The value of online reviews cannot be overstated. With everything so easily searchable online, it is essential that businesses keep track of what is being said about their brand online and make adjustments if something is amiss.
Red Banyan’s reputation repair experts understand the impact of both positive and negative customer reviews and can teach you how to properly respond to both ends of the spectrum.
Our PR experts know that responding to online reviews can be challenging, but companies that fail to engage with customers are more likely to be peppered with negative customer feedback that can cause lasting damage to their organization’s online reputation.
Anonymous complaints pose their own kind of problems because they are not verifiable and may not always be rooted in fact.
Red Banyan’s strategic communications professionals have decades of experience addressing customer service complaints and know the threat online review sites can pose if they are populated with negative or false reviews aimed to cause harm.
Our reputation defense experts are skilled at identifying fictitious reviews and will work to have them removed if possible.
How to Handle Negative Reviews
Whether true or false, negative reviews have the power to scare off potential customers, so it is never a good idea to ignore them. However, figuring out the best way to address unfavorable reviews can be a challenge.
The online reputation management experts at Red Banyan will teach you how to address negative comments so they don’t spiral out of control and create a big problem where there was originally just a small one.
Competitor attacks can also be problematic and must be addressed with speed and professionalism. Red Banyan specializes in responding to online reviews and will teach your employees how to spot these kind of reviews and show them how to respond without escalating the issue online.
Customers hate being ignored and may subject your business to more negative reviews if their first review is not addressed.
Best Practices for Responding to Online Reviews
It may be tempting to firmly rebut a blatantly false review in hopes of setting the record straight, but it is never a good idea to respond at a time of high emotion. Red Banyan’s online review experts will help you find the most diplomatic way to respond to negative comments while still conveying your company’s stance on the matter.
We will teach you how to respond to negative comments with finesse and speed so you can present your company’s position and explain what happened before the situation escalates. It is also important to respond to negative reviews before they scare your customers away. Businesses that do not reply to negative reviews appear callous and uncaring, something that may cause customers to steer clear of your business.
If something is wrong, provide an explanation and offer to make amends. The reputation repair experts at Red Banyan will help you find the most effective way to respond to any unfavorable comments so your business is portrayed as proactive and involved. Failing to respond can be a black eye for any organization and will only make a bad situation worse.
Corporate Reputation Defense
When a customer is angry or dissatisfied, conversations that focus on their reviews can get dicey. Invite unhappy customers to an offline discussion to address the issue. Red Banyan’s online reputation repair experts know that providing a detailed explanation of why the problem occurred and offering to make it right may or may not resolve the issue.
Our team of reputation management experts will help you find the best way to mitigate the conflict.
Apologizing publicly for any inconveniences and asking the customer to contact you by phone or email so you can reach a mutually agreeable solution is one possible answer. A good faith effort to resolve a problem goes a long way towards preserving customer loyalty. Customers write reviews because they want to be heard, and acknowledging their comments is one way of showing that you care about your brand and its value.
When to Respond to Online Reviews
Responding to both positive and negative reviews is overall good for business. It shows your organization cares about its customers and is interested in what they think about your brand and services. Offering possible solutions to dissatisfied customers shows that you believe their opinions matter, too.
Many businesses fail to respond to positive reviews, but by thanking the reviewer for their business and positive comments, you create goodwill as well as a chance to say something else that reflects well on your brand. The customer who wrote the good review will appreciate the fact that you took time to respond. Other customers will note that you are engaged with customers and paying attention to what they say.
Red Banyan’s crisis management professionals will teach you how to respond to all reviews in a way that reflects the true character and ethics of your company. The more reviews you answer, the more clear it will become to all your customers that you care what they think. Such engagement will increase trust in your business and establish your brand as a true marketplace leader.