How do I deal with bad reviews on Yelp?
From addressing the facts of the review to acting quickly and strategically, here are answers to the question, “How have you dealt with bad reviews on Yelp?”
- Quick Constructive Answers & Getting Positive Opinions
- Hire Specialist On Dealing With Bad Reviews
- Act Quickly and Strategically, Never Ignore Bad Reviews
- Post a Public Apology
- Address It Early and Do It Offline
- Address the Facts of the Review
- By Zeroing in On Any Positive Mentioned
Quick Constructive Answers & Getting Positive Opinions
Bad reviews are an integral part of doing business, and it’s impossible to always please everyone. The truth is that people are more likely to leave an opinion when it’s negative, so I encourage happy customers to leave a review to counterbalance negative ones. I also constructively respond to each bad review and demonstrate that my company is doing its best to help the unsatisfied customer.
Responding as quickly as possible and using a professional tone shows that you care about customer satisfaction and take the matter seriously.
Natalia Brzezinska, Marketing and Outreach Manager, PhotoAiD
Hire Specialist On Dealing With Bad Reviews
When receiving unfavorable reviews on Yelp, it might be hard to know how to respond. We engaged a specialist in dealing with customer relations in order to better respond to unfavorable consumer comments.
We have discovered that it is crucial for enhancing the reputation of our company and offering top-notch customer service to promptly and properly reply to all evaluations, whether good or negative. Potential customers are more likely to interact with our business further when we pay close attention to concerns and swiftly address the problem.
Jim Campbell, Owner, Camp Media
Act Quickly and Strategically, Never Ignore Bad Reviews
From my experience, the worst thing you can do is to ignore bad reviews. It may give the impression that you have something to hide or disrespect your clients. Act quickly and strategically instead. Speed is more important than you may think. Your response must be not only fast, but also well-thought-out and strategic.
Try to leave a good impression and keep a polite tone no matter what. Explain the situation, offer alternative solutions, and apologize if there are reasons for it. Show that you care for your clients. Such behavior presents your company in a positive light and weakens the power of the bad review you reply to.
Agata Szczepanek, Community Manager, LiveCareer
Post a Public Apology on Yelp
I posted a public apology for the client not obtaining the promised service, or for whatever reason; he received negative feedback. I offered to address it with him and “make it right” in the apology. This is tagged with the review and has let people know that I am committed to resolving issues. It does not remove the review, but it does mitigate its impact.
Everyone will be unhappy, and some may want to attack for various reasons. My firm has had a rival conduct business with us and then write a negative review to discredit us. Make sure you address any internal concerns and always take the high road; it will pay off in the long run.
David reid, Sales Director, VEM-Tooling Co. Ltd.
Address It Early and Do It Offline
One thing I have learned about dealing with bad Yelp reviews is that the sooner you address them, the better. Also, make sure you take the conversation offline. Small misunderstandings often cause negative Yelp reviews; it’s not like your service is bad. So, the sooner you make things right with the client, the easier it will be to move past this.
The idea of taking the conversation online also allows things to cool off a bit. You don’t want to go back and forth with a reviewer where everybody else can see what you are talking about. Besides, most people will also be comfortable sharing their reasons why they gave you a negative review in a private conversation. That way, it will be easier to address the issue so that it doesn’t happen again.
Logan Nguyen, Co-founder, MIDSS
Address the Facts of the Review
Although responding to any review quickly to show you care is important, it’s a good idea to take some time to read through the review and address the facts of the situation. Although negative reviews seldom make for pleasant reading, it’s important to understand why the customer felt strongly enough that they needed to post a review of your service in the first place – this also presents a learning opportunity to review your internal processes too.
Once you’ve taken this time to read the review and understand the customer’s position, you should address your customer’s concerns by letting them know that you’re making the necessary changes to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. This shows your customers and others reading the review that you’ve acknowledged the mistake and you’re more than willing to make up for it. You can do this by offering replacement products or offering to perform the service again to ensure you’re meeting their expectations.
Richard LeCount, Managing Director, USB Makers
By Zeroing in On Any Positive Mentioned
We’ve had to deal with a few negative reviews on Yelp about our product from customers who did not fully grasp how they could use it to grow their e-commerce sites. The strategy we’ve employed over time to deal with these is to zero in on any positives that the reviewer mentions and try to resolve the problem by being courteous while reminding them of the benefits they derived from our app.
This process allows us to offer professional help to the reviewers while responding to their reviews, while at the same time ensuring that we do not just bury our heads in the sand if something is wrong.
Alvin Wei, Co-founder and CMO, SEOAnt
Submit Your Answer
Would you like to submit an alternate answer to the question, “How have you dealt with bad reviews on Yelp?”