Reputology
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How to Respond to
a Negative Review
Take a deep breath and
read the review carefully
reputology.com
UHS monitors reviews for
its 200+ hospitals and
medical facilities. Their
social media team found a
negative Google review
written by the sister of a
military veteran who needed
a procedure, but she meant
to review one of their
competitors. Instead of
flagging the review for
removal, the social media
team replied to the reviewer
to let her know she had
mixed them up. But they
went even further and
connected her with the
appropriate medical team at
their company so that he
could get the proper
treatment. Her brother not
only became a patient of
theirs, but this extra effort
turned into a unexpected
and positive news story.
Turn Negative Reviews
Into Creative Solutions
Don’t Always Flag
Negative Reviews
The Grove in Los Angeles is
one of the largest shopping
centers in North America.
Their Guest Experience
team noticed a spike in
complaints about over
-
crowded parking lots during
the holidays. Rather than
ignore the reviews because
parking lots can’t be built
overnight, they got creative.
They partnered with Uber -
the ride-hailing service - to
cover the cost of a shop
-
per’s Uber ride for spending
above a certain dollar
amount. On top of that, this
solution turned into a mar
-
keting promotion that they
used to drive shoppers into
their stores.
Does this issue touch
on legal matters?
Ok you can handle
it. Have you identi
-
fied the cause for
their complaint?
Why?
You might not want to
flag this review if you
can win the reviewer
over. See sidebar for
“Don’t Automatically
Flag Negative Reviews”.
Contact the site to get the
review removed. Be sure to
cite the violation and provide
any evidence.
Note that some sites are
more responsive to reports
of violations than others.
Your safest bet is to
not reply. If the
review touches on
legal matters, only
post a public state
-
ment written by the
legal department.
Not enough info
in the reviewer’s
comment
Need to do
some leg
-
work
Is this a
recurring
issue?
You have an opportunity to
make your business better.
See sidebar for “Turn
Negative Reviews Into
Creative Solutions”.
Did the reviewer
write a review
for a different
business?
Are you
at fault?
Were you able
to figure out
the issue?
Can you fix
the issue?
Is the reviewer
happy now?
Does the reviewer have
a legitimate concern
and reasonable tone?
Do not respond unless a
public statement written
by the legal department
can be provided.
Reply quickly.
Explain that you are
investigating the issue.
Optional: take the
conversation offline.
•
•
•
Reply quickly
Ask if you can try to
get more information
Optional: take the
conversation offline.
•
•
Get back to the reviewer
if s/he provided contact info.
Apologize and let them
know you would welcome
the chance to deliver on a
better experience next time.
•
•
No. It’s ok. You tried your
best. You can’t win them all.
Yes! Time for a 60 second
dance party
No. Uh oh. You got a crazy on your hands.
Poke the bear, sit back and watch the comedy
unfold…Just kidding. Don’t do that. See below.
Does this review violate the review site’s
policies?...Double check the policies, but
some common violations include:
Hate speech, slander, inappropriate content
Hearsay or statements unconnected with the
reviewer’s direct experience
Wrong location
Incorrect, provable fact
Conflict of interest
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-
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-
Fix the problem!
Write a genuine
response
that is friendly & polite.
Acknowledge the issue.
Optional: explain how
it will be addressed.
Optional: take the
conversation offline if:
•
•
•
•
•
-
-
-
-
He said/she
said scenarios
Credit card
issues
Money issues
Theft issues
Draft a reply that
is accurate but polite.
Double check
your response before
publishing so that it
doesn’t come
across patronizing.
Optional: take
the onversation
offline if:
•
•
•
-
-
-
-
He said/she
said scenarios
Credit card issues
Money issues
Theft issues
Write a genuine
response that is
friendly & polite.
Acknowledge the
issue.
Optional: take
the conversation
offline if:
•
•
•
He said/she
said scenarios
Credit card
issues
Money issues
Theft issues
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-
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-
As Seen On