According to Dr. 4Ward, 95 percent of consumers who have had an unhappy experience will return if their issue is solved quickly and efficiently. In addition, 70 percent of potential consumers look at other user reviews before buying.
Here are a few tips we’ve found to help you (legally!) navigate the ins and outs of handling customer reviews.
Chances are every review won't always be glowing and positive. A great way to encourage your customers in that direction, however, is to respond. Huffington Post recommends you speak to your customers as a friend – not as a corporation in legalese. You need to be aware of the reputation your business has garnered on review sites. Ignoring will only worsen the situation.
Don’t ignore a bad review – be proactive. Take the opportunity to show other potential customers that you as a company value your customers and the experience you provide. Respond professionally – apologize, offer a solution, and thank the reviewer for their feedback. Follow-up later on to ensure their issue was rectified. Maybe the bad review is a gift to your company – is this an issue that you may need to be addressing on a larger scale with your products?
Here’s an important one - don’t take it personally. Remember that these reviews are not attacking you as an individual, nor should you approach your response this way. Each of these reviews was formulated by a real person (hopefully!), and they’ll appreciate a positive, professional response. Address the situation, fix the problem, follow-up, and don’t take the negativity to heart.
Keep it short. A customer review is not the place to respond with a lengthy post on your company’s other shining areas. Respond to the post succinctly with useful information, answer the question, and give the people what they want. Chances are, your customer isn’t going to stick around through multiple paragraphs.
Encourage customers to speak up! We’ve established that bad reviews will happen. However, 75 percent of consumer reviews are positive. Customers can be motivated to write reviews with creative incentives, links to the review websites, or even just the knowledge that the company cares enough to respond. According to the Better Business Bureau, companies who actively solicit reviews appear more trustworthy to potential clients than those who wait for reviews to come to them.
By facilitating consumer engagement, your customers will feel as though their feedback is valuable. Treat them with courtesy and respect; address the situation professionally and promptly to guarantee they’ll come back.
Resources:
http://www.bbb.org/blog/2014/02/the-value-of-customer-reviews/
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2010/02/01/5-ways-to-rock-customer-review-sites/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elizabeth-oneill/5-ways-to-manage-your-onl_b_4017764.html
http://www.dr4ward.com/dr4ward/2013/03/what-are-some-interesting-statistics-about-online-consumer-reviews-infographic.html
