Being judged in an open forum can be daunting for all of us.
Sure, a good review makes you feel warm and fuzzy but it is a bad review that can have you hiding under your quilt for days. We try and look at bad reviews as an opportunity. None of us are in business to make people unhappy, so when a customer lets you know they’re unhappy, they are asking you to fix it!
Regardless of words used, their complaint actually says to you; “My experience wasn’t what I expected.” You need to ask them “How can we make it better?”
Take ownership of your mistakes
No one is perfect and mistakes happen. The positive thing about a negative review on your Facebook page is you get to have some control. Of course, you can’t delete reviews, but you can respond and if necessary hide comments and that is a hell of a lot! If people can’t leave reviews on your Facebook page, rest ASSURED they will do it somewhere else where you will have zero control and no way to respond or engage with YOUR customer and YOUR reputation.
When someone visits your page and leaves a review they are giving you the opportunity to respond and hopefully, to right the wrong. Leverage the bad reviews and excel at customer service!
We may not be able to keep everyone happy but what we can do is let them know they have made a difference. Let them know that their opinion matters and changes will take place to ensure a better experience next time or for others. By doing this they will feel valued.
Action every review – Good or bad
Talk to your staff, celebrate the positives and review the negatives. Don’t be afraid of being judged, use it to make you and your business better at what you do – which, let’s face it, almost all of us want to make people smile 🙂
Own the mistakes, admit when you’re wrong and go above and beyond to fix it. When you’re not in the wrong, stand up for yourself, explain your case and be strong. Integrity works both ways and it will earn you respect.
How does your business handle reviews?
What are your strategies? Have a particularly difficult review that was hard to handle? Share your experiences in the comments.
