How to Respond to Negative Reviews
- May 17, 2017
- 2 min read
These are arguably the most important reviews to respond to as, if dealt with badly, they can massively damage your reputation.
As with all reviews, the first step when responding to a negative review is to thank the reviewer for taking the time to provide feedback. Next you should apologise for the poor experience, remembering that an apology is not necessarily an admission of guilt or wrong doing. Finally, you should consider the type of negative review closely by asking the following questions:
Is this a systemic problem that other customers could face?
Is there an easy fix to the problem that can be referred offline?
Is the problem unfounded, or not likely to be repeated and just requires appeasement?
Is the problem linked to something that you cannot easily change such as infrastructure, design etc.?
Systemic Problems:
When systemic problems arise in reviews, the central response objective is to consider the feedback, thank the reviewer and address his/her concerns online. An example of this would be:
“Call times to the desk and operator were horrendous. I have never come across a hotel where I was put on hold nearly every time I called down to front desk. Wait times on the phone were unacceptable!”
When problems like this are pointed out, the best response will acknowledge the problem, thank the writer for bringing the issue to your attention and describe the actions that have been taken to resolve the problem.
Appeasement Problems:
Appeasement problems require a response that brings the reviewer to a state of contentment, to feel as if their negative experience has been adequately compensated for. An appeasement problem in a review may look something like this:
“We had an 8.15pm reservation and didn’t actually get seated until right before 9.00pm. After we were seated the waiter checked in and got our drink orders. Those were promptly delivered 10 minutes later.”
When appeasement issues are brought up, the best management response will be to acknowledge the problem, offer an apology to the reviewer, thank the writer for bringing the issue to attention and request to speak with the writer offline to further address the issue. While appeasement problems may sometimes be remedies with a form of compensation, it is imperative that this is discussed offline to prevent a precedent being set.
Infrastructure Problems
These kinds of problems require a response that acknowledges the problem, thank the reviewer for his/her contribution and mention what action will be taken to fix the issue. An infrastructure issue in a review may look like this:
“The hot tub wash frothy, as was mentioned in the reviews, but the kids loved it and that is what was important. Then it happened, where are the bathrooms? Are you kidding? No restroom in the pool area? Good thing our kids can hold it.”
The most important part of the management response is to inform the reviewer how you intend to resolve the issue both immediately and in the future. While the problem may not be easily remedied immediately, communicating future plans to remedy the problem will diffuse any concerns that site visitors may have about your property.
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