6 Ways to Battle Bad Online Reviews
One of the hardest lessons to learn as a kid was that not everyone is going to like you. Believe me, I tried to push the boundaries with candy bribery, but it only lasted as long as the sugary goodness did. After that, the social atmosphere resumed as normal.
As you have probably figured out, this does not go away. There is always someone waiting around the corner with something negative to say. You can’t escape it, but you can handle it well, especially in a business setting. Search Engine Land stated that “72% of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more”. The Core put their heads together to give you the practices that have worked best in battling bad reviews.
1. Foresee Potential Issues
Your main goal is to avoid receiving bad reviews, so try to foresee what will cause dissatisfaction. Some companies implement mystery shoppers, surveys, and focus groups to test services and products from the customer perspective. This will provide an unbiased angle of your service blueprint and/or product. Utilizing these techniques will give you the opportunity to fix issues before they arise.
2. Put Together a Recovery Plan
Issues will eventually pop up here and there. The company needs to know that most often, there is fault on both sides. If your customer did not use the product/service correctly, then you did not explain it efficiently. It is your job to make sure that your customers understand your product or service.
Enforcing a recovery plan will standardize the practice amidst employees. These procedures aim to put dissatisfied customers at ease. You must answer these questions when forming your plan:
How will you train your employees?
Will you have any rewards to win the trust of your customers? If yes, will this reward keep your customer’s loyalty?
How much can you spend on a customer before you reap losses?
3. Apologize Directly and Sincerely
No person in the history of humanity has ever enjoyed a clearly insincere apology. Authenticity is one of the main traits that keep customers loyal. Social Media Today hosted a survey that stated 86% of people say “authenticity is important when deciding what brands they like and support”. In fact, the percentage increases significantly the younger the generation. The survey’s percentage hits a whopping 90% in the millennial population!
Key takeaway: Make sure your customer service representatives understand the importance of genuineness!
4. Provide a Supportive Defense to their Concern
Remind your customers of your mission. Whether it is to provide the fastest service or 15% or more off on car insurance, make sure that your customers are reminded. If they did not receive what you promised, they have reason to be upset. Offer them ways to voice their opinions in a safe atmosphere. Then, see what type of recovery options would be best based on your recovery plan.
5. Customers = Business
Your customers are your purpose. They fuel your funds and keep your employees in their positions. You want the best for your customers because they keep you in business. That is reason enough to offer them the best support possible!
6. Acceptance
You are not going to please everyone, but you can help the people who want to be helped. Being aware of customer concerns and issues make your business better and most importantly, sustainable!
