Providing a good customer experience is one of the most important aspects of a successful business. When customers are treated well and feel good after receiving service, they are more likely to purchase your products/services again or recommend them to a friend. However, another important aspect of providing a good customer experience is understanding when you as a business have done something wrong, or given the wrong impression to a customer. One of the easiest ways to improve customer satisfaction is by responding to negative online reviews about your business.
When looking at negative reviews, it is normal to feel like you have to post a defensive response. However, a poorly worded reply to a review is seen by over 89% of your customers and may give them the wrong impression about your business. Consequently, it is also as important to respond to reviews, since it is known to boost a business’s ratings. Responding to negative reviews can be tricky, but the right techniques can help improve your organization and provide better customer service.
The Importance of Negative Reviews
One of the main tasks of a business is to keep customers happy and effectively solve their issues. However oftentimes in order to so, you must respond to uncomfortable, triggering negative reviews from customers. With these tips below, you can respond to negative reviews effectively, and easily.
Responding to Negative Reviews
Here are 5 key steps you can take to ensure that you have a positive customer response when you respond to negative reviews.
Apologize
One of the best ways to improve customer satisfaction when responding to negative reviews is to sympathize with the customer and to hold yourself accountable for your actions. Giving a genuine apology lets your customers know that you are aware of their struggles and understand why you didn’t meet their expectations.
Be Genuine and Empathize with Your Customer’s Struggle
Another essential aspect of responding to customer reviews is being genuine with your response. It is important to personalize every response tailored to each customer’s issues, rather than just using a general template. This will help customers feel acknowledged and heard
Keep it Concise
Less is more when it comes to writing responses. Overly long responses can reduce the impact of your response and can even make you sound defensive. A good rule of thumb is to keep reviews to a maximum of 4 sentences.
Thank the Customer for Providing their Feedback
Feedback is one of the most tools a business can use to improve its services – which is why it is important to thank customers who write reviews, whether they be good or bad. Thanking customers not only makes them feel valued but also showcases your business’s commitment to improvement.
Move the Discussion Offline
In many cases trying to resolve your customers’ issues through electronic responses are not very effective. Providing unhappy customers with a way to contact a representative shows your company’s receptiveness to feedback and that you take customer service seriously.
Keeping Your Customers Happy.
Keeping customers happy is one of the most crucial elements to running a successful business. However, all businesses make mistakes, and sometimes as a result of these mistakes, customers may write harsh, negative reviews about your organization. Though it is normal to take these reviews as an attack on your business, it is important to turn your responses to reviews into an opportunity to provide good customer service. With the tips in this blog, you can respond to negative reviews effectively and stress-free.
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