Negative reviews will happen to the best of us – we are all human and despite your best efforts, your business will receive one from time to time. Some reviews are positive criticisms, providing helpful insights on how to better manage your business. Others unfortunately are not so helpful and perhaps a little inflammatory and hurtful. Regardless of how they make you feel, those need to be addressed as well.
Never ignore a negative review. The decision to stick your head in the sand may initially seem like the better option, but failing to respond to a negative review is the equivalent of you admitting to the reviewer and all online users that you do not know how to run your business efficiently. You need to address the review and reach out to the reviewer, albeit in a polite and professional manner.
Why Bad Reviews Matter
Bad reviews matter because they can cost you money. You need to respond to reviews as soon as possible. A negative review is like an angry customer shouting warnings to potential customers about to enter your door. It may be a virtual door, but according to Google’s search statistics, a lot of people are referring to that virtual door before they make the decision to enter your store or hire your services.
In response to a negative review, the first thing you need to do is investigate the case to determine if it is a legitimate complaint. If you get a bad review and it is a warranted one, you should apologize and admit you could’ve done better. Try and make it up to the reviewer by offering them a special price or another opportunity to fix the problem. If you have a problem with a customer and you get on it right away, the customer will do business with you again 80% of the time.
It’s an absolute must to know what is being said about your company on the Internet – and to respond as quickly as possible. For help with managing your company’s online reviews, contact BlueHat Marketing and speak to one of our experts today.
