Preventing Negative Reviews and Promoting Your Business

If you have been reading my blog, you are already familiar with some strategies for handling negative reviews, but what are you doing to prevent those reviews in the first place?

Preventing Negative Reviews

When customers feel like they have no place else to vent, they will turn to social media and review websites to tell their story. Your best line of defense is to provide your clients with a way to tell you what they are experiencing before they even leave your business.

Some strategies:

• Think about the time your clients spend at your business - Who do they see right before they leave? Could that person be trained and equipped to ask the customer for their feedback and any thoughts for improvement before they leave? Could you assign one of your staff this specific purpose?
• Be proactive - If you notice that something is not exactly as it should be (a meal is served late or missing an item, an hotel room is not ready when it should be, etc.) and approach your customer before he/she has a chance to think to complain. Offer to make it right - a gift card, a reduction of their bill, etc.. 
• If your business has a closer relationship with clients, consider a phone call follow up after the person's visit. Ask if the service and/or product they purchased met their needs and ask if they found their visit acceptable or if there are ways you could better serve them.

People are impressed when a business shows its concern for the comfort and satisfaction of its customers. Think about your specific situation and ways you could head off negative reviews. You will find that your attention to detail will not only avert cranky reviews, it will also likely lead to some very happy clients willing to promote your business through positive online reviews!

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