They say that there isn’t such a thing as bad publicity, but when it comes to online reviews, that couldn’t be further from the truth. For a business owner, negative feedback can be the determinant factor between failure and success. As an expert operations, tech, and mobility executive, Scott Hall Maryland knows how important building your brand and consumer trust can be for increased sales and growth. To go over how to assess, manage, and turn around negative reviews online, Scott Hall, based in Maryland, provides his top tips.
Use Customer Reviews as a Way to Further Improve Products or Services
A knee-jerk reaction to a negative review might be anger or frustration. How could someone write something so critical, incorrect, and off-the-mark? If this isn’t the first time you’ve heard a complaint related to this particular issue, you might want to consider looking at commonalities. Scott Hall, from his perspective in Maryland, explains that negative reviews or feedback can actually be one of the most useful tools for your business. You might want to ask yourself if the issue being addressed has merit, as this type of critical customer feedback can help you grow, sustain, and improve your business over time. Once you’ve determined whether something needs to be re-examined or not, consider the steps it might take to change. Does your staff need additional training? Do you need to change the way your services are structured? Do you need to create new provisions or guidelines? Of course, not all customer reviews are going to be useful or beneficial; use your critical thinking, because trusting every review can drive you insane. Use your best judgement, but always be open to the idea that you could be improving your products or services for the benefit of your customers.
Acknowledge the Complaint
Scott Hall, located in Maryland, explains that the first thing you need to do when you receive a negative review is deal with it as quickly as possible. When a customer goes through the trouble of submitting a review, whether it is positive or negative, over 40 percent of individuals appreciate a response in less than an hour. Acknowledging the response is the first step, even if you don’t feel like you’ve done anything wrong. Thank them for taking the time to leave a review and try not to get defensive. Scott Hall Maryland explains that the reviewers experience is their own, and the more you argue with them, the worse the situation can become. As with most customer service issues, a little bit of sympathy can go a long way. If the review has left you angry, upset, or frustrated, consider taking a step back before responding.
Take Responsibility to Increase Customer Satisfaction
Next: apologize. As mentioned above, how the customers feel is important above all else. The emotion a customer associates with your business is more powerful than any story or explanation can ever be. When you apologize, it is important to note that you don’t need to acknowledge whatever it is they are accusing you of. At this point, you might be able to add in that this experience is not reflective of your usual business practices, and that you are grateful for their feedback. You can also mention that this is an uncommon experience, but that your company is dedicated to improving things for the benefit of their customers: “We are known for our exceptional customer service, and we regret that we did not live up to that expectation. We appreciate your feedback, as it helps us create a benchmark for future performance.”
Develop a Response Strategy
Scott Hall Maryland suggests keeping your response to the negative review short and sweet. Less is more. No matter how unfair, critical, or judgemental a review is, fight the urge to respond defensively or be combative in your response. You want to avoid saying anything that encourages a customer to respond again, with further information and negativity to support their initial review. Your response will be online for the days, weeks, and months following posting it, so keep that audience in mind when you write it.
Contact the Customer Directly
Scott Hall, with his perspective working with Maryland customers, explains that the next step is to connect with the customer directly off of the forum they’re posting on. In your response, ask them to e-mail or call you directly, and provide them with the name of a representative if at all possible. The more personal your response, the better impression you leave overall. Customers like to know that if they have a concern, you have a department responsible for dealing with them. Scott then explains that you can take this as an opportunity to fix the problem the customer had. Of course, every business, complaint, and review is different, so you will need to use your best judgement on how to proceed. Perhaps you can offer a refund, a free item, voucher or a certificate to reassure the customer how important their feedback and business is to you. This is a small investment in long-term success. When you fix things every time something goes wrong (which it inevitably always does), your customers will start to trust that they can always connect with you over problems they are experiencing.
All of the above steps showcase to the reviewer, as well as potential future clientele, that you are a company receptive to feedback and criticism. Scott Hall Maryland explains that we all make mistakes, and your customers recognize that no person or business is perfect. In life, as in reviews, it is all about how you deal with the conflict that matters. Word-of-mouth is still an extremely powerful outreach tool, and if you are able to convert a bad reviewer into a loyal customer, you will not only gain the respect of existing customers, but new ones too.
