Feedback management is important for many reasons. First and foremost, it helps increase your rating, which for buyers is an indicator of your trustworthiness. Companies with five star ratings are considered trustworthy from the very beginning. A rating below 4 stars, on the other hand, can cause some anxiety among potential buyers.
It’s easy to observe that this creates a mechanism that is self-perpetuating. The more satisfied your customers are, the more people will come to you. You can use this effect even more effectively when you start managing feedback in a conscious way.
If negative reviews are keeping you up at night, we have good news for you. First, your competitors are struggling with the same issues. Second, for every problem there is a solution. At least in the marketing world. Want to boost your score? Make friends with people who criticize your services or goods. It’s okay – you may feel ambivalent about them. But treat the critics as a valuable source of information.
Dissatisfied customers point to important problems in your company. Perhaps it’s poor service. Bad design? A poorly functioning website? Problems with delivery? A nice person will let you know in a private message. For a less nice one, lack of satisfaction will cause a near boiling point. Such a customer will go straight to Google Maps and leave a crude comment that will provoke you into action.
There are three strategies known in the marketing world for dealing with negative reviews. The first is to bury your head in the sand. You ignore the criticism. After all, your company is the best in the world and you know it. The customer probably had a bad day and needed to vent. The goods are paid for, the transaction is closed. So, there is no problem.
It’s a mistake. The problem exists, and you won’t see its magnitude until some time later. When you don’t respond, you show everyone viewing your business profile something very important. You’re proving to them that they’ll be left alone if there are difficulties. This discourages buyers.
As the “ostrich” technique doesn’t work, why not try an open confrontation? This is definitely a step in the right direction. However, no one has made a fortune by adopting a victim or aggressor stance. As long as you prove the customer wrong, you’re only half right. Someone is wrong. But that someone is you. The customer is always right. Even when they are not. Public arguments are bad for your company’s image.
Instead, behave professionally. What do you do when someone gives you valuable knowledge? You say “thank you.” This is exactly how you should deal with a dissatisfied consumer. Express your thanks for the feedback. Understand what the problem is. Offer a solution. Customers appreciate a balanced approach. This is a sign that you can be relied upon.
Many people think about excluding reviews. This is tempting especially if there are a lot of negative comments under your business profile. However, the American company does not give such an opportunity. The only way is to create a new account. It is not as easy as it seems.
If the system detects the same company address, the old reviews will automatically be assigned to the new business profile. Do you think that it is enough to provide a different address? Remember that the new account will require verification. This is often done by mail. Additionally, there is a risk that your customers will not be able to reach you. You can also change your company name. However, any of these methods means that you will lose all the comments, including the positive ones.
Is removing negative reviews worth it? Not necessarily. Especially since by taking care of buyer satisfaction, you can improve your listing.
That’s why turn on notifications for new reviews today. On Android phones, the notifications tab is located in the settings. You can access them by clicking on your profile photo. On Apple products, you set notifications separately for each app in the device settings. On any computer – you have to select the drop-down menu marked with three horizontal dashes. So you are only a few steps away from professional reputation control.
Get free access to your company's audit report. Find out how you can increase your sales?