You must be aware of the feeling when someone punches you in the gut.You experience the same gut-wrenching feeling when your business receives an unfavourable response from a consumer. It goes without saying that in the age of digital revolution, maintaining a squeaky clean online reputation is vital for any business aspiring to make it big.
It is important for business owners to be more cautious since one bad review can tarnish the image considerably. It is essential for businesses to employ several damage control measures to prevent negative reviews from having any impact on potential consumers. The following are some ways to safeguard your brand and business from negative reviews.
1. Spare attention onyour products and services
View your business process critically. This requires you to accept your consumers’ point of view and see things from their perspective.
Even though you consider yourselfto be fair, you still need to walkthe extra mile in setting things right. You can think of it as an investment in your future success and your current reputation. Remind yourself that one negative review from a consumer can create prejudice in the minds of existing consumers. It is definitely a better idea to nip it in the bud.
2. Quick response to negative reviewsdoes the trick
Regardless of the good or bad, you should acknowledgeevery review earned by your product/service. Remember that the impact of your response goes beyond the waya customer perceives your product or service.
While only a few consumers might actually leave reviews, dozens or even hundreds are checking them. So, always try to respond toevery review posted about your company. This ensures your voice is heard as an active advocate, not only for your consumers but for your business as well.
3. Generic responses are a strict no-no
If you are going to offer the same generic response to every review, it is better that youdo not respond at all. For instance, if you provide academic writing services, you need to offer individual attention to each review posted on your site. This lets your potential consumers perceive you as thebest essay writing service.
Dissatisfied clients need to be told that you take their concerns seriously. A generic response only conveys that you don’t actually care and that you’re just responding for the sake of it.
Respond by offering individual attention to each consumer. While the content of your responses will be similar at times, you must control the urge to save time by providing generic responses.
4. Make lemonade out of the lemons
When you receive a negative review, you must always try to reach out tothe customer and check if you can make things right.
In some cases, fixing the issue also presents apromotional opportunity for you. “Even if it doesn’t turn out well, posting a message to make things right reassures other potential consumers that you care about offering a memorable experience to them”, quips Eric McKinnon, a customer service expert associated withMyAssignmenthelp.com.
5. Persuade the consumer to reconsider the negative review
A client may post an updated version of the review, or they may remove it, or post a follow-up review that nullifies the actual bad review. However, this may seem like treading on slippery slopes. They may be barely satisfied the second time around or they maybe eager to criticise irrespective of whether you bend over backwards to assist them. In such cases, it is best to maintain a stoic silence, stand back, and see how it pans out.
In many cases, it’s worth asking or reminding them to reconsider. Also, if it’s clear that you did the right thing, it’ll help them calm downto a point where they may seriously contemplate editing or removing their actual bad review.
6. Dial down the negative reviews
Make peace with the fact that you have no control over the feedback you geton review sites. The best you can do is dial down those bad reviews by piling onthe positive ones. But, what if you are unable to generate sufficient positive reviews to make a difference?
If you have been focusing on one specific review site to encourage positive reviews for your assignment-writing website, it’s probably time to shift your efforts. In fact, there are many distinguished review sites to choose from such as Trustpilot, Essaycritics, etc.
You can search your business on the search engine and see which review sites come up. Work on gathering positive reviews on other sites to dial down the negative opinion in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Even if you’re unable to redeem your reputation on one particular site, people who search for your business will find a more balanced picture of your business.
7. Acknowledging the issue is the least you can do
Sometimes, you can’t reverse the damage for whatever reason. However, you can alwaysacknowledge the issue and apologise for your consumer’s experience. You can also promise to review your policies and do better in the future.
Be polite or at least neutral, and honest in your response to the consumers. This sort of expression is valuablebecause it helps in diffusing their pain a bit. This way, they know their concerns have been heard, and you showed respect to the customer by acknowledging their problems.
Wrapping it up,
Negative reviews can seem disheartening, but that isn’t the end of the road for your business. If you are consistently offering a great service and if you take your consumers seriously, negative reviews won’t be able to hinder your path to success. Here’s wishing all the best in your future endeavours.
Ricky Hardy is a senior operations manager for a distinguished corporate firm in Australia. In addition, he delves into blogging and travelling. He is associated with TopAssignmentReviews, and has been recommended by many students via trusted essay reviews.