Believe it or not, the same premise applies to negative review response as it does to positive reviews.
How you answer to a negative review impacts not only the reviewer but all the sets of eyes that come afterward. Seeing a business handle a particularly challenging review online suggests that management is proud of their business and willing to go the extra mile to maintain their reputation!
Make potential clients see the light with these four steps: apologies, promote, get offline, keep it simple.
How to answer negative reviews
- Apologize and sympathize The first step towards fixing a problem is acknowledging that one occurred. Regardless of what happened, a simple apology and sympathy for your customer’s experience go a long way.
- Promote So the famous crab cakes weren’t up to par the day this particular customer visited. If they’re what you are known for, why not reiterate that? “Our crab cakes are usually a hit, we’re sorry to hear that they weren’t up to par when you visited!”
- Move the conversation offline Don’t open a can of worms. Keep the lid on tight by offering the reviewer the chance to reach out via phone, email, or both.
- Keep it simple Avoid specifics and don’t ask questions. Those conversations are much better served in a space away from the prying public.
One last pro tip: leave your business name, location, and category out of this. You don’t want your negative reviews showing up in the search!
Now that wasn’t so bad, was it? You can use software to pull in your reviews from all over the web so you can respond quickly. And if you don’t have time, seek out our Digital Agency services to do it for you. Not only do we guarantee expertise, but we also guarantee it in a hurry: we respond to reviews as soon as our software pulls them in!
Managing online reputation includes Reviews, accurate business information, and now social media activity impact a business’s reputation and influences whether a consumer decides to do business with them. Businesses need a way to manage all of these factors in a scalable way.
With Reputation Management, you can keep on top of online activity affecting the reputation of a business, including reviews, listings, and social media, helping you make expert recommendations, and provide proof-of-performance.
Grow revenue and keep your clients for longer with Reputation Management! Our study shows that business clients who purchase Reputation Management are more likely to remain your clients for longer compared to those who do not.
Reputation Management helps cut through the clutter associated with managing online reputations. Give your clients control over the most important aspects of their reputation, including reviews, listings, and social media.
Connecting with customers is easy with built-in smart review responses and powerful review insights backed by artificial intelligence! And with reporting built right in, you can show your clients how you have helped them improve their reputation over time.
With the Product-Led Growth Program, you can offer prospects a free version of Reputation Management and let them tell you when they’re ready to be a paying client. See the feature breakdown below: