An angry customer posts a negative online review about your shop. Their story is blown out of proportion and falsely asserts that your shop ripped them off. What a way to start your day! What, if anything, should you do next? If you’re thinking Smith & Wesson, you’re wrong.
The next day, another customer posts a complimentary review, raving about what a terrific company you are. You feel great about it and yourself! Yesterday’s stinkin’ thinkin’ is in your rearview mirror. Quoting Paul McCartney and John Lennon, “That was yesterday, and yesterday’s gone.” What, if anything, should you do next?
In today’s instant communication world, protecting your online reputation is vital. When people post anything, whether favorable or unfavorable, it instantly goes to hundreds, possibly thousands, of people using review sites, and in the poster’s social network. Social media and review sites are the new word-of-mouth. And think about the reposts.
Before the social media phenomenon, dissatisfied customers often threatened to tell everyone about how a company had mistreated them. They’d tell and retell their story until they were tired of telling it. With rare exceptions, by the time they’d shared it with ten to twenty friends, the issue died along with their anger and negative enthusiasm.
Of course, some took it further – contacting the BBB, involving a consumer protection agency, calling their lawyer, or going to the supreme court for customer complaints – small claims court. But these were rare, and the third parties usually encouraged them to reach out to the company first. Unfortunately, that’s often when shops first hear about problems. And, of course, the good shops take proactive steps to resolve customer upsets.
Ideally, a dissatisfied customer will contact you before they take these types of aggressive steps, but some people are uncomfortable with confrontation and will bypass you by going to a third party. Customers don’t realize how much you want to make them happy, and if they’d give you the opportunity, you’d happily resolve their concerns.
However, today, their threat to tell everyone is real and instant. They type their story into their favorite social media platform or review site, and once they’ve clicked “send,” the deed is done. Sometimes they’re writing the story as it’s happening – even before they’ve left your shop. Unfortunately, you can’t resolve an issue you don’t know about. The root of the problem is their fear of confrontation. It’s easier to type into a device than to interact with a human.
So, back to the question, “When you get a good or bad review about your company, what, if anything, should you do next?” All reviews are potentially good reviews. What? Even the bad reviews? Yes! Can you recall when you resolved a “customer upset,” and that customer became one of your biggest boosters? How you handle customer complaints determines whether they’ll become boosters or terrorists.
With social media, when you get a negative review, you get an opportunity to go public with how customer-centric your shop is, demonstrating your commitment to resolve problems and mistakes. People know mistakes happen and will be impressed by your approach to resolving them. Actions trump words when clearing up assertions of impropriety. Let your actions counter any claims that you were unethical or dishonest. Honest mistakes happen and are forgivable. However, dishonesty is not.
For instance, a customer posts a review claiming that you ripped them off. They brought their car into your shop because it was “going bump in the night.” After your diagnosis, you recommended replacing the “thing-ama- jig.” You charged them “a-week’swages,” and the car still isn’t working right. They claim you’re a rip-off artist. What, if anything, do you do next?
- First, call them and offer to resolve their concern.
- Also write a reply to their post, stating your desire to promptly take care of the problem.
- Tell them you’re sorry their car still has a problem, and you will take care of it for them.
- Explain that sometimes repairs require additional attention. Reassure them that your work is warrantied and that you’ll fix any problems with the parts and labor you provided.
- Invite them to bring it in immediately, and you’ll make it a top priority.
- When they come in, help them feel welcome by thanking them for the opportunity to resolve their concerns. You must overcome their discomfort about complaining and their feelings about being ripped off. Let your words and actions demonstrate that your company is honest and stands behind its work.
- After you’ve fixed the car, ask them if there’s anything else you can do for them.
- If they’re satisfied, ask them to post a new review, and if possible, retract the first review on the social platform they used.
- In case they don’t post the new review, post reply to their original complaint, recapping story about how you handled the situation.
What if they refuse to return? If this happens, either they feel you’ve done something so terribly wrong that it’s irreconcilable, or they’re unreasonable. Here’s a tip from TV’s Dr. Phil, “By definition, you can’t reason with an unreasonable person.”
However, maybe you can reason with their social network and remediate your reputation.
- If they’re unreasonable people, their friends and social network probably already know it.
- Follow up your first reply post with a second post restating your apology and offer to fix it under warranty, and invite them to reconsider your offer.
- If they pursue a complaint through a third party, your “reply posts” be helpful for proving that they didn’t give you a chance to resolve it.
