E-Reputation

In this lesson you will understand:

• The impacts of customer reviews on business
• How to use reviews for business and staff management
• How to respond to critical reviews

At the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Understand how to use reviews as a tool for improved business performance.
• Understand professional response best practice.
• Judge and discuss online ratings and compare competitors, incl. Google Maps and TripAdvisor.

Don't let reviews scare you: there will always be negative reviews and you can't please everyone, but that's okay! Having balanced reviews makes makes it clear that your business is legitimate, and consistent. Quality responses to reviews will show you care about your customers.

If you do your best to provide excellent service, good reviews will outweigh the bad ones and your business' review pages will be a useful tool for prospective customers to find you.

Not only do businesses need to respond to negative reviews, but doing so in the right way is crucial. Having a bad review on TripAdvisor hurts your reputation. A proper response to a bad review can do two things for you:

• It can minimize the damage to your reputation by making prospective guests think more highly of you, and it can repair your relationship with unhappy reviewers.

The following infographic shows the impact of reviews and star ratings on business:

Credit: Forbes.com

Using reviews for business and staff management

Customer reviews are a highly valuable resource to help manage and improve your business:

Negative reviews by customers help to pinpoint problems that you may never find out about otherwise e.g. the air conditioning isn't working properly, the mattresses are too hard, the linen is dirty or the staff are unfriendly. These are examples of issues that can be fixed - and highlight staff training that may be needed.

Positive reviews are highly motivating for everyone and a great source of encouragement for staff.

How to respond to reviews

You want to show potential customers that your business reads and responds to reviews, so personalize your responses to the review and show your brand voice.

Responding to positive reviews is so much easier than responding to complaints - but how you respond to both are important. Some simple principles to keep in mind are to be positive, humble, helpful, and enthusiastic.

Responding to Positive reviews

1. Express appreciation

Expressing gratitude reaffirms that your business is gracious and welcoming. It also lets readers know that you value and invite customer feedback.

2. Be specific

Avoid using generic statements. Tailor your response to the specific things called out in each review.

3. Reinforce the positive

Confirming a customer's positive experience in your response is a great way to reinforce the aspect of your business that your customer is highlighting. For example, if a customer mentions the speed of service in their review, you might respond with: "We are so glad to hear that you had a great experience with us. We train hard to make sure our team operates efficiently-glad to know it's working!"

4. Be timely

Consumers want to feel heard, so respond quickly to the feedback. It shows you're paying attention.

5. Keep it short

It's best not to respond to every positive review with a long message because that can become repetitive for review readers. Keep it short or respond to some reviews privately every once in a while, as nice and personable gesture to your customers.

Responding to Negative reviews

Research the issue before you respond so that you are aware of as many details of the customer's experience as possible. Did the guest complain before checkout? Is there a record of his or her communications with your staff?

1. Respond as soon as possible

Once you've researched the details of the guest's stay, you should respond to negative reviews ASAP. Responding as quickly as possible may help to repair your relationship with your unhappy customer. It will also minimize the number of prospective customers that see the review online without your response. We recommend that you respond to 100% of negative reviews within 24 hours.

2. It's not personal

As difficult as it is, try not to take the reviews personally. Maintain professionalism in your responses.

3. Thank the guest by name

Even if the negative review is aggressive or hurtful, you should thank the guest for taking the time to give feedback. Take a minute and remember that all feedback is valuable. And, if you handle the situation gracefully, it can reduce the effects of the bad review in the eyes of your prospective customers.

4. Apologize for the poor experience

Remember, an apology is not an admission of guilt or wrongdoing. For whatever reason, this person's expectations were not met, which is disappointing for anybody. You should express sympathy that his or her experience fell short of expectation.

5. Highlight any changes you have made or intend to make

This is a good opportunity to take the conversation offline to avoid further public conflict. If the situation warrants, "changes you have made or intend to make" can be as simple as inviting the guest to contact you, so you can make it right. Don't promise any form of compensation online to avoid setting a precedent.

6. Evaluate the need for follow up procedures

If you have the guest's contact information it's a good idea to send them a personal email to express your apologies and offer compensation if appropriate. Additionally, you should ask the following questions about the review:

• Did this person experience a systemic problem that each customer could face?
• Is there an easy fix to the problem?
• Is the problem unfounded or not likely to be repeated?
• Or is the problem linked to something you cannot easily change, like infrastructure or design?

Also see:
What guarantees a bad hotel guest review? (…and how to avoid it) Responding to TripAdvisor reviews Sources:
Thrivehive
Siteminder
Revinate

Summary

• If you do your best to provide excellent service, good reviews will outweigh the bad ones and your business' review pages will be a useful tool for prospective customers to find you.
• Some simple principles to keep in mind are to be positive, humble, helpful, and enthusiastic.
• Negative reviews by customers help to pinpoint problems that you may never find out about otherwise.