It is important that businesses manage a good reputation online, and this includes how they react to a negative review. It is only a matter of time before your business receives a not-so-favorable review, and when this happens your business should respond in a timely and professional manner.
We Have Found The Following Steps Can Lead To Ultimately Resolving The Issue
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The first step is to acknowledge the customer’s issue. It is important to the customer (and others reading the review) that if they reach out, they will be heard. Specifically responding to Google reviews can be done through Google My Business.
Example: “Thank you for providing your feedback and letting us know about this issue with the product.”
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The next step is to apologize to the customer. This is not always the easiest step but it is the best way to de-escalate an issue. The best way to apologize is not to admit fault for the problem but to show empathy and apologize that their experience was below expectations.
Example: “We apologize that our service did not satisfy your expectations. We set a high standard for ourselves and are truly sorry to hear that standard was not met in your interaction with our business. Your happiness is our number one priority”.
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After apologizing, the next step, if necessary, is to provide an explanation. Explaining the situation to a customer, like if the power was out at your place of business, can bring clarity and understanding for the customer.
Example: “Our entire team apologizes for the miscommunication that took place when scheduling your service appointment. We experienced a serious technical issue with our scheduling software, which caused us to lose valuable information about our upcoming appointments. As a result, we did not meet our scheduled service window at your home.”
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The next step is a compensation offer (if necessary). This step can be a quick fix to satisfy an upset customer. This should be done in an ethical way, especially if this is being offered in a public forum.
Example: “We’d be happy to offer you a free meal on us the next time you visit our restaurant”
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The final step is to encourage the customer to continue the discussion offline. Taking the discussion offline and instead to in-person or over the phone decreases the chances of miscommunication and allows both parties to thoroughly talk through the issue.
Example: “Please contact me on my cell phone at 555-555-5555. I am the Manager at the store and want to make sure you have a positive experience at ABC Pharmacy.”
Negative reviews and the way your business responds to reviews can be seen by the public.
Always respond in a polite and professional manner. Additionally, if you have solved reviews offline with any customers, encourage them to remove their negative review. This way the customer is still satisfied and your online review score will not be negatively impacted.