How to Respond to Negative Reviews on franki
Negative reviews suck. I could try to sugar coat that, but we all know it’s true. So much of a restaurant’s digital presence relies on customer reviews, and when we get even just one bad one, it feels detrimental.
And I’d love to sit here and tell you that every single review you’ll ever get on franki will be positive. Because that’d be one hell of an app. But, the unfortunate truth is that everyone gets negative reviews every once in a while. Even Meryl Streep gets negative reviews, and she’s a global treasure.
They will always be a possibility. But, there’s good news here – not all negative reviews are bad. In fact, they can actually be a good thing. They can add validity to all the positive ones, because it shows that you don’t curate your reviews. And, they can allow you to get some potentially invaluable feedback.
So, let’s talk about the steps you can take when you get one, to turn a negative into a positive. Because hint: the worst thing you can do is just ignore or delete them.
Eliminating fake reviews
First, a quick word on fake reviews. Remember up there where I said that not all negative reviews are bad? Well, all fake ones are. Like, really bad. They can destroy your reputation, and leave you picking up the pieces. That’s why we built franki – to bring accountability back to the review space, and eliminate fake reviews.
And the first step to doing that was simple – we chose to use videos over text. The trend of text reviews dying out is written in the stars, and as they do, fake reviews will start to go with them. Because video reviews are verifiable. They’re authentic. You’re not just taking someone’s word for it – you’re actually seeing the experience with your own eyes. So you can get their opinion, and still form your own while you watch.
So, video was our first step to eliminating fake reviews. The second was our content moderation team, which is viewing every video within ten minutes of it being posted. This means that anything that is blatantly untrue gets taken down ASAP. And the third step is, well, us. Because if you believe that you have gotten a review that is inaccurate or false, you can let us know, and we will check it out ASAP. And remove it even ASAP-er once we verify that it’s false.
The point is, fake reviews have no place on our platform. But, what if they’re real?
Steps to respond to a negative review on franki
When it’s real, the worst thing you can do is ignore it. Or try to delete it. Because that only shows potential customers that you don’t care about their needs. And you’re also missing out on an opportunity to change someone’s mind. Unhappy customers, if satisfied, can become your most loyal ones.
So let’s look at some steps you can take.
- Cool down. You don’t want to respond to anything when you’re upset, or coming from an emotional place. We’ve all done that, and we know how that turns out.
- Take the feedback. We’ve all heard this, but it can be the hardest step because of a pesky little thing called our egos. But, if you can push that aside, you may actually learn something about the way your business is being perceived. It’s an honest outsider’s look, and this can be invaluable to ensuring that you give your customers what they want.
- Respond publicly. On franki, you can respond to any review that is left for your business right in the comments section of the video. This allows you to show the community at large that you care about the issue at hand, and want to resolve it.
- Thank them. When people have a grievance, they want to know that they’ve been heard. So when you respond, let them know that you appreciate the feedback. It’s more than an apology, it’s a thank you (although that part’s important too). Let them know that you truly appreciate them taking the time to reach out with feedback. That’s often a hard thing to do as a customer.
- Resolve the issue internally. Take the time to really look into the grievances at hand, and ask yourself honestly if there’s anything you can do to resolve it. If there is, and you think it’s worth it to address it, take the steps within your business to do so.
- Offer the Olive Branch. A discount, a free meal, your next beer on us. Whatever it is, this is where you offer them some form of product as a thank you and an apology. Generally, the olive branch can go in the first response listed above if you know there won’t be much to resolve internally. But, if there were action steps you took to fix the problem (for example, you had to let an offensive employee go), then you would do this as a second response. The upset customer likes to know you took those steps – and so does the community of potential customers.
Building Your Community
At the end of the day, managing your reviews and connecting with both happy and upset customers is all about building your community. franki is built like a social media app, so you can easily connect with consumers in your area. Because when you take the time to respond and connect with your customers, you build a loyal community that will then be happy to show you off in positive video reviews. Actually, we don’t even call those reviews – we call them recommendations.
To learn more about what franki does, check out this article. And if you want to start connecting with your community, you can claim your free listing here.
