Good reviews can make or break a business, and there is no better feeling then when you receive positive feedback from a happy, satisfied customer.
In a world where the online market appears to reign supreme, reviews are increasingly important for traditional brick-and-mortar businesses, and receiving positive feedback can be a huge boost.
The main issue with this is that the opposite fact is also true – a bad review has the potential to cause a lot of trouble and can be a headache to deal with.
Fortunately, there are a number of tricks and techniques that you can use to handle a negative Google review and get your business’s online reputation back on track.
The Main Review Sites
There are a number of review sites that businesses may take advantage of, including those on Yelp, Tripadvisor, Google, Facebook and more. Of these, Google reviews are amongst the most popular and useful.
Google reviews consist of unpaid, non-incentivized reviews that customers leave about your business, and they are linked automatically to your Google Business listing, as well as Google Search and Google Maps.
This means that when people search for your business, they will automatically be shown reviews that previous customers have left, allowing them to get a better understanding of your business. Both text and pictures can be included.
Why Do Reviews Matter?
Before we take a closer look at handling bad reviews, it is worth reiterating just why they are so important for your customers. There are a few main reasons, and these include:
Building Brand Trust
Having reviews from previous customers enhances the transparency of your business – customers will know exactly what to expect.
According to experts, 72% of customers are more likely to trust a business with positive reviews, than one with no reviews or negative feedback. In a competitive industry, this can be just what you need to get ahead.
Help Customers To Find You
As a physical business, you will rely largely on word-of-mouth, as well as customer foot traffic. You will also need to boost your online exposure – when your potential customers search for a solution to their problem, you want to be at the top of the list.
Getting a steady stream of Google reviews as part of your branding and marketing plan helps you to climb the SEO ladder, and will make you more visible to more potential customers.
Receive Valuable Feedback
Your customers are one of your most valuable sources of feedback, and Google reviews offer up-to-the-moment insight into their experience – you will know what went well, what went wrong, and how you can improve, allowing you to constantly grow and improve your business.
How To Handle A Bad Google Review
No matter how hard you try, how great your service, or the quality of your business, it is inevitable that you will come across a bad Google review during the course of doing business. Wondering how you can deal with negative Google reviews?
Here are a few important tips:
Respond Quickly
One of the most important things to remember is that you should never ignore a bad Google review – it needs to be dealt with and responded to as quickly as possible.
The faster that you respond, the more likely you are to change the mind of the disgruntled customer – and this can have a positive impact on your business.
Respond Personally
Try not to fall into the trap of automated, robotic responses – it is important to see each customer as an individual. Make sure that you take the time to really read their review, and respond to each point in turn.
Try to be empathetic – how would you feel if you had this experience with a business?
By offering a personal response, you will come across as caring and genuine, and the customer is more likely to believe that you are actively trying to rectify their issue and come up with a solution.
It is also a good idea to try and take the conversation offline as quickly as possible – invite the customer to chat with you away from the site so that you can help them more quickly and efficiently; this also removes the chance for them to continue to publicly criticize your business.
Try To See The Positives
Nobody likes to receive negative feedback, but a bad Google review can actually be a good thing for your business – it shows you where something has gone wrong, and offers you a chance to improve a specific aspect of your business.
Where possible, try to absorb lessons from any negative feedback, and use this to build up your business and improve services.
How To Get More Positive Google Reviews
You may be wondering just how you can go about obtaining more positive reviews, and screening the bad reviews before they have a chance to hit Google.
One option is to request that every customer that you interact with post a review, but this is a method that takes up a lot of time that you could otherwise be using to grow your business. Fortunately we have a solution.
ReputationStacker is automated software that helps get more positive reviews, and greatly reduces the chance of negative reviews.
Simply enter your customers’ email addresses or phone numbers into the private and secure system, and it will send them a short feedback survey.
Happy customers are directed to Google or any other review site of your choice to post a review.
And you are protected from negative reviews: if a customer reports a negative experience, you will receive an immediate notification so you can reach out privately and resolve the issue before the customer posts a bad Google review.
Final Thoughts
When used correctly, Google reviews can be a huge boost to your business, offering greater exposure, boosting your reputation, and helping to develop trust from your customers.
Learning how to respond appropriately to negative reviews is a large element of this, and you can turn a negative into a positive with just a few simple changes.
Use ReputationStacker’s automated system to get more positive Google reviews, stop bad Google reviews, and take control of your online reputation.
