Ever read a review so negative that it makes you tremble with anxiety? One review could, after all, spiral out of control and influence other customers to either remain loyal or move away from your business.
Multiple reviews can help promote and even grow the business, informing others about the quality of service offered. In fact, 84% of people trust online reviews before buying a product or availing of the services rendered.
But as mentioned, a negative review can be devastating to a business. What do you do if you encounter one?
Here are some dos and don’ts in responding to reviews, especially with negative reviews.
1. Do Respond to All Reviews in a Timely Manner
Respond to all the reviews that you receive in a timely manner. This goes for both negative and positive reviews that you receive. By responding promptly, it shows your concern for the customer and your dedication to provide them the best.
In case you are looking for a timeframe when you should respond to a review, leave a reply within a week or less. Respond late might convey a negative message to your customers about your customer service.
This leads us to another tip that you should take note with reviews.
2. Don’t Let Reviews Go Without a Response
Not responding to reviews can convey a negative connotation, one that shows that you do not care for your customers. Whether this is a negative or positive review, it is best that you leave a response to the review submitted.
Leaving a response allows your customers to know that you are reading their reviews and taking note of the feedback provided.
With this, you can assure them that something is being done if they have raised some issues. Or, if it is a positive review, you appreciate their praise and comment on satisfaction.
3. Do Directly Address the Customer’s Comments or Concerns
In responding to reviews, acknowledge and address the concerns they have raised.
There may be important details that you can take note of or issues that you can address. These could include problems regarding the product or service, or some suggestions that you can consider to improve on.
Whichever these reviews are in terms of content, remember to address these concerns directly. If it is with dissatisfaction, address them and apologize. Assure them that you are going to take action and fix those issues to improve their experience.
4. Do Respond in a Professional Manner
One thing to remember in responding to a negative review is to maintain professionalism. First motion is to remain calm, take a minute or two before making the response. This should allow you to respond with a clear head and calm manner.
By responding negatively, you will risk tarnishing your reputation. Instead, address the issue and appreciate the customer for raising that concern.
Here are some things that you should include in making your review response:
- Start by thanking the customer for the feedback.
- Highlight something positive they mentioned on the review
- Discuss their concerns
- Enforce your business’ philosophy
- End the discussion by inviting them to continue the discussion in private
By setting up your responses in a professional manner, you exude a professional decorum in addressing these issues. You are sending a message to other customers that you care.
5. Don’t Have a Back-and-Forth Argument with Customers
Don’t feed the fire and argue with the person leaving a negative review. It could place your business in the spotlight of a big PR crisis.
Learn from the mistakes of others when responding to reviews. Don’t let it become a back-and-forth argument. The review area is not a good place for discussion as there are other communication channels that are best used for this occasion.
Offer to continue the conversation about the issue by providing an email address or phone number that they can contact you with. This allows you to get more information on the issue and maintaining professionalism.
This way, you can clear out issues, lay out the facts needed, and find a way to come into agreement in addressing the matter present.
6. Do Select Your Review Response Method Intentionally
There are ways that you can respond to customer reviews, whether that is through Yelp or other media channels. With your business page, you can do this through a public comment or a direct message.
With a public comment, anyone who is viewing your business page can see your response. Using public comments, you address not only to the customer who left the review but to other customers as well. Using a public comment is effective in responding to positive reviews.
Public comments are perfect as a means to highlight something in the review that needs to get amplified and echoed. Also, public comments are good for highlighting business your customer service and business policies as you address a critical reviewer. It is best to start the review response with a public comment.
With a direct message, it functions more like an email channel between you and the reviewer. Through direct message, you can get more information and go into full detail about the customer’s concerns. This is a perfect follow-up method of response after responding with a public comment when bringing the conversation offline.
Whichever you choose as a method, remember to respond in a civil and professional manner.
7. Do Conduct Internal Investigations Based On Reviews
When there are complaints raised, it is best to check if these actually have merit to them. Check if there’s something that’s causing problems to customers and take necessary action to correct them.
If the problems are stemming from a product or service provided by a third party vendor, research if whether other businesses are also encountering the same issues. If it is, you may also need to reconsider in using that service.
8. Don’t Be Afraid To Ask Your Customers for Reviews
Always ask for more reviews. A bad review is something that can be impactful if you only have a total of three reviews, even if the other two are giving you excellent reviews. By asking for more, you can get not only more feedback to help you improve, it also lessens the impact of a bad review.
Do not be afraid of bad reviews. After addressing them, it is highly encouraged to get more reviews.
Responding to Reviews with Professionalism
Negative reviews can make it tough to respond to. However, do not rush or fret. Responding to reviews with proper decorum is still the best answer. Appreciate their feedback and assure them that the issues are being addressed.
Did you find this post useful? We have a variety of topics available for you to peruse on, including resources that can help improve your business. Like this article about looking for a location for your business.