How to Respond to Positive and Negative Online Reviews
In each and every business I believe that there is always either a positive or a negative comment which is important and should not be ignored. With the current situation, they have even become more essential to those people owning a local business. As usual, people are always searching for different businesses and products online, and these reviews must be there whether we like them or not.
What one should always know is that having positive reviews and ratings will help you attract traffic to your website. Here are some reasons why you should react to both positive and negative reviews online.
Why should you react to positive and negative reviews?
First, you need to know that these reviews always tell you what other people think about your business, about your products, and the services that you offer, and giving responses to these reviews will always tell your customers that you care about their opinions. And with this, your clients will be happy and feel appreciated and creates a good impact on your company out there. Just try to respond to the reviews because they help customers gain your trust as you continue working.
Note that when responding to a review you do not only respond to one person who might have commented but to everyone outside there. Online reviews should be handled with a lot of good attitude and grace because all these will determine how people will review your brand.
Which reviews should you respond to?
In responding to these reviews, you need to be very wise and smart as well. And this does not mean that every single review deserves a response. According to my research, responding to the negative reviews is of important than to the positive ones for this will show the potential clients that you have how mature you handle their problems and give them solutions towards them.
Consider responding to a positive review when it is hugely elaborated and has details to look at. Because responding to positive reviews is always fun, encouraging and also it gives a huge opportunity to expand your brand wider. Always be genuine and thankful in a very decent way that will fit your normal way of communicating in business.
How to respond to negative reviews
The following are some ways that will guide you in responding to negative reviews.
1. Having a Plan
2. Keep Calm
3. View the problem as your own
4. Allow someone to proofread your response
5. Don’t engage in long discussions
6. Take the discussion offline
1.Having a plan
These negative comments will at one point come and you have to be ready for them by having some standard and quality replies for them and try being careful enough not to repeat the same answer more than once. Get used to this situation and approach the issue based on how it is required.
2.Keep calm
I believe that negative reviews do not come easily in many cases. But it is normal to have different reactions to each and every negative comment because you also have to check on the tone
I believe that negative reviews do not come easily in many cases. But it is normal to have a different reaction to each and every negative comment because you also have to check on the tone of the reviews. Depending on your mood, you need to relax and take some moments before responding.
3.View the problem as your own
For one to make a negative review this means that maybe they have had a bad experience or anything that did not make them happy with your business. But in most cases, I would recommend you to start with apologizing to the customer whether the mistake is yours or from your college.
Always learn to admit your mistake or your companies mistake, apologize then try fixing the problem. As you know that no one is perfect anyone can always make mistakes but the problem comes in admitting and how to deal with the situation for that will walk you out.
4.Allow someone to proofread your response
Maybe you would give a response to someone but the response is so harsh or of disrespect to another which you might not notice so allow someone also to comment on your response before reaching it out to the customer.
5.Avoid getting in long discussions
Lengthy or long discussions always lead to disagreements at a point or may end up complicating issues so just try to avoid them. Reply once, or twice if there is a need but not more because it won’t portray a good picture for your brand.
6.Take the discussion offline
For a client who might have had a bad experience on your business online and you are in a good position to solve it always try to contact them outside the review channel. You can request them to get in touch with your support department and let the situation be solved among yourselves not online presence.
Summary
As an entrepreneur, you need to be very wise in giving out responses to both the positive and negative responses because this will give a great impact on your business.
