These days, companies live and die by their reviews. Unfortunately, this has led to a new era of surreptitious intracorporational warfare. Many companies will leave false one-star reviews on competitor products.
Luckily, it’s unlikely to happen to you. But if you do get a bad review from an angry customer, that can really take the wind out of your sails. Take too long to respond, though, and the reputation for your customer service goes down the toilet.
With practice, responding to a review like this will become second nature. Read on as we discuss how you can handle the most vicious online reviews.
Once You Get a Bad Review, Take a Deep Breath
Before we get to handling the customer, we recommend that you relax. Take some deep breaths, go for a walk outside, maybe even get yourself a coffee. Rest assured, it will get easier with time to receive these sorts of reviews.
It’s important not to allow these reviews to bring you down. Your business growth relies on your ability to stay resilient in the face of opposition. Develop some coping strategies for when you get an onslaught of negative reviews.
Speak to the Customer Directly
There’s no better way to create exceptional customer service than to talk to your customers one on one. Many companies do this, especially for their most critical reviewers. It gives you a chance to get further context and “talk them off a cliff,” as it were.
You want to discover where things went wrong. A chat with the customer may reveal things you didn’t realize about your own business. This is a key part of veterinary online reputation management; becoming the sort of awesome customer service that everyone hears about.
Be prompt as well. Delay too long, and the customer may already be long gone. Responding a week or a month late will certainly make them feel like they don’t matter.
Make Restitution If Possible
Most important of all, find out how you can make things better. Offer them discounts, refunds, or anything that will prevent them from patronizing another business. You can afford to give them the princess treatment here; you don’t have to do this for all customers.
Sometimes, this can completely flip a customer’s perception of you. At the end of the day, it’s much cheaper to give them something for free than to let them poison your reputation. Remember, they will tell everyone and their dog about an unresolved bad experience they had.
Learn More about Business Management
A bad review can put any business owner down in the dumps, especially with how vitriolic they tend to be these days. However, develop a strategy for responding to a review and handling an angry customer. Make your company into the sort that has a reputation for unparalleled customer service.
Follow our blog for plenty of excellent business tips to ensure maximum business growth.
