How important are online reviews? In short, very! We get it, not everyone is going to have positive things to say, and that isn’t necessarily a reflection on your service or even things within your control. So, don’t get completely devastated by a bad review as there are ways to resolve them or even turn them around to help you. Let’s get started!
Positive Reviews
Positive reviews are always a good thing! When clients and customers actually take the time out of their day to say something positive, it means that you did something very right. Keep in mind, people are more likely to review a negative experience than a positive one so be proud when you receive a good online review.
Make sure you take the time to respond to all reviews, including the positive ones. Use this as an opportunity to thank customers for their feedback and encourage them to visit again and/or invite their friends. Prospective customers, or in your case residents, who are looking at reviews will be pleased to see that your lines of communications are open and that you care about all feedback, whether it is positive or negative. This also serves as a small opportunity to boost your SEO efforts by tossing your brand’s name around in your response.
Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can be frustrating, especially if they are due to circumstances out of your control, but don’t fear – they can be resolved. If you receive a negative review, take the time to read it over and see if there is anything you can learn or take away from it. If there is truth to what they say, use this as an opportunity to improve your service rather than get defensive about it.
Once you come to a clear understanding as to why the negative review was written, take the time to respond in a mature, concise, and professional manner. Don’t get defensive, offer explanations that are too long to read, or put the blame back on the reviewer. Instead, simply apologize for their negative experience and request an opportunity to make things right. If the review requires a longer conversation, invite them to take the conversation offline by contacting you directly. Your public response will always go over well if you are attentive and transparent.
If the situation that earned a negative review seems like something that could be resolved, don’t hesitate to reach out to the customer to see what you can do to make things right. Perhaps if you accommodate their needs, they may even take the negative review down. Be sure you familiarize yourself with the online review site’s Terms of Service before you get started.
In Short
Now that you have more information on responding to online reviews, put these concepts into practice with your business. Or, enlist our Reputation Builder and we’ll properly handle reviews for you.
Want to know what your Reputation looks like online? Get your free Reputation Report Card here!
