Businesses can’t ignore the power of online reviews. It has a strong influence on your potential customers’ purchasing decisions.
BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Survey for 2019 says that at least 82% of clients will be put off by negative reviews.
Handling negative reviews professionally is vital for every business. But we know how hard it is to find a balance between running a business and taking care of your reputation.
That’s where we come in. ReviewLead takes care of online management and review acquisitions for businesses.
In this guide, we help you navigate through bad reviews for your business.
Why unhappy customers leave bad reviews
Consumers are more likely to leave a review after a negative experience. Whenever this happens, you need to stay calm, be level-headed, and get to the bottom of the problem to understand what happened.
Some of the common reasons why they leave a negative review are the following:
- They want to be heard.
- They want a public apology.
- They want to save other consumers from bad experiences.
- They want money reimbursement.
- The client wants revenge.
- They want you to be more honest.
Don’t let panic get to your head if there are negative reviews published. Whether it’s an issue with the product or your service, knowing what went wrong can help you improve your business.
Turn the negative reviews upside down with ReviewLead
Act properly to solve the problem instead of reacting to negative feedback.
Handling negative feedback gracefully is an opportunity to improve your conversion rates. That’s because you show your customer and potential clients that you care about their needs by trying your best to solve the issues.
This step-by-step guide is made to help you handle negative reviews with professionalism:
Catch the negative review before it’s posted online
Prevention is still best. 100% client satisfaction for every customer you’ve ever had is impossible─and that’s okay. Since you can’t please everyone, make sure you check online reviews about your business regularly.
ReviewLead is an online review management solution that can help prevent negative reviews from getting posted online. Listening to your customers’ concerns can avoid larger conflicts and solve their pain points.
ReviewLead sends a single survey question that helps separate happy and unhappy customers. Those who have problems that need to be addressed are given a link where they write their concerns before the review gets published, giving you more time to resolve the issue privately.
Respond promptly and nicely to your customers
If a negative review is published, handle the problem professionally, and be empathetic to your customers. They will most likely give you a second chance when you ask for it.
Clients expect responses from businesses shortly after their feedback is posted. Monitoring your client reviews 24/7 can be exhausting, so let ReviewLead handle it for you.
We can monitor over 140+ third-party review sites for different industries so there’s no waiting time for you or your client.
ReviewLead makes the process simple by sending alerts immediately to businesses whenever reviews are posted in real-time. A link to the review is included so you can easily respond right away.
Replying to your client is the best way to acknowledge their concerns. Mention that you’ll try to resolve any issue that they have immediately.
Offer to resolve the problem
Whether you have a publicized negative review or a private one, make sure that your customer will feel that their concerns are heard. You can ask them to discuss the issue offline so both parties can have clear communication about the problem.
Provide them with the name of your customer service personnel and the contact information so they can connect with you anytime. Likewise, you can also ask for their contact details and their preferred communication channel so it’s convenient for them.
Discussing the problem offline is better especially when you need to deal with complicated issues or if the customer is angry. Plus, a private conversation with your client can help you focus on their needs.
Follow up with the client
Ask your customer nicely to revise the review once the issue has been fixed and if your customer is satisfied with the result. This will prevent misleading information that your leads may see on a review site.
Customers will sometimes change the review on their own, but it’s also a good idea to check on them after you’ve resolved the problem. Getting your clients to update the review can also show that you are serious about providing good quality services.
Take care of your online reputation
Handle negative reviews and conflicts by taking action immediately.
Monitoring your online reputation is the key to keep a good reputation.
ReviewLead captures negative reviews before it becomes public so you can concentrate on fixing your client’s pain points.
Monitor your overall online reputation with a dedicated team of experts in online reviews today! Visit our website to learn more.