It’s never ideal to receive negative reviews for your business online, but they’re just as important as the positive ones. They should be given the same if not more, attention and care than your positive testimonials.
A guide on how to respond to negative reviews
At first glance, there’s no doubt that negative reviews can be an instant turn-off for potential customers. However, what happens next regarding damage control is entirely within your hands.
Reply to every single review
First of all, it’s important to make sure you reply to every single negative review as well as every positive one – this shows potential customers who are browsing your online profile that you’re committed to holding yourself and the quality of your work to a high standard. It also shows that you care about your customer service and provide a personable and friendly service where you can.
Stay professional
When replying to negative reviews, it’s important to remember to stay professional. While it may be tempting to react in a defensive manner when someone is directly attacking your work and business, it’s vital to remember that you’re replying as a company and not an individual.
As a tradesman, you’ll probably have a lot of existing customers who come to you time and time again to carry out their work. Those who have had positive experiences with you are unlikely to be phased if they see someone leave you with a negative review, especially those negative reviews that are more emotional than providing constructive criticism.
Thank the customer
In your response to every negative review, you should thank the customer for their feedback – whether you really are thankful for their criticism or not; with all emotion put aside, your negative reviews also help you make room for improvement in your business.
Make your next steps clear
When drafting your review responses, it’s important to be specific about what your next steps will be. If the review contains feedback about a particular staff member or service that was provided, address the issue directly and make it clear that you’re going to bring it up and ensure that it won’t be a problem in the future for that particular customer or any other future customers.
Advice from BUILT
Here at BUILT, we’re committed to helping customers build and develop their online presence. When it comes to dealing with negative customer reviews, we believe the advice outlined above is the best way to keep the reputation of your trade business and customer service intact, especially in an industry that relies heavily on communication and personability. Get in touch with our team if you’d like to know more about any of our services!