The internet has changed so many things about the world of business. Boundaries have become incredibly blurred and it’s now easier than ever to access information about a business at the click of a button.
Of course, this is highly beneficial if the internet is teeming with positive reviews
about your business, and a business without reviews can easily come
across as untrustworthy. However, if you have negative online reviews floating
around on popular sites
such as Yelp, Google for Business and Foursquare (and so on), it’s
important to go out of your way to remedy them.
It’s important at this point to remember that no single
business will have 100% good reviews, irrespective of how customer-focused your
business is or how fantastic your products or services are. So, instead of
hoping for the best and acting surprised when a bad review does crop up, use
this guide so that you are at the ready, the moment you do receive a bad
review:
1. Be quick to Reply
If you have just received a bad review on one of your
accounts, don’t ignore it. Take a moment to read the review carefully and
determine exactly what went wrong for the customer. Then, respond to the
reviewer directly, once you’ve taken some time to come to terms with the
review. The last thing you want to do is respond angrily or negatively.
2. Rectify the Situation
Next, write clearly to the individual, offering an
explanation of exactly what happened. If your business was at fault in this
instance, offer an apology and some form of compensation, such as a voucher or
money off their next purchase. Turn the negative into a positive as quickly as
possible, and remember that many other people will be reading this transaction,
so everything you write needs to reflect positively on your business.
3. Turn it Around
If the customer is happy with the end result of the
correspondence, ask them to remove or update their bad review. If you’ve treated the customer well and they are happy, there is nothing to say that they will not be willing to
turn the review into a positive one.
4. Reflect on the Bad Review
Finally, if you have garnered some negative reviews, now is
the time to reflect on why you have received them. Perhaps a member of staff
was rude or unpleasant towards a customer, or someone has complained about your
opening hours or quality of products. Try not to get immediately defensive
about a bad review; figure out why it happened and determine what changes you
can make to avoid it happening again in future.
For more help and advice about improving your online
presence, contact us today to speak to a member of our team about our
professional branding and marketing services.
Related articles.
