Real estate client feedback is important, but only if your clients are giving you true answers.
Why wouldn’t they give you true answers?
Possibly because you don’t give them the opportunity.
Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been asked to give feedback three different times, and each time I could not give true feedback.
The first was for Hughes Net. When the Starlink dish was delivered to my door (after an 18 month wait) I could hardly wait to discontinue Hughes. There were oh so many reasons.
It might have been beneficial to the company to know the reasons why I and so many other subscribers left as soon as we had an alternative. But no… Their feedback questionnaire did not give them, or us that opportunity. Instead of space to write a response, it had multiple choice questions.
The first choice for an answer was something like “The service was unsatisfactory / not as I expected.” All of the others began with “The service was excellent but…” They went into pricing, speed, etc. That might have worked if they had eliminated “was excellent” and let the consumer check multiple answers. But no – you had to pick one.
So all they know is that the service was unsatisfactory – not why. Not how they could improve.
The others who asked for feedback were no better at asking good questions or allowing honest answers.
The primary reason for requesting feedback is to learn how you can improve your service.
This is as true for real estate client feedback as for any other kind. If all you want is a pat on the back, give it to yourself and don’t bother your customers and clients.
Reading that a customer or client was unhappy is no fun, but it is useful. First, because you can take a hard look at what you’re doing and see how you can improve. Secondly, because it gives you the opportunity to make things right, or at least apologize. That alone can gain you a source of referral business that you would have otherwise missed.
People do notice when you care about their complaints. They notice even more if there’s something you can do to make it right – and you do it.
By the way – it is true that some people are just complainers. They won’t like the service no matter how good it is. Read their comments to see if there’s a grain of truth. If there’s not, then simply disregard it.
The secondary reason for real estate client feedback is to improve your marketing.
When you’re doing things right, you may feel that your service is merely routine. Your clients might feel otherwise. So pay attention to the good things they say, and use those things in your marketing.
If you return calls promptly and they notice, it may be that they previously worked with someone who did not do so. If you got answers to all of their questions, it could be that their last agent (or agents) did not. That list could go on and on.
Those comments should be a clue to you that not all agents provide your level of service, so you should mention it in your marketing. If you don’t know how, get in touch. I can help.
Reason #3 for requesting real estate client feedback – gathering testimonials.
Because you’re giving clients the opportunity to complain as well as praise, it’s far easier to ask for feedback than to ask for a testimonial.
If you’re not sure how to word it, click here to read and copy a feedback form that is similar to the one I used when I owned a real estate agency. That page also includes advice on how to ask for the testimonial after positive feedback and how to handle negative feedback.
You may have an online feedback form…
If so, good. Those give clients room to write their comments, which is far better than multiple choice questions. It’s also good because you can give prospects a link to your feedback/testimonials page.
Do remember to thank everyone who responds to your feedback request!
