It would be fantastic if the answer to this question were “Yes.”
And we’d have a much shorter blog post to write!
When a dissatisfied customer (or outright troll) leaves a negative review about your company on a site like Yelp, Glassdoor or Facebook, it stings. And it can really damage your reputation – and your bottom line.
If a review is crude or profane, you may want to report it to the platform on which it was posted. But you shouldn’t remove a review simply because it’s negative.
Why shouldn’t you delete a negative review?
- A single poor review actually lends authenticity to your online reputation. IF it’s balanced by dozens or hundreds of positive ones, that is. Consumers are rightfully suspect of a company that has nothing but 5-star reviews online. They may wonder if your business whitewashes your reviews or solicits fake positive reviews. The truth is, nobody can please 100% of their customers 100% of the time.
- A negative online review provides a platform to showcase your service recovery in action. Potential customers read reviews to decide if they want to do business with you. If you provide proof on review sites that you listen to customers, take their complaints seriously, and bend over backward to resolve their issues, it speaks volumes about the customer experience you aim to deliver.
- A bad review provides useful information – and the opportunity to keep a customer’s business. If you simply delete a negative review instead of addressing it, you’re guaranteed to drive that customer away. But if you take heed of what they say and make the situation right, you can turn that disgruntled customer into a raving fan. What’s more, once you resolve their issue, you can tactfully ask the customer to revise or update their review (which provides additional proof of your amazing service!). Finally, if you notice patterns in customer complaints, you may identify important changes that need to be made to your products, processes or service delivery.
Looking for better ways to deal with bad reviews – and protect your reputation?
1. Check out these earlier posts on managing negative reviews:
Who Cares If I Don’t Have Any Reviews?
Can I Delete a Bad Facebook Review?
2. Implement a formal reputation management program. Catch negative reviews before they’re posted online by providing an outlet for dissatisfied customers to air their grievance in a channel that comes directly to you (instead of being blasted all over the internet). Short, simple, automated customer feedback surveys are the perfect vehicle to intercept and proactively address negative feedback – and set the stage for service recovery.
Speaking of online reputation management, that’s what we do!
BARQAR’s digital marketing experts have created a comprehensive (and very affordable) program that:
- Surveys your audience – to identify promoters AND trolls.
- Encourages positive social reviews – on the sites most critical for your business.
- Gathers negative feedback privately – and gets internet trolls off your reputation’s back.
- Monitors online reviews – so you always know what your customers are saying about you.
Want a free, no-obligation demo of our reputation management services?
Connect with BARQAR today.
