Responding to a negative customer review online can be very stressful but a gut reaction and a hastily written reply can cause far more trouble than it's worth.
Instead, a considered and polite approach might actually help win the dissatisfied customer back.
Recently the Mountain Scene newspaper highlighted the worst-rated Queenstown businesses on Trip Advisor. Most of the businesses featured in the story refused to comment which is understandable because reading a harsh review online can really hurt the owners personally, as well as the business.
While the criticism may seem undeserved, it’s important to keep your cool.
How NOT to handle negative reviews
Some New Zealand businesses have shown us how NOT to respond to online reviews. They were caught out allegedly deleting or manipulating users’ comments. Others have gone further, responding to reviews with negative feedback of their own or even barring reviewers.
An accommodation booking company was alleged to have manipulated online user reviews following an investigation by the Commerce Commission. Over more than a year, the organisation was claimed to have breached Section 11 of the Fair Trading Act 1986 for altering negative reviews before they were published online or failing to upload reviews.
Any person contravening Section 11 is liable for a fine up to $200,000, while businesses face a maximum $600,000 penalty.
Several other businesses have got themselves into trouble for allegedly failing to address online reviews in a suitable or ethical way. Another case saw a café in Hawkes Bay create unnecessary issues by barring a local woman after she commented publicly on Google about its pricing. This led to the story going viral on the Stuff news website meaning a lot more people heard about it and caused untold damage to the café’s reputation.
This demonstrates a general lack of knowledge about how to approach online reviews. They can’t just be ignored, they can’t be deleted, and there’s no sense in escalating any aggravation further. And with nearly two-thirds of New Zealanders now looking for extra information online before making a purchase (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment), the problem isn't going away.
Developing the best review-response strategy
Plan ahead. Forecasting the different kinds of reviews you may get and how to deal with them is important. A decision tree can help, breaking down your response and timing based on:
● the type of comment you receive;
● what platform you see the review on; and
● whether the response requires input from others in your business.
You should treat how you respond to negative comments online as you would any feedback in person or over the phone. But remember, social media is a public forum and conversations remain visible or archived long after the dust has settled on your dispute, so take extra care.
Keep across comments. Responding promptly, constructively and positively to comments can be the difference between a customer who is willing to forgive and forget or one that carries a grudge and causes more damage to your business. This doesn’t mean answering reviews on a whim — just ensure the reviewer doesn’t feel ignored or belittled by replying with a stock message.
Having one person in charge of your business’ marketing and social media will make this easier - but SME owners can still get by. There are a number of social media brand management companies that offer alert and monitoring tools to cover all of your social networks and centralise all activity alerts to one device.
Read reviews and responses carefully. A quick response doesn’t mean an unplanned one. Read the review carefully to ensure you understand its meaning and intent. Abusive opinions can be flagged for moderation with the review platform but falsely reporting issues can lead to even more trouble. It always pays to have another person read over your reply. A second opinion means you are less likely to rile anyone up further, and reduces the risks of spelling or grammar mistakes.
Control where the dialogue happens. If a negative review is posted publicly, respond constructively and try to move the conversation away from the public arena. This helps to control any further issues spreading via online word of mouth and means you can address the customer on a personal level. Ensure you establish a clear timeline for how you will remedy the problem and if you don’t want the issue to go any further, explain why. Doing this professionally and without an emotional reaction will calm tempers much more quickly!
What you need to know
Deleting or hiding negative online reviews won’t help and may lead to a complaint under the Fair Trading Act. Responding with more negativity will worsen the problem. Approach the situation calmly, quickly and with a plan. This helps you avoid further issues and maintains your online reputation.
If you need a second opinion on how to approach your online review, feel free to contact John Mezger, business law specialist with Aspiring Law.