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 AutomaticallyFlag 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 quicklyAsk if you can try toget more informationOptional: 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 comedyunfold…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 contentHearsay or statements unconnected with the reviewer’s direct experienceWrong locationIncorrect, provable factConflict of interest - - - - - 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 scenariosCredit card issues Money issuesTheft 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 scenariosCredit card issues Money issuesTheft issues Write a genuine response that is friendly & polite.Acknowledge the issue.Optional: take the conversation offline if: He said/she said scenariosCredit card issues Money issuesTheft issues - - - -



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