It's essential to respond to negative reviews as quickly as possible. This will not only increase the chances of improving the situation but also show any potential customers viewing your online profile that you care about your customers' experiences.
When you take the initiative to check in with unhappy customers (detractors), you minimize the risk of the situation escalating online. To manage negative responses about your business, the team at Broadly recommends the following:
- Respond to the negative review and take the conversation offline
- Respond ASAP
- Maintain a professional, empathetic tone
- Provide contact information for the reviewer to get in touch with your business to get the situation resolved.
For example, "Hello Mr. Doe, We sincerely apologize that our service did not meet your expectations. We hold ourselves to a high standard and would love the opportunity to make things right. Please reach out to us at xxx-xxx-xxxx to discuss a resolution."
- Offer to resolve the situation
- Listen. When the customer calls, be sure to hear them out and get a full grasp of their issue. Avoid the temptation to fire off a defensive response. Even if you feel as though the customer is not portraying the situation accurately, it’s important to stay calm and collected. Avoid accusations or getting involved in a detailed back-and-forth or re-telling of events.
- Repeat. When they're finished explaining, repeat back to them their issue to make sure that you're on the same page.
- Resolve. Ask them to define a fair resolution to the issue.
- Set Expectations. Once you agree on a resolution, set their expectations on how the resolution will be carried out and on what timeline
- Follow up. After the resolution is carried out, follow up with the customer to ensure that they are satisfied