No matter how well you run your business, you will inevitably receive negative reviews. Though these negative reviews may seem detrimental to your business, they are actually opportunities for your business to win over customers.
On a general level, responding to reviews is a clear signal to potential customers that you care about their customer experience. More specifically, responding to negative reviews enables you to resolve issues as they arise, while also giving you an opportunity to win over customers. 78% of customers say that seeing a business' management respond to reviews shows them that the business cares about the customer experience.
To ensure maximum positive impact from your reviews, time and appreciation are key. As a general rule, you should respond to customer reviews within 24 hours. This allows you to address issues while the customer's experience is still fresh. Showing appreciation is the next step to ensuring a strong impact. No matter how you feel about the review, it is important to thank the customer for taking the time to provide feedback. A "thank you" shows that you value their opinion and that you are actively working towards improving their customer experience.
When responding, address specific issues raised by the customer. This shows that you're taking what they have to say into careful consideration. It also provides you an opportunity to apologize, if necessary, for what went wrong. If nothing went wrong, but a customer was just unhappy, it's okay to educate the customer. However, education comes after showing appreciation for the review.
Download out latest whitepaper, How To Win Digital and Real-World Traffic with Local Reviews, written by reviews experts Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin from Convince & Convert, to learn how to position trustworthy content in the right context for consumers to see it, remember it and act on it.
