In this article, find out how to turn negative reviews into opportunities for development and success. Learn how to handle criticism professionally and empathetically, and find out how they can become drivers of growth for your business. Maintain your online reputation by adopting effective strategies to respond to negative customer reviews and use them as a way to build customer trust.
Online reputation management can enhance or seriously harm your establishment. Today, we are presenting the strategies to adopt and the different ways to respond to negative reviews that your establishment may receive.
The number of people who choose a store, a service provider or even a practitioner based on online reviews is constantly increasing. As hard as you and your team are working to create a great experience for your customers, an incident is never far away. Each of your points of sale will be confronted with positive, negative and unpleasant reviews and if one of your establishments recently received two or three bad reviews, you can lose nearly 70% of potential customers who read these negative comments.
According to Invesp, the share of customers hesitant to consume at a company with negative online reviews is 86%.
Neither you nor any business can control what your customers write about you, but you can control how you respond to negative reviews so that they feel heard and potentially change their minds.
Learn three key tips for responding appropriately and effectively to negative reviews. Learn how to apologize, emphasize your commitment to quality service, and manage the offline conversation to resolve issues.
Apologize to the customer for the negative experience. Even if these claims aren't true, be sympathetic to show customers that you care about everyone who walks through your door.
It's important to let your potential customers know that this one-time experience is not representative of the service you typically provide. Say something like, “We strive to provide the best service to all of our customers.”
In general, it's best to take care of a dissatisfied customer out of the public eye. Leave a phone number or email address where your customer can contact you.
Learn how to recognize fake reviews and how to report them. Respond quickly to any negative reviews and stay polite, even in the face of unfair criticism:
- A confused person who left a review about the wrong establishment.
- An angry former employee.
- A competitor who makes low shots.
If you think you are dealing with a fake review, feel free to report it. Most major review sites offer you this option.
Be sure to leave a quick response to all your negative reviews that gives your version of the facts so that your customers are not misled. No matter how unfair the review is, remember to remain polite because you are always representing your business.
Discover six examples of appropriate responses to negative reviews, ranging from sincerity to professionalism. Learn how to manage customer concerns while maintaining your online reputation.
1- The honest answer: Appeal to the humanity of the company, listen to your customer, and show that you are genuinely sorry that the customer feels this way. Address each topic the review has raised and make a genuine effort to try to clear up the confusion where you can.
2- A candid answer: Deal with criticism calmly and avoid refuting it directly. In this type of response tactic, you respond but remain professional and brief. Show that this negative feedback is just an opinion and not a fact.
3- A humble answer: For example, if a customer is angry about an incident during their visit to your home, give your apology short but with empathy, deal with the situation and learn from it for the future so that such incidents do not happen again.
4- A professional response: You can respond to a concern without admitting fault on your part, respond concisely and professionally by making yourself available and listening to your customer to manage their problem with them.
5- A subtle answer: You can respond to your customers concisely while trying to get a message across to your customers. Respond to feedback by recognizing the customer's perspective so they can feel that you are involved in keeping your customers happy. It is important to do this because a 3 or 4 star review is often considered more authentic by some customers and therefore more reliable.
6- An honest answer: Some of your customers will be very critical and will accuse you of certain things. Thank your customers for taking the time to give feedback about your establishment, acknowledge their frustration and give your version of events so that everyone can make up their mind about the situation.
If you often hear that your staff is rude, not listening, and/or too slow, it would be a good idea to carefully review the service you provide to your customers and improve it in order to provide the best possible customer experience.
How do you avoid bad reviews online?
Get tips for minimizing negative reviews by asking for reviews from your customers. Learn why a few negative reviews can make your overall reviews more authentic.
Why are negative reviews positive?
If a business only has positive reviews, customers may think that your business is paying for reviews. Having a few negative reviews proves that all of your reviews are authentic.
Use negative feedback to improve yourself
Learn how negative reviews can be an opportunity to improve your business. Identify recurring problems and implement measures to provide a better customer experience.
You can see that most issues come down to responding to reviews professionally. With hundreds of review sites easily accessible to customers, your establishment will surely face negative reviews online. Your goal is to start a dialogue that will not only help you respond to negative reviews, but also improve your relationship with your patients. At Fullwhere, we respond to all your reviews in 24 hours in a personalized way and take the time to consult you to respond to all negative reviews requiring more information from you.
To learn more about our services, ask for a study by our team concerning your online presence!
Turn negative customer reviews into opportunities for growth and success for your business. With a thoughtful and proactive approach, you can respond to criticism effectively while improving your business. Make every customer feedback an opportunity for improvement and see how your business can reach new heights of success.