Negative reviews come and go for any business. But, it’s about how you handle them that makes the biggest impact on your business’s bottom line. Reviews and your responses to them play a major part in your online presence and can even do a few positive things for your business:
- It can help solidify your online reputation
- It shows the community you stand behind your brand and are willing to acknowledge both praise and criticism
- And it shows you’re interested in more than just the final sale
Fun fact from Bright Local: 67% of customers will consider leaving a review for a positive experience, while 40% will consider leaving a review for a negative experience. About 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses, which is why reviews should be your top priority.
An engaged, involved, and helpful company will always have the upper hand over an absent one. This is why we try to stress the importance of reputation management. Read on to learn more about how to handle negative reviews online.
The DO’s & DONT’s Of Handling Reviews
What to avoid: Ignoring reviews, responding rudely, and denying facts are big no-no’s when it comes to the world of review response.
- You should never ignore or disregard a negative review because this is showing your community that you are not concerned about your reputation. It can also show customers that the reviewer’s comments are all accurate, which can hurt your business.
- Getting defensive or angry in your responses is another major action to avoid. It can be hard to avoid getting defensive when someone is making harsh claims about your business. However, fighting with an angry customer not only makes you look irrational, but it also winds up alienating even more customers. They view it as a red flag to avoid your business.
- Lastly, criticism can be hard to hear, but you don’t want to shut down everything anyone has to say. Before denying any legitimate criticism from a customer, take the time to do some research. It is better to admit to a mistake rather than argue about something untrue.
What You Should Do: Stay calm, thank your customers, and take action.
- You should always remain polite and professional in any response. Because it’s challenging to convince a disgruntled consumer to change their mind, responses should be helpful, genuine, and kind. If you respond in an angry and defensive tone, the situation will escalate, which can hurt your reputation further. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider your response tone before responding to a poor review.
- You would be surprised at how far appreciation will take you. Responding to a negative review by apologizing followed by thanking the customer for taking the time to highlight an issue with your business can turn a negative review into a positive one. No business is perfect, and it’s important to correct a mistake when it happens by taking accountability. This is always appreciated by current and prospective customers. You should also make note to use the reviewer’s name and address their individualized concern to show empathy and authenticity.
- Showing that you are going to, or have taken, the steps to resolve the issue noted by the reviewer could help turn a bad review into a good one. It’s important for customers to see how you react to criticism and how you tackle issues in your business.
While a negative review might not be the first thing you want to see for your business, it is a fact of life for your business going forward. Take each negative review as an opportunity to showcase your business mission and turn it around into a positive experience instead.
Let Efferent Media Take Your Reputation To The Next Level
Successful businesses prepare for problems in advance. Efferent Media’s reputation management team can handle complaints, monitor your social media, manage your reviews and more. When you’re ready for the next step in your business’s growth and protection, call Efferent Media at (631) 867-0900 or contact us here.