Four Ways to Respond to Negative Online Reviews

One of the most useful things on the Internet today is the ability to read company reviews. Sites such as Google+, Citysearch, and Yelp allow people to write reviews, both good and bad, about experiences they’ve had with your company. Because this information is valuable for individuals who have never had experience with your company, it is important for your company to pay attention to the reviews and respond appropriately. The following ideas are designed to help you respond to Google reviews with some fizz. Although Google is one of the examples used, you can also use these techniques with other review sites.

Claim Your Profile

Before you can respond to any comment, you need to claim the profile for your business on the site on which the review was written. This means you need to establish an account and complete a profile on Google+ or another review site.

Listen to the Message

A negative comment is usually written for a reason, and sometimes the author is neither polite nor brief. Regardless, try to move past the words that are written, and look for the message that is being delivered. Once you identify the message, then you can know how to respond to the comment. In addition, the message may give you valuable feedback about areas that really need do need changing in your business.

Don’t Ignore Negative Comments

When a person is motivated enough to find your company on a review site and write a review, it is important to respond. First off, it tells the person that you truly are interested in what they have to say. It also lets other readers know that you care about your customers.

Be Professional

No matter how the author of the comment wrote, you must respond professionally. Other people will be reading your responses. The way you react can tell them much more about your company than the negative review. In order to respond to Google reviews with some fizz, it is important to be polite, kind, and brief. Address the problems directly. Also, take your conversation offline quickly if the person just wants to continue arguing and ranting.