In our increasingly mobile and connected world, online reviews play an unprecedented role in influencing buying behavior. In fact, nearly 90 percent of consumers say an online review has swayed a purchasing decision.
For businesses, the power of online reviews cuts both ways. Positive reviews can act as a boon, creating a groundswell of customer interest. Negative online reviews, on the other hand, can ravage the reputation of a business.
When many business owners spot a negative review, the first instinct often is to react immediately, sometimes lashing out or denying the customer’s account. Here are several much better ways to handle the criticism — and even shift it to your advantage.
Breathe — and Investigate
Before you respond, take time to ferret out the truth behind the negative review. Thoroughly investigate before you act.
After doing your homework online and talking with any employees involved in the alleged incident, you should have a good idea of whether the comment is based in fact. If the allegation is untrue or is defamatory, you can ask that the review site remove the comment.
Having a comment removed can prove challenging, however, and you may have to provide documentation backing up your version of events. If the comment is untrue and the involved site fails to take it down, consider responding publicly, in a polite and professional manner, with your side of the story.
Acknowledge the Situation
If the negative comment is true, you’ll need to formulate a response that acknowledges the misstep and attempts to correct it. Try to add a comment to the post in which you explain what happened; be as honest as you can and lay out how you plan to ensure that the mistake doesn’t happen again.
You can also contact the individual who posted the negative review outside the review site. In a comment, let the poster know that you’re happy to answer questions and address concerns via email. If the individual does contact you, respond personally rather than handing the responsibility off to another team member.
By responding in a prompt manner to any negative reviews, you show that you care about the opinions of your customers. Publicly apologizing and acknowledging a mistake can go a long way toward smoothing over a customer’s anger and giving a good impression to other potential customers.
Try to Make Amends
Ideally, you want to fix the situation that prompted the negative review, and you want to make the customer whole. If the person who posted the review is a resident in your community, you can offer compensation to make up for frustration, lost time or lost money.
In many cases, a disgruntled customer will change a review after a business representative has tried hard to make amends for the mistake. If the customer doesn’t change the review without being prompted, you can ask. And if the unhappy individual rejects your offer for compensation, the offer still appears with the review and lets other customers and prospects know that you attempted to rectify the situation.
Take Control of the Narrative
In some cases, a negative review can provide you with an opportunity to point out the many positives of your community. You can easily highlight your strengths in your response. For instance, you can note your long commitment to exceptional customer service.
Even if the customer is clearly wrong in the assessment posted online, avoid being defensive or coming across as testy. Your position should be one of respect for the customer’s position as you present the strong points of your community.
Keep Customers Happy
When residents and prospective residents are happy with your community, they’re much less likely to post negative reviews. If issues arise — whether with your resident services, your marketing team’s interactions with prospective residents, or in other areas — don’t wait to act.
Prevent problems from continuing to get worse by consulting with any involved team members and get feedback from the involved parties to make sure the matter has been resolved to their satisfaction.
Use Surveys to Grow and Improve
Another method of averting negative reviews is getting customers’ opinions on a regular basis. Consider surveying residents, prospective residents and family members frequently to identify possible areas for improvement.
Be sure to share the information you gather from your surveys throughout your organization. You’ll improve the odds of preventing problems in the future and set a high bar for exceptional customer service.
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