Online reviews can go one of two ways: either the customer is thoroughly pleased with your work, or the customer is so unsatisfied to the point that they feel the need to write about it on the internet. It’s natural to go into damage control and strictly respond to the negative reviews to maintain credibility as a company. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the best course of action. Don’t worry, we’re here to explain and let you in on how to constructively respond to both the negative and positive reviews.
Here’s Why
Before any prospective clients do business with you, they do their research and consider every little thing about your company - the good, the bad and the ugly. So, not only should you address bad reviews, but also reach out to positive ones to create strong customer relationships. It’s a big deal for your future partners to see that you’re active online and taking the extra step to ensure all of your clients are happy and remain that way.
We’ve all seen the bad review responses that go viral on twitter, but have you ever seen a positive review and response go viral? Here’s your chance to be a trendsetter with awesome reviews and awesome responses. You’ll be on the forefront of positive reviews that have the chance of going viral.
Here’s How
We all know that in order to respond to a negative review we should put ourselves in the customer’s shoes...mentally that is. There has to be a real reason they’re upset and it’s likely that in the situation, we would also get upset. Take a step back, think about what’s going on and respond with a full understanding. A defensive reaction to negative feedback is absolutely not in the cards as it’ll only hurt the image of your business.
Respond with grace and try turning the negative feedback into a positive outcome.
Explain that the problem at hand is not the standard your company upholds, and that this slip-up is by no means acceptable.
Don’t ramble for too long. Keep it simple by apologizing and making effort to make it up to the customer.
For positive reviews, crafting a response is a lot more enjoyable! You get to show your exuberance for your customers that are excited about your awesome business, how fun! This normally gets overlooked, you get the chance to be one of the first companies to go the extra mile with review responses. Here are a few key steps:
Address your customers by name such as, “Hey, Gary…” or “Good Morning, Chelsea.” Getting personal creates a bond between you and your customer.
Show them some gratitude with a sincere thank you. Don’t be generic with it. Personalize your thank you and change it up for each review.
Mirror the highlights they included in the review to show your customer that you’re reading everything they have to say.
End with a thoughtful sign off that tailors to your product such as,
“Enjoy riding your rockin’ new bike, The Team at The Bike Company”
In person, your response to awesome compliments would be raving gratitude and extremely thankful. Make sure your online presence is also reflecting that same attitude of exuberance for your company’s praise. Respond to reviews in a timely manner and your future customers or partners will be impressed and excited to get into business with you and your awesome team! Keep the gratitude coming and be thankful people are willing to reach out and let you know how you’re doing. Now, we know this blog rocks, but get going and start responding to those reviews, even the positive ones.