So, you just got a bad review from a disgruntled customer and aren’t worried at all? Well, you should be.
Because, nine out of every ten customers worldwide read online reviews before they purchase something. And 76% of customers trust reviews online just as much as they trust personal recommendations.
Whether you’re on Google, Yelp, Facebook or have any other social media presence, your reviews help people make the decision on whether they want to take their business to you or not. So, you need to be vary of negative reviews.
But the good news is, you can turn around the negative reviews into positive ones.
Types Of Negative Reviews
But first, let’s take a look at the different types of negative reviews. Of course, all negative reviews have a motive behind them. Here are a few.
1. Vengeful
Such customers want to punish you. They are furious and want to do some damage to your repair business. A scathing review is a low-risk, easy way to do that. Vengeful customers are not looking for reconciliation or justice. They want to do damage only.
2. Altruists
These consumers want to share their honest experiences and feedback with potential customers. Their review is to give clear feedback so that potential customers can make an informed decision. An altruist’s review can be either negative or positive.
3. Advice Seekers
Advice seekers have had a bad experience at your repair store. They use their review to ask for advice or help. Rather than coming to your repair store directly, they are seeking guidance from other reviewers or customers who have visited your repair store. Such a review is devastating because it enables others’ imaginations to run wild as they try to fill the blanks.
4. Doubters
A customer has purchased a service or product from your repair store. Now they are feeling buyer’s remorse. They are concerned and nervous that they made a mistake. An insignificant issue has ballooned in their mind and formed an overwhelming disaster. Such a negative review is a kind of catharsis, a way to release their cognitive disagreement fueling their doubt.
5. The Fearful
The fearful customers are usually agreeable. They’re scared of conflict, so there are chances that they might not be open or honest with you. Such customers smile, tell you that your services were apt, and then publish a very demoralizing review anonymously later.
6. The Standard-Bearer
The standard-bearer is usually loyal or engaged customers. They are well aware of how everything usually is around your repair store. They show that they are unhappy with how things have fallen short of your standards. So their review is just to inform you that you were doing well before and now something has changed.
What makes such a review different? These customers are searching for restoration and want you to fix the issue so that they can continue to get services from you.
Don’t forget; there might be a few customers who have all the attributes mentioned above. You need to have a strong sense of recognition so that you can handle all the customers properly.
How To Turn Negative Reviews Into Positive Reviews?
Negative reviews give insights into the working of your repair business and where you need to make some changes.
For instance, a customer comes to your repair store for a screen replacement. The next day you come across a review from the same customer. They complain that your repair store took too much time and the employees were rude to them. The negative review shows that you need to improve employee training, and if not done right, it can cost you your repair business.
This article will help you convert negative reviews into positive reviews. So, let’s walk through what needs to be done once you’ve received a negative review.
1. Give A Timely Response
Timing is very important. The faster you address the negative review, the more manageable the discussion will be. Make information readily available, clear up misunderstandings, and reply instantly to initial inquiries.
Have a system in place to deal with negative reviews. First, send a courteous message apologizing and offering to compensate anyone who gives a justified negative review. Second, always look into the problem and provide relevant contact information to resolve the issue. Many unhappy customers will appreciate the gesture.
Some consumers will not reply to your feedback. It’s unfortunate but should not be considered as a setback. The important thing is that you have a system in place to address concerns. Hence, you can quickly turn a negative review around with a fast response. Once that is achieved, you can use good marketing techniques to send special offers to these customers to retain them.
Also, don’t think that having a negative review is terrible. On the contrary, it helps you portray effective customer service, integrity, and professionalism in repair shop management. Thus, proving that your repair store is genuine.
2. Identify Constructive VS Destructive Feedback
Some reviews can be constructive, whereas some are all-out rants that don’t contain any substance. Rants are often full of misrepresentation, inaccuracies, and even insults.
The ideal way to deal with a rant is to report the review on the platform it is published on. For example, Google allows you to flag reviews and gets them removed. On the other hand, Yelp also has set guidelines to flag reviews and request their removal. Moderators on these websites can help you fix such negative reviews.
On the other hand, there are some constructive negative reviews. Such reviews, although negative, give valuable insights into your repair business. Constructive criticism can make you understand consumer pain points and what you are doing wrong. It can help you improve your repair shop management.
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3. Ask Questions
After sympathizing and apologizing with the customer, the next thing you need to do is to focus on identifying the problem. Some reviews pinpoint the exact problem, whereas others can be short without details of what transpired.
For instance, reviews don’t mention the date of the incident and what reactions were given by the repair shop management upon complaining. If given any…
You need to find out every single detail. Because such details will help you understand the root of the problem and where the fault lies. Once you know the fault, you can immediately jump into crisis management and fix the issue.
4. Focus On Customer Happiness
The customer is always right!
This phrase is quite commonly used and is accurate as well. Your repair business does not exist to make a profit only; instead, you need to find solutions to customer’s problems. That is why your buyer’s happiness should be your topmost priority.
While making amends with someone who has had a bad experience at your repair shop, inform them that your motto revolves around your customer’s happiness.
Let’s take an example of how you should respond to negative reviews. First, remember to keep it precise and concise. Then, start by thanking the customer for taking out time to write the review. It is very important because it portrays that you are engaged with the review, even if it’s negative.
Then, apologize and emphasize that your main aim is to give customers a memorable experience. Your words should convey how seriously you take customer satisfaction. Finally, end the response by giving either your or your store manager’s number. It will show how their review is being taken seriously.
5. Fix Your Mistake And Then Broadcast It
Just like surveys give insights on what needs improvement, similarly, reviews are fodder for your repair business to improve your service. A negative review is a chance to learn and take notes of the problems.
Use that negative review to fix the problem and make sure that you don’t repeat the mistake. Once that is done, inform the customers that you have fixed the issue.
Send another message to the customer. First, apologize and thank the customer again for their feedback. Then tell them that their concerns have been discussed internally, and they won’t face the issue again.
It’s always good to show some visual changes if possible. It will show that you went above and beyond to ensure that your customers don’t face this issue again.
6. Share Something Of Value
Finally, the best way to deal with a disgruntled customer is to give them something of value.
For instance, if a customer has had a bad experience at your repair shop, you can offer them store credits or give them a discount on their next visit.
Pro-Tip: Always refund a customer their money if they have any issue with your product or service. It will help you keep a customer rather than losing them forever.
Negative reviews are not the end of the world. Such reviews don’t have the power to ruin your repair store’s reputation in the long term as long as you deal with them in the right way. As far as the ratio of positive reviews is more than negative reviews, you are good to go.
