Having good reviews can definitely help your business. People like to work with businesses they can trust and purchase products that are good quality. In fact, around 88% of people say their purchases are influenced by online reviews.
While good reviews definitely influence buying decisions, people are also influenced by how you deal with negative online reviews. No one likes getting a bad review, but sometimes they happen, and the way you deal with them is critical for your business. Below are some tips on how to deal with a bad review.
1. Respond to the review promptly
Most people writing negative reviews aren’t trying to purposely bad mouth you, they are just frustrated with their experience. Responding promptly to reviews shows that you take your customer service seriously and care about people’s opinions. A response may be the thing that sways the customer to give you a second chance to make it right.
2. Monitor reviews
In order to respond promptly, you must monitor sites where people can review you. Set up a Google Alert for your business and be sure to actively monitor your Facebook, Twitter, Yelp or any other places where you business is listed. Many social media management tools have this built in to their platform, making monitoring reviews easier.
3. Be polite
When people write strong opinions about your business, it’s understandable that you may get emotional, but it’s important to always remain professional in your responses. Thank the reviewer for their valuable feedback and make an attempt to resolve the issue. In some cases, resolving the issue may be better suited off the public forum, in either a phone call or email.
4. Encourage reviews
Place advertisements in your place of business that encourage people to leave reviews. If more people start leaving good reviews, that will offset the bad one you received. Be sure to respond to the good reviews you receive as well, to let customers know that you value all their feedback.
5. Learn from your bad review
A bad review can actually be a learning experience. Getting feedback from your customers is a chance to improve your business. Instead of viewing a negative review as a bad thing, use it as an opportunity to make your business better.
