Many consumers begin their search for products and services online. Since most consumers trust recommendations, online reviews can influence where they buy. Some reviews are good, and some are bad.
What should you do if you get a bad online review?
SCORE offers free mentoring services to thousands of Southern Arizona businesses every year, and has found that sometimes the complaint is legitimate, sometimes it is not. Here are some tips to consider if you get a legitimate but negative online review.
1. Make sure you have set up Google alerts or some online monitoring system so you know when someone mentions your company online.
2. Remember that the customer can almost always delete or amend their review. When it comes to online reviews, the customer is always right, even when theyβre not.
3. Be empathetic and look at the complaint from the customersβ point of view. Apologize and offer solutions to make the customer happy.
4. Try to leverage the opportunity created by the mistake to develop a deeper relationship with the customer. When this is done well, they can become your most loyal fans.
5. It is important to respond quickly, but do not be defensive. A negative review is bad for your business, but a defensive response can damage your reputation even more.
6. Be as specific as possible in your response. You do not want your response to look like an βauto-responderβ message.
7. If you sense a protracted back-and-forth conversation could occur, it is best to take the conversation offline.
8. Once the situation is resolved, ask the client to amend the online review.
9. A good way to hide bad reviews is to cover them up with good reviews.
10. To get more good reviews, add review website links in your email signature, on your website and social media platforms. Ask for reviews on your invoices, put up window stickers or place signs on your countertop.
If you need more information regarding negative online reviews, either legitimate or not, call SCORE at 505-3636.
