Property managers work hard to create the best experience for their residents, but it can be hard to please everyone. When something goes wrong, it’s common for customers to jump online and register their complaint, formally or informally. Negative reviews should always be taken seriously, and how fast and effectively you respond can make a big difference to your business and reputation.

A strong response lets current and future renters know that you are receptive to input and strive to correct negative situations. A Pew Research Center study reveals more than half (54 percent) of people who read online reviews regularly pay more attention to extremely negative reviews when trying to make decisions. Follow these tips for an effective, customer-focused response.

Keep it cool

Sometimes an online comment can feel like a personal attack, especially if you’re already having a hard day. It’s far too tempting to fire off a quick, reactive response. Avoid the urge and take a moment to collect your thoughts. Take a few deep breaths, write a thoughtfully crafted response and ask another member of the leasing staff to read it over before you hit send.

Stay in the know

Keep on top of conversations about your business. Maintain and claim your online business profiles on sites like Google My Business listings, Yelp and Facebook. Designate time each day to check all your social media and business profiles so you’ll know whenever a negative comment crops up. To streamline your monitoring, set up Google Alerts. Use the “Me on the web” feature, and you’ll receive an email any time you or your business is mentioned on other sites. It’s a free, easy way to manage your online presence.

Respond publicly and privately

It may sound excessive, but when you receive a rare negative comment, always respond both publicly and privately. Start by sending a private message, where you can ask more specific questions, field any additional requests and establish a relationship with your renter. Re-introduce yourself if you don’t have regular interactions, thank them for their business and apologize for their experience not meeting their expectations. Next, ask how their experience could have been improved, and offer a solution to their problem — we have some responses for common complaints to get you started on the right path. This private conversation avoids cluttering other followers’ feeds with a long back-and-forth.

Once a solution is reached, respond publicly. Again, thank the customer for their feedback, and apologize for not meeting their expectations. Then outline the solution you worked through. This allows current and potential renters the chance to see how you respond to criticism and that you actively offer satisfactory solutions.

Finally, follow up with the commenter after the solution has been implemented. This simple act can make a huge difference in turning a negative experience into a positive one.

Ask for acknowledgement

Once you work through a solution with a negative commenter, don’t be afraid to ask them to edit their review to reflect that. Many consumers won’t mind adding that their concerns were heard when brought to your leasing staff’s attention. Reviews are a tool that helps foster an online community. The best commenting ecosystem is a give-and-take relationship that promotes this kind of dialogue.

Censor with caution

If you and your team believe a comment is unfair or untruthful, ask for it to be taken down by the third-party hosting service. This should be a last resort after reaching out to the resident. An authentic user experience is paramount, and removing bad comments could make a bad situation worse. But if the comment is malicious, offensive or blatantly false, there’s no reason it should continue to be viewable by the public.

Take the bad with the good

An occasional bad review humanizes your business, but too many can ruin your online curb appeal. The most effective way to fight off negative reviews is to outnumber them with positive ones. Make it just as easy for happy renters to leave a glowing review: Ensure the review section is prominent on your website and request a review as a regular part of your moving-out process.

Offering incentives to current residents can increase the likelihood that they’ll review your business. Like you, renters are busy — especially during transitions times like relocating — so don’t hesitate to send a polite follow-up email to solicit a response.

Although it’s ideal to avoid negative reviews altogether, with these tips your leasing team can remedy and neutralize any problem, fast.