When the same customer continues to leave negative reviews online after you have addressed the complaint, it can be hard to bite your tongue. After all, this one customer is potentially damaging your company’s reputation.
Here are some do’s and don'ts for how to handle several bad reviews from one customer:
DO:
Acknowledge the issue and apologize
Many people who have a bad experience just want to know that the company is addressing their concerns. Always respond politely and tolerate the situation.
Promote a positive image of your company
Try promoting your company’s strengths while dealing with the complaint, and make sure you’re sincere. Create a strategy to get more positive reviews from happy customers. This helps push down any negative reviews. ReviewMaxer helps manage online reviews and improves your online reputation. It effectively collects, monitors, and promotes your reviews. Sign up for a free demo to see how this software helps protect your company online.
Be authentic and personal
When writing out your response, don’t sound like a robot. Scripted responses make it seem like your company isn’t taking the issue seriously. Many companies have started signing off a response with a name and job title to make the interaction more authentic.
Address the problem offline
It’s important to respond to a negative review publicly and then take the conversation offline. End your response with “Please call or email (insert your contact information) so I can resolve this issue with you personally.”
Make a change
If many people are complaining about the same issue, consider making a change to show that you’re listening and trying to improve.
DONT:
Block the customer from leaving a bad review
This could potentially make the situation even worse. Stay true to your company’s values by addressing the problem to the best of your ability. This shows other customers that you’re making an effort.
Get defensive
Responding out of anger makes the situation worse and turns off future customers. Stay calm and collect your thoughts before responding. Write out a response and come back to it a little later before sending it out to make sure it’s reasonable.
Ignore it
Never ignore a bad review because that shows people your company doesn’t value its customers. Remember, at the end of the day, most people can spot a true complainer. As long as you’re doing the best you can to fix a situation, other customers will recognize that.
ReviewMaxer is an affordable and easy-to-use platform to manage your company’s online reviews and reputation. Use ReviewMaxer to promote your positive reviews and interact with your customers to resolve issues. Check out the ReviewMaxer blog for more advice to improve your company’s online reputation.
Written by: Amanda Carr
Photo credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
