How to Re-build Trust After a Bad Online Review

Online reviews are a vital marketing tool for any small businesses, and achieving the holy grail ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ average rating is of course, well, the holy grail.

The best way to achieve high average ratings, and deal with the low ones, is to understand what motivates people to leave reviews, and how you can influence them.

First of all, let's look at why online reviews are so important in the first place...

Why Online Reviews Are Important

• Online reviews provide all important social proof - your potential clients will use reviews to either reinforce or challenge their existing impression of your business, and to gain insight into your level of service, performance, and responsiveness.
• Online reviews feed into SEO and affect where and how your page is positioned amongst your competitors in search engine results.
• Independent reviews are a very effective way to build trust and position your business as an authority in the industry.
• Online reviews are a very important part of the decision making process.
• They provide the opportunity for you to engage with your customers, and create a customer experience and relationship that extends beyond the initial purchase.
• They have the power to build loyalty and a sense of connection.

The Stats

Here's a few stats to back up the above*:

• 98% read online reviews for local businesses
• 77% of people 'always' or 'often' read online reviews when browsing for local businesses.
• 89% of people are 'highly likely' or 'fairly likely' to use a business that responds to the majority of their reviews.
• 57% people say they are 'not very' or 'not at all likely' to use a business that doesn't respond to their reviews.
• Only 6% of people would consider using a business with an average review rating of less than 3 stars. 
• 76% of people said that online reviews were 'important' or 'very important' when making a decision to use a business.

Why Do People Leave Reviews?

So, what motivates people to leave a review in the first place? The top ten reasons why people leave a review of a business they have used are outlined below. It's important to keep these motivating factors in mind when considering how you can encourage your clients or customers to leave reviews.

1. 88% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if the business went above and beyond their expectations.
2. 80% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if their initial negative experience was turned into a positive one.
3. 74% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they know the business is family owned.
4. 73% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they feel the business has a low average star rating and you don't think its deserved.
5. 77% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they know the business is fairly new.
6. 63% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they feel the business has a high average star rating and you don't think it's deserved.
7. 62% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they know the business has very few reviews compared to competitors.
8. 53% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they received an email or SMS from the business requesting that you leave a review.
9. 57% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if a staff member suggested them to leave a review.
10. 43% are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a review if they know the business is part of a large chain (though 35% said this would make them 'unlikely' or 'very unlikely' to leave a review).

Key Learnings

Keep the above insight top of mind when creating your online review strategy, and remember:

• Surprise and delight - it's always important to go above and beyond your clients' expectations. When scoping a job or preparing a product, leave a little something up the sleeve to wow them. It doesn't have to be huge - a little random act of kindness is sometimes all it takes.
• Respond to as many reviews as you can - responses should be personalised, referring to the customer by name and acknowledging the content of their review. Always be professional and keep the tone in line with your brand and business. If a review is negative, acknowledge the review and provide a solution where possible. If it is not possible to provide a solution publicly, advise the customer that you have continued the conversation on email or will give them a call. Other's will be paying attention to how you respond, so be attentive, calm, professional, and solution driven at all times.
• It's never too late to turn around a negative experience - in fact, doing so will increase your chances of receiving a positive review.
• Tell your story - people are more likely to leave a review if they know you are family run, a new business, or have less review than the big players in the industry. If these factors ring true for you, include them in your messaging.
• Don't be afraid to ask - there is nothing wrong with asking people to leave a review, whether it be in person, via email, sms or a review app. Allow the person enough time to have properly experienced your product/service before you ask for a review, and of course address any negative experiences before you ask.

So, What Do I Do If Someone Leaves a Negative Review?

It can be heart-breaking, frustrating, and confusing when someone leaves a negative review. Obviously we would all prefer to avoid them entirely, though that's not always possible.

So, how do you rebuild trust after a client has vented their frustrations online?

Anticipate and Act Early

As mentioned previously, 80% of people are 'likely' or 'highly likely' to leave a positive review if their initial negative experience was turned into a positive one.

Wherever possible, try to identify any potential issues early, and provide a solution before they can become keyboard warriors. They may just become your best advocate instead!

Should Negative Reviews Be Left Up?

Unless a negative review breaches your online policy (e.g. if it is deemed to be offensive, hate speech, or discriminatory), and assuming that the majority of your reviews are positive, you can leave a negative review up.

A well managed negative review can lead to positive outcomes, so long as you can respond to it promptly, resolve the issue, and demonstrate that you have your customers' best interest at heart. Others reading the exchange will see that you are responsive, solution driven and customer service orientated, and most will view this in a positive light (so long as the nature of the initial review is not entirely heinous).

If a review becomes heated, and others start to weigh in on the discussion, it is important to monitor the discussion carefully. On most occasions, the conversation will self moderate, in which case it is best step out of the discussion once you have provided your initial response/s, not add fuel to the fire, and let the conversation die out naturally. If it continues to gain momentum, most platforms will give you the option to close or hide the comments on the review/post - if you do this, it's important to include an update thanking everyone for their input, and advising that you have closed the comments and continued the discussion with the customer elsewhere.

If the nature of the review is truly out of line or offensive, you can hide or delete it, though it's still important to follow up with the reviewer. If the review is left on a third party site, you can usually request for it to be removed if it is false or against online policies.

If you use a review app on your website, you may like to review the settings, as you can generally select what reviews you display, and in what order (e.g. display the latest reviews first, or the highest reviews first).

Respond to the review honestly

As strange as it may sound, your response to negative comments can help build trust within your community and with potential clients.  

By responding promptly, professionally and will a solution on hand, you can demonstrate your core values and show that you are committed to your clients.

 Did something go wrong that was out of your hands? Offer an apology and explain what happened. Was there a misunderstanding? Take the opportunity to clear it up. Has the reviewer requested additional information or a solution? Respond online to show what you’ve done to address the situation. Did the reviewer misunderstand a policy? Explain your policy and invite them to contact you if they have further questions.

Doing so shows readers that you take their concerns seriously and are willing to take responsibility when things go wrong.

If possible, make sure your response acknowledges the issue, and that you offer a statement about your commitment to your clients, and a way to continue the conversation offline, if further communication is needed. Doing so will show potential customers and clients that you care about their feedback and are willing to take responsibility, but it also allows you to move the conversation to a more private forum if the reviewer isn’t happy with your response.

Is It Time To Take a Long Hard Look in The Mirror?

If you see the same concerns repeatedly in the online feedback, it may be time to review your services. Negative reviews give you insight into areas where your customers feel your business could make changes, so take the time to consider what you’re being told. It may be that you can improve on your offerings or you need to communicate better with clients to manage their expectations.

Thank them for their feedback, let them know you’re taking their concerns seriously, and explain what your next steps will be.

In Summary

We all want to pursue the big ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  average rating, though knowing how to deal with the ⭐, ⭐⭐ and ⭐⭐⭐ is just as important in establishing trust and showcasing your core values.

*2021, https://www.brightlocal.com/research/local-consumer-review-survey/