Let’s face it – Yelp is a four letter word for most of us. It seems like the only reviews we see on it are negative reviews – and all the positive reviews get pushed into the dustbin called “…other reviews that are not currently recommended”.
Take heart though, despite riling us up and getting our blood boiling negative reviews come with great opportunity.
By responding to your negative reviews you can reduce the impact on your Yelp page. In some cases you may even get more calls to your business from a negative review than a positive one.
Here are some tips on how to respond to negative yelp reviews:
First, don’t be emotional. Take a deep breath…and relax. This is a great opportunity – you’ll see why when you read this.
Next, log in to your Yelp business account and add a public comment to the review. https://biz.yelp.com/
Resolving the issue publicly will tell a story to future visitors to your Yelp listing that you care and that you are committed to making customers happy (studies have shown that a negative review with a public comment from the business creates a better experience – and drive more calls – than a 5-star review).
In your public comment…
- Always thank the customer for the feedback – this is a golden opportunity to learn and improve.
- Be contrite – admit that you made mistake and that you want to make it right
- Have the comment come from the business owner
- Tell the customer that you will be sending them a private message in Yelp with your cell#, and ask them to call
- Tell the customer you will be calling them personally as well
Next, send a private message to customer via your Yelp Business Account Admin.
In your private message…
- Always thank the customer for the feedback
- Be contrite – admit that you made mistake and that you want to make it right
- Include your cell# and ask them to call
- Tell the customer you will be calling personally as well
Resolve the issue and then ask for either an update to the review (this is the preferred method because it creates a great story of customer service to future visitors), or ask them to remove the review.
We know sometimes customers just can’t be satisfied, so even if they don’t go back and revise or remove the review, you have made a public display of great customer service and that will make a bigger impact on future visitors to the page than a 5-star review.
And, as always keep providing great service and earning great reviews because the more reviews you have in your account, the less volatile your star rating will be. You’ll be able to absorb any 1- or 2-star review without it changing your overall star rating.
