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.
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