3 Easy Steps to Get More Reviews For Your Clients

There has been significant research on how to effectively respond to and defuse negative customer feedback – much of it from the hotel and hospitality industry where reviews have an even larger impact. Here are the most important aspects of a successful response to a negative review:

Say thanks. The customer took the time to right a perceived wrong. You may disagree, and the customer may be ill-informed, unfair, or vindictive, but they have created an opportunity for progress. 

Don’t try to win the argument. You can’t. And when the argument plays out in public, you will lose big. An ageless law still holds in the digital age – the customer is always right.

Decide whether to address the issue publicly or privately. Experts are divided. Some point to the risk of a public exchange becoming messy or unwieldy as a reason to take it offline. Others point out the benefit of demonstrating superior customer service in an open forum. For some professions, navigating a public response is even more complex. For example, physicians or lawyers can’t respond with specifics that compromise confidentiality. You will have to use your judgment based on the type of client it is. 

Take responsibility. Apologize for the customer’s subpar experience, accept fault and explain what went wrong if you can. Be appreciative and positive – or at least fake it. 

Take the big picture into account. When positive reviews of a business outweigh the negative, readers typically dismiss or rationalize any negative comments in the business’s favor. But when there’s a bulk of negative opinion, readers will attribute it to legitimate service failures. The latter requires a stronger response from the business and a conversation with your client. 

Consider compensatory action carefully. You want to avoid the appearance that the business rewards complaints, but sometimes compensating the customer for their trouble is the most appropriate response. If the review suggests an extensive or undeniable failure, giving the affected parties a voucher or other real compensation shows a commitment to accountability that will give new customers confidence in your client’s business. Just make sure this is something your client is willing to provide. 

If you make amends, suggest an amendment. If things resolve amicably and you deem the negative comments to be unduly damaging, you can ask the customer to edit or remove their comment. Just be careful how you go about this (i.e. make sure it’s not done publicly on the review site). 63% of consumers will update their negative review or low-star rating once an owner response resolves their complaint.

Make the resolution known. If you resolve a customer issue in private but the negative review remains, let readers know that it was handled offline: “Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. As discussed on the phone…”

Research shows that customers care about fairness and accountability, and a so-called “service recovery” of the kind described above can convert a dissatisfied customer into a satisfied, loyal one. 

In responding to negative reviews, it’s critical to satisfy the complaint in a way that benefits future readers of the exchange. Given the stakes of the game and the nuances of playing it, the person charged with responding to reviews should be empowered to make decisions. The marketer overseeing review management for your clients should be well-informed, have an intimate knowledge of your client’s business, and demonstrate tact and writing skills.

As a marketer, you know your clients have much to benefit from reviews. But often there is so much more to review management than just generating reviews. See how Grade.us can make it easy for you to get, monitor, and respond to your client’s reviews.