ness. On the contrary, responding to complaints
can help increase customer advocacy and better
yet, set your business apart from competitors who
are failing to do so. It’s all about showing customers
that you’ve heard what they have to say and
are more than happy to resolve the issue.
• Be Argumentative: Customers yield a lot of power
online, and if you do not carefully think through
your response to a negative review, you may fuel
an angry customer. When you see a bad review
about your company, it’s important to maintain
professionalism at all times and under no circumstance
become argumentative with customers.
Avoid hastily typing up a response to the customer
or commenting when you are angry. Instead, stop
and take a minute to clear your mind so you can
better assess and approach the situation in a calm
way.
• Take it Personally: While it’s one thing to take
pride in your business and the work that you
do, it’s important to remember that your business
reviews are not personal. When people leave
reviews, it’s a response to the experience they’ve
had with your business, just as they would do with
any other business. Rather than getting defensive
and explaining why the customer is wrong, it is
important to show a human side and take a professional
approach to express that you generally want
to make the upset customer happy. While negative
reviews and criticisms of your business may be
tough to hear, it should ultimately act as the basis
for how your company can evolve and improve.
Recent research found that 70% of customers will
leave a review. All you have to do is ask! With reviews
playing a pivotal role in generating new business for
your company, you can never have too many. Obtaining
reviews is an important part of any marketing strategy
and must be an ongoing process. ICM
References:
1. https://www.inc.com/craig-bloem/84-percent-of-people-trust-onlinereviews
as-much-.html
2. https://thrivehive.com/do-online-reviews-matter/
3. https://blog.reachlocal.com/4-stats-reveal-why-reviews-matter-for-localbusiness
heres-what-to-do
4. https://blogs.constantcontact.com/do-customers-trust-online-reviews/
5. https://hbr.org/2018/02/study-replying-to-customer-reviews-results-inbetter
ratings
6. https://searchengineland.com/70-consumers-will-leave-review-businessasked
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12 ICM/July/August 2019