It’s very easy as a business owner to neglect those nasty online reviews about your company. It’s even easier to show no remorse whatsoever and continue running the business the way you always have done. However, there comes a time when you’ll want to grow your business for the better, and responding to online reviews could be one of the few ways to do exactly that. If you haven’t had a chance to respond to a review or you don’t even have any reviews to respond to yet (this post covers getting reviews on Amazon) – it’s crucial you know how to respond the right way.
1. Always Respond Publicly
Whether you’ve had excellent reviews or your company is at the brunt of negative comments, always respond to such reviews publicly. This will show potential customers that you’re not afraid to step up and let consumers know what you’re going to do to ensure others do not have the same poor experience (if any). Responding to positive reviews should also be done publicly, even if it’s just a quick thank you.
2. Always Respond Quickly
There’s nothing worse for a customer than having to wait for a business owner to respond to their review (especially if it’s a bad one). They will use it as a prime example why you’re not fit to run a successful business and, the chances are, more customers will follow suit.
Always make sure you have alerts so you can quickly respond to both good and negative reviews about your business. Don’t just wait until the evening before you remember you also have a section to respond to reviewers. Checking every couple of hours and responding quickly could well work in your favor.
3. Always Think Before You Say
It’s one of those things your mom used to tell you as a child “Always think before you say”, otherwise, it could end with you being in a spot of bother. You should follow the same principle while dealing with online reviews.
It’s all well and good being able to respond quickly, but if you forget to be professional about it or you get impulsive, it could cost you a lot of custom. You won’t always agree with what customers say about you or your company, but what you can do is think about it before you write an informative response.
4. Be Patient, Professional & Informative
There isn’t really a lot you can do to respond to a positive review other than saying thanks and that you appreciate their custom. However, when it comes to poor reviews, it’s a completely different story. For a start, you need to be patient and professional – that goes without saying. But, you also need to ensure you’re informative in your response. This isn’t just for that particular individual’s benefit; it’s for the benefit of everyone else who’ll be reading that response to the review.
So, what are you going to change in the future to ensure customers get their products on time? What are you going to do to ensure the customer gets the right product they purchased in the first place? It’s crucial you answer their problems in detail and let others know what you are doing now to rectify that problem and prevent it from happening again.
Responding to online reviews is never an easy feat, but it’s something that must be done in order to keep your business alive and competing. Even if you get reviews where consumers curse and are blatantly not happy with the service you’ve provided, take a deep breath and let them and others know what happened and what you’re going to do about it to prevent it from happening in the future.
