A recent report by Uberall reveals that as many as 65% of consumers anticipate a response from businesses to their online reviews. Of these, 80% believe that the response should be personalized. This insight is crucial for anyone looking to harness the full potential of online reviews to expand their business. In this article, you’ll learn effective strategies for responding to online reviews.
How to Respond to Online Reviews
The reality is that many businesses fail to engage with the feedback they receive from customers. In fact, a significant number of companies are unaware that actively seeking out and responding to reviews is a powerful tool for driving growth. If your business falls into this category, you’re likely missing out on substantial opportunities. To put things into perspective, consider these key statistics:
These figures illustrate the importance of taking customer reviews seriously. Engaging with online feedback could be the missing link to unlocking your business’s full potential.
You Should Respond to Online Reviews
Online reviews serve a purpose far beyond merely being displayed. They require your active involvement, and depending on your business’s size and nature, you might even need to hire dedicated staff to manage your online reputation effectively.
People Use Your Response to Evaluate Your Customer Service
What you might not realize is that customers often assess your customer service quality based on how you respond to online reviews. Demonstrating that you care about their feedback is a critical aspect of how you engage with customers and address their concerns.
Responding Boosts Customer Loyalty
Another compelling reason to respond to customer reviews is that doing so significantly enhances customer loyalty. Building a strong relationship with your customers should be a priority. According to data from Uberall, 86 percent of survey respondents indicated they would consider returning to do business with a company that took the time to respond to their online reviews.
Negative Online Reviews Are Inevitable
Negative reviews are an almost unavoidable aspect of doing business. Regardless of your industry, there’s a high likelihood that, at some point, you’ll encounter a dissatisfied customer. How you handle these negative reviews can make a substantial difference in maintaining your business’s reputation.
How to Respond to Reviews
As previously mentioned, consumers expect businesses to respond to online reviews. But what’s the best approach to doing so? Let’s use a restaurateur as an example. How should you handle the reviews, both positive and negative, that you receive from your customers? Here are a few essential tips:
Strive to Respond to All Reviews
One critical point to emphasize is the importance of responding to every review. Whether the feedback is left on platforms like Yelp, Google, Shopper Approved, or any other site, your customers expect a response. Failing to respond can be perceived negatively by those who took the time to leave feedback.
This is especially true if the review raises concerns or queries about your products or services. Addressing these issues promptly is essential to fully resolve any problems and demonstrate that you value your customers’ input.
Be Quick in Your Response
We’ve already touched on the idea that managing your online reputation may require full-time attention, possibly even hiring dedicated staff for this purpose. Regardless of how you choose to handle it, it’s crucial to ensure that customer queries are addressed as quickly as possible.
Timeliness can be a decisive factor in turning a potentially negative situation into a positive one. For example, if you receive a review on Yelp stating that you failed to properly service a customer’s sink, what would be the best course of action?
The ideal response would be to take immediate initiative, reaching out to the affected customer before the issue escalates. If possible, offer to redo the job free of charge. By doing so, you can transform a potentially damaging situation into a positive experience for your business, showcasing your commitment to customer satisfaction.
How to Respond to Negative Reviews
Addressing negative reviews is a topic we’ve touched on earlier, but it’s important to delve deeper into how to handle them effectively. It’s worth noting that negative reviews aren’t always a bad thing. In fact, a few negative reviews can add authenticity to your profile.
If potential customers visit your Yelp page and see only glowing five-star reviews, they might become suspicious. Even if your business is excellent, it’s natural to expect some constructive criticism, right?
Reach Out to the Concerned Customer
The most effective way to handle negative reviews is to reach out directly to the dissatisfied customer. Your first goal should be to resolve their issue to the best of your ability. Once you’ve successfully addressed their concerns, you can then politely ask if they would consider updating their negative review to reflect the resolution.
Be Patient
When dealing with customers, patience is key. You’ll encounter people who are difficult or hard to satisfy. There will be a variety of responses to these situations, but in nearly every case, patience will be your greatest asset.
You can find numerous examples online of business owners who got into public arguments with customers. Almost invariably, these interactions resulted in negative publicity—something you definitely want to avoid for your business.
Staying calm, composed, and focused on resolving the issue, rather than reacting impulsively, will help maintain your business’s reputation and turn challenging situations into opportunities for positive engagement.
