When a customer has a positive experience, they’ll likely tell one person. When a customer has a bad experience, they’ll tell 10….and write about it on your social media pages, local listings or review sites. The best thing to do when you receive a review is let your customers, and potential new customers, know you care about their feedback and will resolve any issues you can. To show this, it is important that you respond to all online reviews, positive or negative with your reputation and review management.
Here are 3 best practices for handling online reviews:
1. Understand the Complaint
It’s never fun to read something negative about your business, but it’s important to understand what the reviewer is upset about so you can respond appropriately and take action to resolve the problem.
Try to look at reviews as a free consumer research tool. Keep a record of your reviews and make note of any suggestions, tips, questions or problems people mention. Often times the issue of one reviewer may be the same reason you’re losing other customers.
2. Respond
Keep your response brief and respond publically so others viewing your reviews see that you acknowledge your customer’s concerns. Your response should be professional, empathetic, and realistic.
- Professional: Remember that your response is public and can be viewed by anyone, including current and potential new customers. Even if a review has incorrect information, always avoid being defensive.
- Empathetic: Start the review with things like “we apologize,” “we are sorry to hear that,” or “we appreciate your feedback and the opportunity to improve our service” so the reviewer feels that they were heard.
- Realistic: If the reviewer identified a problem that can be solved, let them know the solution. If the problem is bigger, be realistic and don’t promise anything you cannot deliver.
3. Follow Up
If possible try to follow up with the reviewer by email or phone to ensure a positive experience moving forward. If you can come to a resolution, you can ask the reviewer to follow up online with a positive comment or edit their review so others know the issue was resolved.
Not looking to add another job to your already busy schedule? RCP Marketing can manage your online presence and review management to help build a positive reputation for your business. Call us today to learn more!
