Reviews are NOT just for prospects
There is zero doubt that apartment hunters recognize the value in online reviews. But did you know organizations can benefit as well from the power of reviews when it comes to recruiting new talent, safeguarding employee loyalty and extending a competitive edge? The panelists from our NAA session, Suzanne Hopson, EVP of Sales and Marketing for Tricap Residential and Karen Trueman, Director of Talent Development and Brand Reputation at Legend Management, have flipped the script on reviews and transported the phrase “reputation management” to a completely new level.
Reputation Matters
A majority of job seekers are looking at online review sites when searching for employment. Your website about-us section is no longer enough. A potential employee’s perception improves regarding a brand when the company is actively engaged and showing an honest effort when handling feedback. The best thing about a proactive approach to managing your online reputation is that it is a great gut-check to determine if your team is truly living the company core values and purpose.
Associate Engagement
Current and former employees are your best brand advocates and the main voice that potential employees hear online, impacting your reputation and ability to attract top talent. Based on SatisFacts research, the number one thing that drives value for renters is a sense of community. It is no different for employees. Give your employees an employment experience they want to brag about. At Legend and Tricap, teams participate in virtual and in-person (when possible) events to celebrate successes publicly. Legend teams also request that employees, at certain touchpoints like new hire, promotion, and review time, write reviews about their experience on review sites.
Reviews and Compensation
The top three employee motivators according to our research are: the opportunity to learn new things, advancement opportunities, and bonuses, commissions, and incentives. It’s not enough that employees love working at your company. It is important to reward employees for providing the service you expect. Including customer feedback in your compensation plan reinforces the importance of providing that exceptional experience. Tricap includes customer feedback directly into their scorecards that determine monthly bonuses for their teams. At Legend, they offer incentives such as paid mini-vacations for teams that achieve a certain customer review score target.
Alumni Networks
On-boarding and off-boarding are the two most culture-defining processes in organizations. If people-first is included in any way in your company values, managing the employee experience needs to extend past the exit interview. Not only because most reviews are from former employees, but also because former employees can still be long-term brand advocates, customers, referral sources, and even potential rehires. Organizations are creating formal alumni networks to keep former employees engaged and it definitely sends a message about putting people first and turns out to be a mutually beneficial relationship.
Managing the employee experience from the first brand encounter all the way past the exit interview is the new way to manage your online reputation. Genuinely focusing on the talent in organizations today by celebrating them and making them part of the exclusive company club (that has no membership expiration), will help you improve you improve brand reputation inside and outside your organization.
