Jan 28, 2021 | 2 minute read Laura recently purchased a café. She selected a new name and completed renovations. But growing an online presence is a little trickier. She’s created social media profiles and even claimed her Google My Business listing but until she gets reviews, her business is basically invisible online.
To remedy this, she starts a review gathering campaign. She hands out cards requesting reviews with every purchase. Initially, her efforts pay off-she gets more than few reviews on Google and Facebook. But as more reviews trickle in, not all of them are positive. How should she handle receiving negative reviews?
Contrary to what you may believe, ignoring negative reviews is never a good idea. It signals to customers that you don’t care about their opinion. And it often leads to escalation.
Instead of ignoring negative reviews, consider them carefully. Are their criticisms valid? Are there steps you can take to rectify the situation going forward?
Constructive criticism can help you improve your business. And responding to negative reviews can strengthen your reputation as well as your relationship with individual customers.
How to Respond to Negative Reviews
To get the best results, consider implementing each of the following practices.
- Respond quickly. The longer a review sits without a response, the more power it has. Defuse the situation by responding promptly.
- Acknowledge specific criticisms. Let the customer know you thoroughly considered their words.
- Apologize for any missteps. Apologize their expectations weren’t met.
- Provide direct contact info. Provide them with your name and contact info. Offer to move the conversation offline for a more in-depth discussion.
- Thank each customer for sharing.
- Promise to do better in the future.
Now that Laura has adopted a winning strategy, she can focus her efforts on improving her business-and scoring some more positive reviews.
The Easiest Way to Manage Reviews
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