Handling Negative Local Business Listing Reviews

Posted by admin on Oct 9th, 2010 in featured articles, local search | 0 comments

No matter how much you try, there will always be someone who isn’t happy. In the past, there was the exceptional disgruntled customer who would picket a business with a strange sign scrawled about conspiracy theories, but the police would come and remove them. You can’t do that with an online review.

The worst thing about negative reviews of your local business listing is that these catch the eye of your prospective customers more than anything. But, there is hope! You now have the ability with Google Places to counter negative reviews, or respond to them, and people will see your responses. How you handle this can really show how good, or bad, you are at customer relations.

Managing the Problem

You must handle negative reviews in a timely manner. As illustrated in the diagram below, negative reviews can derive from a number of places across the Internet. Some people employ firms that specialize in reputation management such as ReputationDefender.com to monitor their listings and do the work for them, but there are some actions you can take on your own. Try to respond to all negative reviews within two days, showing your commitment to your customers and your concern for your reputation. Remember not to get defensive in your responses. It might feel right, but no matter how you feel about it you need to keep a level head.

If you can, try to talk to the person who left you a negative review privately. If this isn’t possible, reply to their review. Start your reply by thanking them for taking time out of their lives to leave you a feedback, apologize, and let them know you will be making changes to your business or establishment to make sure this doesn’t recur. If you can address their issues, they might even go back and edit their apology with “issue resolved” or “problem fixed” so people can see that you care about your customers, turning a negative situation into a positive. Bad reviews aren’t always bad though, they can help you change and improve your business. Look at this as an opportunity to grow as a company, and to have a better relationship with you customers.

Sometimes, You Can’t Please Everyone

Remember a few bad reviews aren’t the end of the world. Google Places usually displays the six most recent reviews to your listing, so the bad review(s) can be bumped down in time. Your online reputation is your greatest currency in this day and age, and you need to work hard to protect it. If you get compliments about your business, always suggest that customers leave feedback on your listing, so others can see you are a trustworthy and responsive business person.