By: Lianne Wiker Hedditch
As both publicists and social media consultants for most of our clients, we are sometimes faced with assisting with the creation of responses to negative feedback online.
Business owners, or the individuals who deal with internet customer service, are often struck by some of the online banter, and easily lose sight of the businesses’ core values when hastily responding. Here are some general steps and words of advice that we recommend when dealing with these situations.
-After reading the comment, take a deep breath, step away for a few minutes, and return to re-read. Sometimes on the first pass through, we are taken aback with defense of the product in question. It is easy to quickly write a response that is brash and not thought out. Re-reading the comment helps put everything in a better perspective to begin the thought process of the best way to proceed, and a deep breath never hurts J.
-Check out the reviewer’s social media pages. First of all, is this a legitimate person? Are they always posting just to be negative? There are many reasons why someone may be airing grievances that don’t have anything to do with one particular situation, often times it is apparent to all who may read it as well. Sometimes, instead of responding publicly, responses are better handled privately, and even legally.
-Is this a site where someone actually had to visit the business to review? For example, on OpenTable, you need to have checked in for a reservation to leave a review. Whenever I am looking for a hotel or a restaurant, I will generally visit these sites where guests legitimately have to experience to review. That way, you know you are seeing actual feedback that may not have been posted by an employee of a company or organization.
-Does the person always post negative reviews? Or are their reviews more 50/50? Generally, if the reviewer you are dealing with only posts when they have something negative to say, they are often looking for some sort of freebie from the business. Most of the time, these reviews do not actually represent the business well.
-Consult a professional. There are some situations which are better figured out with a crisis team. Public relations agencies are a good place to start to figure out a strategy for a response. When the rule of thumb is to almost never delete a review in fear that the person will continue to post and post again, you need to craft a response, which will be seen by all, that is well thought out and strategized.
