How is it possible to put aside your human emotions and engage a client’s negative review online in a professional manner? Today we are going to take this a step further. We will show you how you can turn a bad review into a positive tool for marketing.
Start With Damage Control
Unless the poor review is an obvious revenge job that is meant to damage your company’s reputation, the client who created the review probably cares about their relationship with your company. And how’s that? They actually took the time to write a review rather than writing you off and heading to the competition.
Now, their perception of your company is damaged. You must evaluate the damage and try to fix it in a professional manner.
Start with research. Figure out what the cause of the problem was. Perhaps it was a faulty part or negligent employee or perhaps it was something that was outside your control.
Fix the issue. Even if the issue was outside your control, it is possible to occasionally smooth things over using a small refund on their bill or a future discount.
Empathize and Apologize
Having the ability to put yourself in your client’s shoes helps to understand why they created a poor review. It’ll help to offer better services down the line.
Humility is step one toward empathy. You have to have the ability to see your own flaws and be prepared to apologize. Or else, you won’t have the ability to empathize with your clients because you’ll have constructed a prideful shell around yourself.
Promise to Make Changes
Clients will feel most heard if you have recognized the issue they have brought to your attention and promised change. Not just will that help to streamline and improve upon your business, it’ll also help clients feel as if they’re part of your business.
Authenticity is critical to reaching clients where they’re at. As a matter of fact, if clients perceive you’re being inauthentic, they will drop you immediately. A survey from 2017 found that 86 percent of clients will adopt a company if they think the brand is authentic.
Best Practices of Responding to the Review Publicly
Here are some best practices to keep in mind:
According to Google, these are some best practices to keep in mind for negative review replies:
- Don’t share the personal information of a reviewer or personally attack them. That includes in the real world on Google Maps, or on additional services. You can instead advise that they personally get in touch with you by phone or email to resolve the problem. Positive post-review interactions and your response show prospects that you truly care and oftentimes lead the customer to change the initial review.
- Evaluate the reasons behind a reviewer’s poor impression of your business. Go back over your records for a reviewer, as well as their experience with your company.
- Be truthful. Acknowledge errors that were made; however, do not take responsibility for situations that were out of your control. Discuss what you can and cannot do in the scenario. Show how it’s possible to make uncontrollable problems actionable. For instance, poor weather caused you to have to cancel an event; however, when possible, you observe the weather and offer advance cancellation warnings.
- Apologize when it’s appropriate. It is better to say something demonstrating empathy and compassion.
- Show that you are a real person by signing off with your initials or name. It helps you to come across as being more authentic.
- Promptly reply. Doing so indicates that you pay close attention to your customer’s experiences.
Call The Light Digital at (510) 680-3300 to see how we can protect your company’s reputation!
