst thing you can do is sit back and take it easy when customers post reviews on the Internet. So you need to take control over what is published. In a previous article, we reminded you of the importance of creating and correctly managing a Google My Business entry.

Good to know

Opinions left about an estate agency are also important. natural referencing levers. Search engine algorithms take into account comments and ratings published by Internet users to optimise page rankings, particularly when it comes to promoting a local business on Google.

Taking control of customer reviews

As we said, Internet users are naturally interested in an agency that appears among the first search results obtained, then make comparisons and choose the one with an excellent average rating. It is to this agency, with an excellent online presence, that consumers will entrust their flat or house search, sale or rental project. The question now is how to attract these positive reviews and mitigate the impact of the negative ones.

Yes, a real estate customer review, you have to ask. If you wait for your contacts to do it on their own, you could be waiting a long time. Especially when they are satisfied.

Ask your customer directly to leave a comment

Whether it's after you've signed the preliminary sales agreement or the final deed of sale at the notaire's, during the debriefing that follows, or even while you're with us, the best way to get real estate customer advice is to ask for it, is to talk about it openly.

Be transparent about your reasons for requesting it. Explain to your customer that feedback is important for your agency's reputation, because they allow you to showcase your work. At the same time, show them that his opinion matters to youBut also for anyone else who might use your services. Take the opportunity to ask for a photo to be posted on social networks, just to highlight this "moment of joy" experienced by your customer.

Give priority to factual, personalised recommendationswhich give details and examples. And explain why your agency/collaborator was particularly effective in managing this particular project. This goes a long way towards lending credibility to the review in question.

Terse, general reviews, on the other hand, are bound to be fake. And if you multiply them among the customer reviews published on your real estate site, you run the risk of making even your most loyal customers doubt you!

Respond to all customer reviews that concern you

Do your customers leave reviews on your property website or post recommendations and reviews on other media (rating platforms dedicated to estate agents, Google, social networks, etc.)? Make it your duty to respond!

Not responding to reviews posted by your customers is a way of saying that you don't pay any attention to them, or even that you don't care at all, or that you're not afraid of the impact of negative reviews.

Failure to reply will always be seen as a breach of the most basic courtesy, or even as a temptation to walk away if you don't like the comments that have been made. The other way round, a personalised responsesigned by the negotiator who handled the transaction, and posted within a short period of time (72 hours maximum) for each notice published, contributes to reinforcing a good image that customers and prospects have of your brand.

Handle unfavourable and negative opinions with care

Then there's the tricky question of negative customer reviews in the property sector. All too often, the mere possibility of negative reviews encourages professionals to refuse any form of recommendation. But once again, this is a serious mistake.

The rule is simple: force yourself to respond. Of course, don't rush into it. You could end up writing things you'll regret later. Secondly, bear in mind that nobody is perfect and that criticism should be seen as a way of improving yourself in the future. And even if you do things with all your heart, nobody is safe from an unhappy customer.

You have no control over how your customer feels. However, you can show them that you have taken his comments into accountThe company can then propose actions, solutions or gestures to remedy the situation.

In the end, responding to negative feedback is importantbecause Internet users can see that your customer reviews on your real estate site are genuine and that you have a real reputation. pay attention to your customersEven if they're unhappy. They see that you are capable of apologising and making amends if the criticism is justified. They see that you are responsive and adaptable.

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