First, don’t panic! Every business will inevitably have a customer that has a bad day or poor service experience and decides to post their complaint online. Responding promptly is important so regular monitoring of your reviews is critically important. (You can do this through our Comprehensive and Premium OPTIMA™ program.)

Some questions to consider: 1) Can you reach out to the customer directly and talk through the situation? Even though it was posted online, old-fashioned customer service outreach is nearly always your best bet. Some consumers will take down their reviews if the business owner responds to them directly. 2) Does the review meet the content requirements of the site? Is the review inappropriate, biased, or not relevant? If a competitor or a person who never utilized your services posted a bad review these would be deemed biased or irrelevant. If you do find content violations, we can often help you get the review removed by flagging it with the review site.

If you determine it is a “real” review here are some guidelines:
1) Respond quickly. Let your customers know that you care about their experience by replying to the review as soon as possible.
2) Your response should be short and include the following: An apology, an explanation that their experience is not typical for your business, and an invitation to fix the problem by offering an appropriate solution.
3) Focus on gaining positive reviews to “bury” the negative.