Bad Reviews 101
96% of unhappy customers will never complain, but they will tell 9-15 people about their experience. Those that complain are speaking for the rest of them. Here’s how to turn bad reviews into an opportunity.
“Haters are not your problem. Ignoring them is.“
– Jay Baer
Your online reviews play a more complex role in how customers see your business than you may think. For starters, 5 Stars usually isn’t a good thing. In the age of fake news, it looks suspicious.
Your prospective customers, and Millennials in particular, are judging whether or not to visit your store partly from online reviews. And they’re not just checking the score. They’re seeing if you care about people by how you respond to negative reviews.
If you ignore unhappy customers, their unanswered review will find its way to your bottom line. Instead of ignoring them, embrace them! Only 4% of unhappy customers will actually complain. They speak for the 96% who, while saying nothing to you, are dragging your company through the mud. That’s how a bad review is an opportunity.
Can I Just Turn off my Reviews?:
Yes, you can shut down reviews on certain platforms. It’s a bad idea. Millennials are far more tech savvy then you are. If they want to find out about your company, they will. Quickly.
If you shut down reviews, people will complain in the comments. If you shut down the comments, you might as well close your Facebook page because no one will engage with it.
That being said, there are certain social platforms (Twitter being the worst), that invite trolls. As a Garden Center, you don’t have to be on any of them.
How to Deal:
Answer it. Fast:
When people post a bad review, they want a response. Now. For my Garden Center, my phone buzzes every time a review is posted. If it’s negative I answer it within the hour no matter what day or hour it is.
Your complainer wants to hear from the Owner, and the faster the better. When I get to a review quickly, I usually get a thank you and flip anger into gratitude. I’ve never once had a review go south after dealing with it promptly.
Thank them.
Take it Offline:
Offer your personal email (never your cell #) and try to get it offline. Usually, the complainer will “like” your reply, as will multiple others.
He/she probably won’t email you. The offer itself is often enough to diffuse the situation and stem the toxic word of mouth.
Take Steps:
Here’s where it becomes an opportunity. Chances are, the complainer is articulating a problem that the silent 96% have had too. See him/her as their Ambassador, and take it seriously.
If it’s an encounter with a staff member, it’s probably ongoing. If it’s a quality issue, other people probably have it too. Sometimes the solution is simple (ie. washing the slippery muck off the floors), and sometimes complex (ie. Costco is making your Return Policy look medieval).
“Hug your Haters”:
Jay Baer takes complaint management to the next level. He encourages business to give customers as many opportunities to give feedback as possible. From slips at the till to “How are we doing?” buttons splashed across your website.
Why? Because for Owners with thick skins, more complaints means more opportunity to improve. While hiding from bad reviews will erode the credibility of your Garden Center, embraces them constructively will show the world your eagerness to improve, your willingness to engage, and your capacity to learn.
