Social Media: How to turn bad reviews into positive experiences

Social media are interactive technologies that allow the creation or sharing/exchange of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks.

There are plenty of reasons why customers choose to post reviews on social media, but they largely fall into two camps, good and bad reviews. These reviews published on a public forum can make or break your brand.

Businesses will receive feedback via social media, whether encouraged or not. Negative reviews occur when customer experiences are less than expected, however, this is an opportunity to win back that customer.

Accepting negative reviews as constructive criticism is a healthy practice. Openly communicating with your audience about brand improvement lets customers know that you are not only listening but that you value their opinions.

The right way to respond to negative feedback

How you respond to negative feedback is very important. No matter how personal or derogatory the review is, it is important to stay professional, positive and respectful when you reach out to the unhappy customer. You need to acknowledge the problem, apologise, and work out an acceptable resolution. Always provide excellent customer service and make it clear you are concerned and are there to listen.

It is also important to remember that time is critical when managing negative reviews online.  Keep in mind that other customers will read the negative review during the time prior to your response and they will not come back to read your comments. Act quickly and be honest and sincere.

Write a custom response, do not just copy and paste a prewritten template. It is fine to have a rough template to guide you about what to say and in what order, but the full text should not be written out in advance. Customers will be able to see right through this.

If you did make an error you should own up to it. This can go a long way to getting that customer, and others, to trust you again. Customers respect honesty.

If need be, take the conversation off-line

While you definitely want to approach a negative review on social media in the place where it originated you might also want to take the conversation offline at some point. Be proactive, get the customer’s contact information and approach them directly. You can then talk with the customer in greater detail about what is upsetting them and propose a solution that is tailor-made for them.

Finally

Remember reviews are a vital part of decision making. As a growing business, you are proud of your good reputation. It is tempting to ignore bad reviews but you will not only lose the upset customer, but you could potentially lose many others too. Proactively addressing these bad reviews can actually be good for your business.

Ready to tackle those negative social media reviews?

If you have any questions about how to turn bad reviews on social media into positive experiences feel free to get in touch with us today. We have experience supporting staff with negative feedback via social media training and we can use our expertise to help you get back on track.