Many consumers form their opinion of a brand solely based on their online reviews. With digital media taking over, small business owners need to keep close watch over the reputation of their company. Bad reviews happen, and knowing how to handle them can lessen their impact and even present an opportunity for growth. It is easy to get upset when someone has talked negatively about your life’s work, but your focus needs to be on the future of your business. Here we’ve outlined some key things to consider when handling your online reviews.
Respond In A Timely Manner
The first step in this is to respond. Many business owners leave negative reviews lingering online without making an attempt at damage control. The time to begin crafting a response to a negative review is upon its inception. This stops what could be a long thread of negativity. While you do want to carefully consider your response, you don’t want a bad review sitting long enough to affect future business. Engage with the customer as soon as you’ve decided how you would like to approach the situation. Having a set of guidelines to follow will help reduce your response time and increase the effectiveness of your reply.
Show Empathy
Show understanding towards the customer and ask for further details if their issue is unclear. Communicate to them that your intension is to come to a reasonable resolution. Be careful with your words as review sites are public forums and you have your brand’s image to consider. Stay calm and collected and consider the customer’s feelings about the issue. Handle every review situation with the customer experience in mind. A negative review gives you a chance to shine and can turn positive very quickly if handled properly.
Provide Refunds When Necessary
In many cases the best thing to do is offer a refund or discount on future services. Most small business owners will tell you that they rarely regret giving a refund and consider it a necessary practice for maintaining a positive brand image. Often times a refund can result in a customer changing their tune and providing a positive review. If offered promptly, refunds can diffuse situations before the bad review becomes damaging to your business.
Encourage Brand Evangelism
One way to counteract negative reviews is with a slough of positive ones. Encourage your loyal customers to review your company online. If you have a customer rewards program, you could include a perk for publishing to review sites. Ask that they be upfront and honest about their experience with your company. If your positive reviews far outweigh your negative ones, you can call that a win for your online reputation.
Learn From Them
Online reviews can give you great insights on ways to improve your business or potential problems that you may be unaware of. Both positive and negative reviews should be taken seriously as they can be very educational. The aim of your business is to bring in and keep customers. Listening to what they have to say about your product or service can help you better meet their wants and needs.
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