We have all
been hearing the phrase “until further notice” a lot lately: item not available until further notice,
closed until further notice, service not available until further notice.
In our digital world, there are plenty of ways
you can still stay connected and provide excellent customer service, however,
if someone wants to give you a good or bad review online right now – they
can’t, at least not on two major platforms.
You guessed it, until further notice!
This week
Yelp and Google My Business chose to temporarily disable new reviews, responses
and any Q&A for all businesses “until further notice”. Both
companies made this critical update to their policies because a significant
number of negative reviews and experiences had been posted based on offices being
closed and limited services being available due to the pandemic and the Work
From Home (WFH) request by government officials.
In addition
to the above-mentioned concern, many businesses, including Yelp and Google are
taking action to reduce the need for people to come into their offices
especially where local CV-19 conditions merit more precautions. Running a skeleton crew in the physical
offices in many cases is still necessary due to user and customer safety and
security. They are prioritizing workflows for critical issues such as account
recovery, security and certain advertising-related reviews to prevent COVID-19
SCAMS or inappropriate ad placements. They
are also increasing reliance on automated systems to assist with removal of
content that violates guidelines and policies.
With so many
of the brick and mortar businesses and offices shutting down and so many people
working from home, Facebook states that the Coronavirus is sending FB usage and
other social media outlets through the roof.
Here are a few ideas for staying in touch with your residents, prospects
and partners by ramping up your social media presence:
- Increase
posting frequency to ensure you are in your audiences’ news feeds;
- Host
virtual events for residents, prospects and/or referral partners/outreach value
add partners on social media. Some of
our favorite ideas include a Virtual Open House, Virtual Speed Networking
Event, Virtual Yahtzee Event, Virtual Lunch & Learn, Virtual Bingo Game;
- Offer
online “deals” or a special discount to the first ten people who stream your virtual
event;
- Help
other small businesses in your area by offering a percent discount if a
customer submits a receipt from another small merchant in the area;
- Let
residents, prospects and industry partners know what you are doing regarding
protocols and changing policies;
- Let
customers know how best to communicate with you no matter where you or they
are;
- Offer
an option to “chat” via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and other instant
messaging platforms;
- Offer
video conferencing options through Zoom, Skype or FaceTime;
- Communicate
proactively through email or your website;
- Stream
or Video Chat your services;
- Use
a free tool like Google Hangouts, Skype or Zoom, Facebook Live or Instagram
Live to offer services and events remotely or live streaming social media
channels;
- For
service communities with customers willing to use a paywall to pay for videos,
start a Vimeo channel;
- Use
a free tool like Loom to record screens and audio to make a video;
- Make
it fun, interesting and not too long.
So if you
want to give Occupancy Solutions LLC a thumbs up review….please visit our
website at www.occupancysolutions.com!
You won’t hear “until further notice” from us. We stand ready and willing to assist you with
your solutions today and every day.
Schedule Elaine for your 2020 workshops, keynotes and training programs before the best slots are taken! BOOK NOW!
Contact Occupancy Solutions for your property management and hospitality solutions today! Call 1-800-865-0948 or visit www.occupancysolutions.com
ELAINE'S NEW BOOK NOW AVAILABLE!
Close the Back Door: Solutions for Retaining Residents in Multifamily Communities