Negative online reviews!
Some business owners are actually afraid of negative reviews. Let’s turn those fears into positive actions. Check out these tips. Handled correctly, a negative review might turn around for your good.
Tip #1. Take a deep breath; remain calm; don’t over react
It’s so easy to get defensive when you see a bad review about your business. But don’t go there. Take time to cool down.
Have several standard review responses prepared ahead of time. Now your emotions are removed. This gives you a starting point when you write a response.
No need to use the same responses repeatedly, but they work as a starting point. Take that response then build the rest of your response for each reviewer’s feedback.
Tip #2: Quickly respond to the negative review
This step is crucial. Never ignore a negative review. Delay speaks volumes to your loyal customers. It says that you don’t care about your customers’ experiences.
Responding to complaints increases your customer support. Not responding to a negative online review, acts the opposite—you can lose customer support.
What if this is simply a grumpy customer who wants to be heard? Invest the time to show that customer that you’ve heard them. Explain that you’re more than happy to resolve the issue. Now you’ve defused the situation.
This is known as “first contact resolution.” Statistics show that customers who receive a successful first-contact problem resolution are twice as likely to buy from you again.
Customers (and potential customers) remember the companies that pay attention to what their customers think.
Tip #3: Offer a solution
Always add that you’re willing to fix the problem. Ask that customer to contact you by phone or to stop by your place of business.
Now you are showing not only this customer, but others as well, that you truly want to solve the issue. If you’ve taken steps to deal with an unhappy customer, now politely ask them to update their review to reflect that the situation is resolved.
Tip #4: Get a second opinion
Because you are emotionally involved, you may want to ask an impartial third-party read your response before you post it online. This could be a friend, family member or co-worker. Ask them to read your reply to make sure it reads well. (Not overly angry or defensive.)
Tip #5: Oftentimes there can be a positive within the negative
If you get a negative review, carefully consider what the person wrote. Did it have to do with a staff member? Was it because of a bad experience at your location? Perhaps it was an issue with your product/service. Once you evaluate the customer’s remarks, you may discover bigger issues that you need to work on in your business.
Take this opportunity to gain insights into what could be corrected. Search for hidden opportunities lying within a negative review.
Tip #6: What type of reviewer are you dealing with?
Are you aware that there are a handful of types of reviewers which most people fall into? We list them like this:
- Sharpshooters
- First-timers
- Serial complainers
These days, your customer service is out in the open for all to see. Most customers feel it takes too long to call a live agent so they resort to review sites to voice their opinions. When online, customers expect an almost instantaneous response. Some people like this public forum, because it gets attention.
How is the best way to handle attention-seeking people? Take the discussion offline. First, let that customer know they have been heard. Next ask them to call you personally so you can offer a solution. Even if they never call you back, those who see your review discussion will see that you tried to rectify the situation. This builds trust with your loyal customers as well as future customers.
Avoid responding a second time. Once is enough.
If you’ve taken steps to deal with an unhappy customer to remedy the situation, now feel free to politely ask them to update their review to reflect that an agreement has been reached and the situation resolved.
If you can turn a bad review into a great review – you’ve won!
Negative reviews are not a thing to be feared in business. If you follow these tips, a negative review can actually turn to your good.
Cash Flowing 2 You offers a proprietary system that monitors your reviews. You’ll never again be blindsided by a negative review.
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