In a time of such instability and uncertainty, you need all the help you can get. We’re doing our best to ensure your reviews are positive to help your profits stay stable. Many consumers are opting to shop locally to help their local restaurants, shops, and bars survive. Your customer reviews help create more digital traffic to your company and grow your sales. 

While people are more likely to leave online reviews for local businesses, it’s important to remember that companies of every size and in every industry are seeing the impact of customer reviews. Though reviews affect some industries more than others, consumers are still making it their mission to share their experiences online.

When you think of local businesses and online reviews, restaurants probably come to mind. However, other business types, such as photographers, funeral directors, and accountants, have an important responsibility to ensure a good online reputation. Your online reputation is based on a reliable amount of reviews highlighting the quality of service you provide to your customers.

You’ve spent a great deal of time and effort training your employees, and you’re proud of the culture you’ve created within your company. Unfortunately, one day during a transaction with a customer, a misunderstanding occurs, and the customer leaves feeling unsatisfied with the level of service he received. Before you know it, you’ve lost half a star rating on your Google business page because the unhappy customer left a negative review. Here are three things you should do immediately.

1. Read to understand. 

Take your time when reading the review. You want to understand your customer’s point of view. By putting yourself in your customer’s shoes, you’ll reply empathetically instead of defensively.

2. Do your research.

Before responding to the review, do some digging internally to find out exactly what occurred when the customer interacted with your company. The more informed you are about the incident the better.

3. Respond timely.

Now that you’ve had the opportunity to gather information, it’s time to respond to the customer. Begin by acknowledging the customer’s experience. Apologize, even if no one at your company made a mistake or acted inappropriately. Next, assure the customer that you have standards in place that you expect all employees to uphold. Last, invite the customer to return to your company.  

Negative reviews can do real damage to your company’s reputation. It’s imperative that you address each one. According to statistics provided by BrightLocal, 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting a company and, of those, 97% will take the time to specifically read the company’s responses to reviews. Additionally, 84% of consumers think that reviews older than three months aren’t relevant, and 48% of consumers only read reviews written in the past two weeks. 

Applying these three steps when you’re dealing with a negative review is a productive way to respond effectively and maintain your online reputation. 

It can be challenging keeping up with your online reviews. ReviewMaxer makes managing your online reviews easy and improves your online reputation. Want to learn more about it? Sign up for a complimentary demo today.

Amide Jean is a spring intern at Axia Public Relations and a communication student studying at the University of North Florida. She is detail-oriented and passionate about exceeding expectations and goals. Amide joined Axia in January 2020.

In the age of technology, online reviews are often the deciding factor for prospective customers. For instance, online statistics website Qualtrics found that 93% of consumers reported online reviews impacted their purchasing decisions. What happens when the good intention of online reviews goes awry?

Thew Brewing Company received backlash in the form of negative online reviews in August 2019 after hosting fundraising events for an LGBTQ organization. The brewery held two drag shows in support of Tanager Place LGBTQ Youth Center. The first drag show was for people over 21, and after many teens who attended the center shared their interest, the brewery held an all-ages bingo drag show. 

Once word about the shows spread, online reviews began flooding in, most of them displaying disapproval of the company’s LGBTQ support and events. Thew Brewing’s dedicated regulars took note and began posting positive reviews and recommendations on the company’s Facebook page. In just two hours the brewery received 24 positive reviews and 16 negative reviews. 

Many of the negative reviews were dishonest; however, they still had an impact on the company’s overall rating. Unfortunately, many other companies have been the subject of false reviews, and some companies have even taken legal action, like this business owner in Forest Lake, Minnesota. Luckily, Thew Brewing had the support of its regular customers and other individuals to combat some of the negative backlash. 

Online review sites are a platform for honest and helpful reviews of companies. Is it OK to use them to show disappointment or disagreement with a company’s business practices? If you’re disappointed in a company’s services, then a negative review is acceptable. However, reviewers shouldn’t tarnish a company’s image if they’ve never done business with the establishment. Negative reviews can be detrimental to an organization. Thew Brewing was able to recover from its negative reviews. Would your company recover from something similar?

Your reputation and reviews are a big part of how customers decide to do business with your company. ReviewMaxer can help your company build a positive online presence. Schedule a demo today!

Today, there are a number of steps that people take before making a purchase from your company. Prospective customers begin by researching your reputation to develop an idea of how you conduct business. They look at previous experiences of others as information to help confirm their decision to do business with you. 

A local consumer review survey conducted by BrightLocal found that 86% of consumers take the time to read the reviews of local businesses. The average consumer will read up to 10 reviews before making the decision to trust a company. When reading reviews, 40% of consumers only consider reviews written from two weeks ago. The study shows 91% of consumers are more likely to use a business because of positive reviews, while 82% are less likely to choose a business with negative reviews. Additionally, 57% of consumers will only do business with companies that rate four review stars or higher.

Your online reviews impact customers’ decisions to do business with you or one of your competitors. It’s safe to say that today, online reviews serve as the new digital form of word-of-mouth. One thing that hasn’t changed is the value of trust. According to the BrightLocal survey, 91% of people ages 18 to 34 place the same amount of trust toward online reviews as they would personal recommendations.

Reviews can have a measurable impact on your company, both good and bad.