Don’t be confrontational or defensive with your “reply posts.” Be empathetic and make problem resolution the goal. Avoid making yourself look right by making the customer wrong. Here’s a story that explains what I mean.
Last month, my son and daughter-in-law booked a five-night stay at the Embassy Suites by Hilton in Scottsdale, Arizona. Having stayed at Embassy Suites and Hilton Hotels many times, they had reasonably high expectations. However, this time was an exception. And when they attempted to discuss their concerns, the staff was dismissive. My daughter-in-law posted a negative review. Here are some excerpts from her post.
We were sitting in the lounge area watching the Dodgers playoff game. They only had Goldfish Crackers and Chex Mix, and the restaurant wasn’t open. So, we ordered an Uber EATS delivery from Chick-fil-A. As we were eating it, a hotel employee told us outside food is not allowed. They advised us this policy is due to sanitation requirements. Ironically, as they were saying this, a guest walked a wet dog through the lounge where we were sitting, leaving dog prints on the floor. That seemed far more unsanitary than our food.
When we checked out, we commented that we wished we could have cut our stay short and couldn’t wait to check out. However, because we booked our room using a discount code, we knew an early checkout would increase our nightly rate.
We also asked about the $9.77 per night parking fee. There’s no covered or fenced parking, security gate, or security guard. In fact, the signs posted throughout the parking lot read, “Hotel is not responsible for theft or damages; Park at your own risk.” We weren’t complaining but asking, “What are we receiving for the parking fee?
When we expressed our concerns at checkout, the front desk clerk told us, “You’re lucky we don’t charge a Resort Fee like other hotels in the area.” At that point, I looked directly at her and said, “Before you can do that, this hotel needs to BE a resort.” That’s when I turned around and walked out.
Here’s the verbatim body of the hotel manager’s reply post.
We are sorry we were not able to provide you with the quality of services you deserve. This is not typical of our hotel and staff, and we are always looking for ways to improve our customer experience. We are so sorry to hear that you were upset about the parking. The parking is listed on our website as well as that our hotel is pet friendly. You had mentioned that you couldn’t wait to check out of the hotel, you were more than welcome to check out sooner but you didn’t. You decided to stay the full five nights. As far as the outside food, due to our food license, if the restaurant is open on property, no outside food is allowed. This is a standard in all places that serve food as well as any other hotel worldwide whose restaurant is open. Would you bring in Olive Garden food to Red Lobster? You wouldn’t, which is why in a lot of establishments you see the no outside food and beverage sign. Your satisfaction is very important to us and we strive to provide gracious, engaging and caring service and try hard to make sure all of our guests have a rewarding stay. Thank you again for your feedback.
Do you see the defensiveness, sarcasm, and finger-pointing? How do you think my son and his wife felt? How would you feel? Wouldn’t a phone call have been better than this poorly written reply? Even not replying would have been better. At least, it wouldn’t be in this article.
If you were writing a reply, I hope it would be more like this one.
Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your concerns with your stay. Your feedback is important to us, and we’ll use it to improve our service.
While at this time, we can’t do anything to reverse what happened, we do hope you’ll give Embassy Suites and Hilton a chance to restore your trust in us.
Please present this letter to any of our locations for a complimentary room night. We want to be your hotel of choice and welcome the opportunity to serve you again.
Thank you for your valuable feedback.
Note how this reply doesn’t judge or dispute my daughter-in-law’s concerns. Instead, it acknowledges her dissatisfaction, apologizes, and offers a resolution.
Finally, what about good reviews? If they’re happy, why bother with replying? Remember, when you get a complimentary review, hundreds, possibly thousands will see it. It’s almost as good as a direct referral. What, if anything, should you do next?
- Post a reply, thanking them for the review.
- Reassure them that their continued satisfaction is your number one goal.
- Invite them to contact you for all their service and repair needs.
Ask for referrals, “Our business depends on referrals from happy customers. If you’re happy with our service, please tell your friends. However, please tell us if there’s anything we can or could have done better for you.”
There’s a saying, “What gets rewarded gets repeated.” Posting a thank you is a reward, and others will see it. Also consider sending them a handwritten thank you note. Use an envelope with a first-class stamp. Nowadays, we don’t get much personal mail. It will get opened and make a favorable lasting impression.
As always, feel free to reach out to me with any questions and comments about this article or anything related to your business. Contact me at coachthom@gmail.com or (480) 773-3131.
