INTRODUCTION
According to Zendesk, 45 percent of customers share negative reviews on social media, and 63% of consumers read negative reviews on social media. It doesn’t help when it’s discovered that 20 percent of reviews on Yelp are fake.
Still, it’s imperative that you don’t let negative reviews sit unaddressed. One rationale is the “broken windows theory.” When consumers see no response to negative reviews, they assume you don’t care enough, and you’ll probably attract more negative (and fake negative) reviews, which will cost you revenue.
Here’s how restaurants should respond to negative comments online.
WHY DO ONLINE REVIEWS MATTER?
First, why do consumers even read reviews? It’s because in the consumer adoption process, consumers use reviews, recommendations and testimonials to evaluate products and services. That means they usually don’t become your customer (adoption) unless they get past that stage.
- Awareness
- Interest
- Evaluation
- Trial
- Adoption
That aforementioned Zendesk study revealed that 88 percent of consumers have had their buying decisions influenced by online reviews. Your first step should be to create accounts on the four major online review sites:
- https://www.tripadvisor.com/Owners
- https://biz.yelp.com/support/claiming
- https://www.google.com/business/
- https://www.facebook.com/pages/create/
Next, you should actively monitor your page (e.g. you can set up alerts when someone leaves a review). Respond to negative reviews within 24 hours. One of your objectives is to turn the naysayer into your advocate, while another objective is to show other people how are you facing the criticism head-on.
HOW TO FORMULATE YOUR RESPONSE
You’ll follow steps that are similar to the crisis communications process in creating a response. Generally, here are the four components, but you should tailor the message according to the review:
- Take the high road
- Express sympathy, regret
- Explain how to avoid the problem again
- Offer resolution
Each of those components is represented by the following sentences, in order:
“Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I am very sorry that your experience with our restaurant was less than extraordinary. I have talked to the kitchen staff to make sure these issues don’t happen again. I hope that you will give us another chance to make things right.”
Of course, how you solve the issue and what you offer as a resolution can vary depending on the situation. For example, you may offer a refund or a complimentary future meal.