An update of a popular blog post from 2015

When I first wrote about the importance of responding individually to reviews, the the main platforms for consumers to give feedback were Facebook and Yelp. Today customers mostly give feedback on Google when they are pleased — or displeased — with a retail experience. This makes it easier to manage when there were multiple sites to consider, and in fact you can set up your Google account so that you’re notified whenever a review is posted. Just as when I first wrote about reviews, it’s important to respond right away to let customers know that you care about their opinions.

Back then, we had just received a negative review on Facebook. I immediately posted an apology for what the writer perceived as a bad customers service experience.  My staff remembered the situation differently – but that doesn’t matter much when the complaint is out there for the public to see.  Of course I did assure the employees involved that my apology didn’t mean that I didn’t believe their side of the story.

After posting my response to this negative comment, I waited a few days and then asked our employees to see if a friend or family member would be willing to write a positive review. This moved the negative one down in the feed. You could also ask customers who are big fans of your store to write a review, although this may be viewed as an imposition. (I still have a negative memory of a bed & breakfast where the “suggestion” that we write a review on TripAdvisor was phrased too strongly.)

Google reviews are simple to respond to. We always thank customers who have given us five stars (even if they haven’t written a review), because we know that having the average get close to five will have a positive impact on how our business is perceived. But it’s even more important to respond to the occasional negative one, because it shows that you care.

When a customer is unhappy about a specific situation, consider inviting the customer to contact you via email so that you can try to make amends. This shows that you are taking the complaint seriously, and also “takes the fight outside” instead of continuing the discussion where everyone can see it.

Online reviews are an extension of the word of mouth advertising that we all know is invaluable. Hopefully your business gets enough positive ones to outweigh those that are negative. And even though it hurts to read criticism, legitimate complaints do give us a chance to improve. We can trust that the public is savvy enough to know that a single negative comment surrounded by positive ones shows that this less than perfect experience is unusual. As Len Markidan said in a blog posting on this topic, “Bad reviews don’t mean that you’re bad.” 

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder