Hearing what satisfied customers have to say about your company through online review sites such as Yelp and Google Plus can be exciting and informative. After all, you are seeing your business through the eyes of your valued clients, and you get to hear firsthand about their positive experiences with the products or services you provide. But what do you do when you receive an online review that’s not so great? Here are some tips for dealing with negative online feedback that can help you address customers’ concerns, provide solutions and improve your customer service so that your positive buzz far outweighs the negative on any online review site.
React
Regardless of how thick your skin is, reading a scathing review about your company can really hurt! This is especially true if you feel that the review is unfair or untrue in some way. However, reacting out of anger is absolutely never the thing you should do online or in real life when it comes to dealing with less-than-positive feedback about your business. Take a moment to process the complaint addressed in the review and think before you react. Remember, it only takes a moment to calm yourself before reacting to criticism, but a combative, snarky or otherwise negative reaction will linger on the internet forever.
Reply
Rather than just let your negative online review hang out there on the site for all to see, take action by responding appropriately once you’ve had a chance to think through your reply. By addressing the dissatisfied customer directly through the review site on a comments thread, you can not only try to make things right with the client and hopefully ensure future business, but you can also show anyone who is reading your company’s reviews that you do whatever you can to make sure your customers are happy. Replying to a negative review in a professional, customer service-oriented way can show potential clients that your business goes the extra mile to make sure everyone is 100 percent satisfied.
Recover
Receiving a negative online review about your company can bring you down and possibly even make you second-guess yourself about how you do business. Remember- nobody has the power to make you feel bad except you! Once you’ve dealt with your negative review with a well-thought-out reply and taken measures to correct the cause of the complaint, take a tip from Taylor Swift and shake it off! Negative reviews are bound to come up every once in awhile- take solace in the fact that you addressed the issue quickly and appropriately and focus on all the glowing reviews your business receives.
Ask For Help Responding to Online Reviews
Try to keep in mind that the purpose of online review sites is not only to inform consumers of other customers’ experiences with a product or service, but also to educate business owners about potential issues with their products, staff or policy. Even if it doesn’t always feel like it sometimes, nearly all criticism is constructive in some way- you can use the negative review to improve your business even more! It’s also good to remember that even the greatest, most consumer-friendly companies in the world have to deal with negative feedback pretty much all the time. Hearing about your company directly from the consumers themselves is a great way to keep your business on point and strive for continued improvement and increased performance. By thinking of negative feedback as a learning opportunity, you can rise above less-than-stellar reviews to make your company even stronger and better!
Contact Echero today to speak with one of our Local SEO experts about how we can help you respond to any negative online reviews you have received. We can also devise a Reputation Management strategy to help increase positive online reviews for your business and boost your Local SEO rankings. Give us a call 925-998-5313
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