October 18, 2021
Studies suggest that around 97% of online customers first go through a product’s reviews, and 85% trust those reviews and make their purchasing decisions accordingly
Customer reviews are among the most important pillars on which your business stands. Hence, it’s a crucial ingredient in the recipe for your brand’s success. Studies suggest that around 97% of online customers first go through a product’s reviews, and 85% trust those reviews and make their purchasing decisions accordingly. In some cases, businesses often overlook customer feedback, while in others, they only focus on the negative reviews for damage control. Both approaches are not optimal. Both the positive and negative feedback should be acknowledged and addressed equally as it reinforces the message that the business cares about its consumers instead of just increasing profit margins. If your business does not currently have a comprehensive procedure to manage customer reviews, it is high time that you established one. To help give you a head start, we have compiled here a list of strategies that will elevate your business presence and give you an edge over your competitors.
The only thing worse than completely ignoring a customer review, especially negative ones, is replying with an automated message. Such a form of response is highly impersonal and can make your customers feel like they are not important to you. To avoid this, use carefully crafted and personalized replies to your customers’ complaints, suggestions, or praises. For starters, you can use their name to make them feel like they are talking to a person rather than a robot. Follow up the response by either thanking them for their kind words or by specifically addressing each of their problems or questions.
If you are having a long back and forth with a customer regarding their complaint and do not wish for it to become a spectacle for the public to see, change its privacy to ‘private’ without any delay. You can ask unhappy customers to reach out to you via direct message and can try to solve the issue there. If the customer has provided their contact details, then make sure you reach out to them via email or phone and come to a conclusion in a more private setting
Contrary to popular belief, the customer is not always right, especially on online reviews. If somebody is leaving unauthentic reviews or narrating false experiences, make sure to take a stand. You may not be able to undo what they’ve already said, but presenting your half of the story with proper evidence will enable the rest of your customers to get the full picture and redeem your image.
With that being said, make sure that you remain rational and composed rather than lashing out at the said customer, as doing so will only cause the situation to spiral out of hand and will make you look unprofessional and crass.
Start your response with “thank you” and continue to address the feedback in the most professional and descriptive way. If the review is positive, agree with it and then explain to the customer what helped contribute to their pleasant experience, as this will help you create hype surrounding your businesses. If the review is negative, thank them still, and follow it with an apology, sympathetic words, and a promise to do better in the future. This will make the customers see and value your effort and honestly and help rebuild the broken trust.
Once you have shown your sympathy and understanding, don’t stop just there. Customers complain in the first place because they wish for you to see and acknowledge the underlying problem. Give them the satisfaction of that acknowledgment. Tell them the complaint has been heard and that your company is working its best to solve the issue at hand.
The best way to do this is by first thanking them for their feedback and then telling the shoppers what your plan of action is regarding the solution to the problem. Enlighten them with the steps you will take to rectify the problem and the timeframe within which the problem would be fixed.
Instead of making excuses to defend the bad experience that your customer has had, take responsibility for your actions and ensure the customer that they will see an improvement during their next time purchase.
Depending on the customer and their bad experience with your product, take a step towards its compensation by offering coupons or bonus reward points to feel the customers are valued and compensated. First, solve the concerns in the comments section and then seal the deal with good compensation.
You can engage the consumers through various social channels that you think your company is most popular on, for instance, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn. Creating surveys or polls is also an effective way to receive, acknowledge.
Rather than shutting your door to a negative reviewer, politely ask them to come back again for another time and then welcome them eagerly. Not only will this help you change the topic towards a more positive note, but it will also rekindle their confidence in your ability to provide good business in the future. This strategy will also look more welcoming to other potential customers who will see you as a brand that cares about its clientele.
In case of ambiguity, ask the right questions as some customers will be more focused on just leaving a negative review rather than explaining the problem. Target the customers and ask strategic questions to fish out more relevant information. Once you are aware of the problem, you can devise your solutions then accordingly.
Customer reviews are your gateway to starting bigger conversations, so once you send an initial response, make sure to follow it up by asking for an update only if they are satisfied with the response of your company. Courteously ask them to tweak their feedback, and if they are not up for it, then it is best not to push it.
Customer feedback is fundamental for any business’s growth and success. To ensure customers’ happiness and satisfaction, it is essential to indulge with them in a dialogue that is respectful and also offers a solution. If you are looking for the right techniques to address customer feedback or are simply exploring your options, leave us your contact details here so that one of our trained professionals can get in touch with you ASAP.
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