On a LinkedIn forum I’m a member of, someone recently posted a question asking if it made sense to do paid advertising in response to a smear campaign by an extremely unhappy customer.
I said paid advertising didn’t look good. People are generally distrustful of the truthfulness of paid advertising.
But, it got me thinking about whether you should respond to negative reviews. In a nutshell, you should respond to reviews where you can.
Responding to a negative review is a micro-sized public relations campaign to tell your side of the story and to help ease the worry of future customers who might read the review.
Take this simple 5 step approach:
- Take a step back. Don’t respond immediately when you’re angry over what the customer wrote or did. Wait until you calm down and show your response to someone else before you post it.
- Empathize with the Customer. Look at the situation from their point-of-view, not yours.
- Realize the Reviewer Has the Upper Hand. Look, the customer is not always right. We know that. But, whether it’s fair or not, an on-line reviewer has the upper hand. They are perceived as sympathetic.
- Be Honest and Humble. No business can give 100% perfect service every time. If you respond with “something like that couldn’t have happened at my place,” you’ll look egotistical or foolish.
Offer to Make It Right Off-Line. There is no reasons to discuss the exact resolution of the negative review on-line. You don’t want to set a precedent for future problems.
