The following post is the second in a four-part series discussing the implications of online user reviews and ratings for senior housing communities.
A few senior housing sites are already implementing user reviews and comments at different levels. At SNAPforSeniors, we recently experimented with a three month beta of comment functionality on community listings.
We basically opened the gates for any registered user to post a comment about a community, encouraging them to share their experiences with other users. The comments where only moderated for inappropriate content, meaning that users could say just about whatever they wanted.
The results were telling. Consumers and professionals raved about the ability to read what their peers had to say about a community and provide their own opinions.
Some providers, interestingly enough mostly adult family homes and other small facilities, took advantage of the situation to further market themselves to prospective residents.
Others freaked out.
We got anxious e-mails, calls and even a few threats. The common fear seemed to be a loss of control over the provider’s reputation.
The flaw in this logic is that, because proliferation of user generated content across the internet, the perception of such control is illusory to begin with.
A bit more impassioning than a bad meal.
To the credit of senior housing providers worried about user reviews and ratings, their fears are not completely unfounded; senior housing is not the same as other service industries.
The worst restaurant review imaginable seems trivial when compared to allegations of malfeasance by an assisted living community entrusted with the care of a vulnerable loved one.
That said, the gravity of the situation is what makes user generated content in the industry so important. Families facing difficult decisions about housing need all the information they can get, and they trust their peers implicitly.
The fear is that the bereaved relative of a resident who passed away or a disgruntled ex-employee will cause irreparable damage to a community’s online reputation with a few keystrokes.
While the prospect of a scathingly negative review—baseless or not—is a valid concern, there are a few considerations to take into account. The biggest is that:
Ignoring something won’t make it go away.
Many senior housing providers seem to be doing their best ostrich impression when it comes to user reviews and ratings. Though a head-in-the-sand approach may save some stress in the short term, it will prove disastrous in the long run.
If an individual wants to say something about a senior housing community online, they are going to do so whether the provider likes it or not. There simply isn’t anything that a provider can do to stop someone from speaking their mind.
The internet now supplies these individuals with a soapbox, a means to be heard. This is why providers can no longer afford to ignore the squeaky wheel, and why they must become involved in the conversation themselves.
What do you think about this progression in the industry? How much trust would you put in peer reviews of senior housing as a consumer or professional? If you’re a senior housing provider, do you see this shift altering your marketing and public relations efforts?
My next post will explore how providers can contain disasters with their reputations online, and use the soapbox for their own good.
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About the author: Grant Milne is a communications specialist with SNAPforSeniors and the managing editor of Senior Housing Insights. He can be reached at grant.milne@snapforseniors.com.