Tenant satisfaction surveys help you spot problem areas with your properties and services, but some facility managers put off creating and administering them because of time restraints. But it only takes a few minutes to create an effective tenant questionnaire if you follow these steps.
Download Free Survey Template
Building a tenant survey should only take around 15 mins max, and it’s free if you use Google Forms. Here’s a free survey template 7Nox designed specifically for commercial property owners. It contains questions around maintenance, property condition and customer service. But you can customize the template to suit your needs. Here’s how to use it:
- Click the link above.
- Choose to “Make a copy” of the template.
- Open the template copy from your Google Drive (you will need a Google account).
- Add your property name and photo (optional) in the heading.
- Change, add or remove questions to fit your needs.
Voila! You’re ready to email your customized opinion poll to your tenants and gain some powerful feedback. Here’s a getting started guide if you’re new to Google Forms.
Survey Tips
The more participation, the more accurate your picture of your properties. As with most surveys, people who actually take the time to fill one out are usually either big fans or disgruntled. But getting only 5 stars and 1 star reviews is less constructive than a healthy chunk of middle-of-the-road opinions. So, follow these guidelines to raise the participation rate of your tenant satisfaction survey.
Brevity Helps
Few people enjoy filling out satisfaction surveys, but keeping your survey short increases participation. Add as many questions as you need to get the info you want, but stop there. Combine multiple ideas into one question. For example, ask one question about all your amenities, don’t draft a question for each. If you’re interested in getting feedback on a single amenity (e.g., workout room), then draft a separate survey.
Offer a Carrot
Offering free gift cards or other enticements increases tenant participation. It may seem like bribery, but at some point the value of more tenant input outweighs the cost. That is, if identifying problems and making tenants happy results in at least one re-sign, it will likely be worth the outlay.
Optimize Timing
Schedules vary, but try and survey tenants when they have a little extra time, maybe before a holiday or Friday afternoon. More people will fill it out if they have a moment. Aim for one survey a year, and send it out near the beginning. Also, avoid surveying new tenants and those about to leave. Newcomers have too little experience to be valuable, while those leaving have little stake in the outcome and are less likely to fill one out anyway. Finally, get someone to take your survey before you send it out to tenants.