Responding to online negative reviews

Here are some stats for you to consider on why it's important to respond to negative reviews online:

• According to PhoCusWright, 87% of travellers found guest reviews from people they didn’t know influential in their travel decision
• Online reviews are second only to personal advice from a friend as the driver of purchase decisions
• 86% of Australians trust consumer recommendations, while only 14% of people trust advertisements
• 74% agree (including 14% who strongly agree) that they choose companies and brands based on what others say online about their customer service experiences
• 92% of travellers are more likely to book accommodations that post a detailed property description and photos. Travellers want to see the value they are getting for their money

Below are some of our tips on how you can respond to negative reviews and preserve your good online reputation.

DO

1. Get senior management involved in the process and get them to reply directly to the reviewer.
2. Try to respond within 24 hours of the review. This shows that you are listening and you care.
3. Thank the reviewer for their feedback to show that you are listening and you are taking this seriously.
4. Apologize that the stay did not go as planned.
5. Be transparent.
6. Point out to the reviewer that this is a rarity when compared with your regular customer service.
7. Explain what you will be doing based on their feedback. For example, your personal email or phone number so they can contact you directly, you have spoken to the department responsible, you are fixing the leaking sink etc.
8. Highlight any positive aspects that the reviewer left.
9. Offer a direct line of communication (your email, phone number).
10. Fix the problem if there is one.
11. Let the guest know you will share his/her feedback with the relevant staff/department to show you are doing something about it and you care about their feedback.
12. Show some personality. You can be more informal and to the point in your replies, but still always professional.

You can also

• Write an article on your blog to let everyone know how proactive you are being
• Write a press release about any significant changes made to your hotel/rooms due to feedback from customers, eg installation of double-glazed windows because of the noise etc.

DON’T

1. Ignore negative reviews and think they will go away. If you don’t respond in a timely manner, other people will think you don’t care, or the reviews are true, which will impact directly on your profit.
2. Write a response back to the reviewer when you’re angry.
3. Write a robot-like response or standard reply
4. Question the reviewer’s legitimacy.
5. Reply with a discount. This will only encourage other negative reviews.
6. Respond insincerely or sarcastically.
7. Try to remove negative reviews (most websites do not allow this anyway).
8. Forget to respond to positive reviews (only responding to negative ones can make you look defensive).
9. Write fake reviews (you will be found out).
10. Offer compensation as it might only encourage more complaints.
11. Avoid humour and especially sarcasm and never be defensive, petty or condescending.

In summary,

• Respond to the review as quickly as possible (within 24 hours)
• Thank the reviewer for their feedback
• Apologize for any legitimate negative experience
• Address the positive points first, then the negatives
• Maintain a conversational and professional tone - it's ok to be informal. You don't need to write a corporate/robot-like reply
• Explain the steps you’ll take or you have taken to prevent the incident from happening again
• Allow the guest to contact you offline if a follow-up discussion is needed
• Avoid angry, abusive responses – or any type of personal attack
• Try to win over the reviewer and reassure other travellers, eg encourage the reviewer to come back again
• Avoid only replying with a discount or coupon as this may indirectly encourage more complaints
• Avoid corporate speak that contains no meaningful information

Speak to TA Fastrack today if you need assistance with optimising your Tripadvisor listing by calling 1300 659 289 or visit www.tafastrack.com.au.