How restaurants should respond to bad reviews
Most restaurants these days are judged by the reviews posted on various internet platforms. In other words, a business is inextricably linked to cyberspace and indeed faces its greatest fear, bad reviews. But how should restaurants respond to bad reviews? Why is it important not to ignore them? Below, we will provide you with tips to properly deal with even the most demanding customers.
1. Convert bad reviews into a great opportunity
A company's customer wants to be heard. Show that you are genuinely interested in listening to their concerns. Let them have their say and allow them to express how they feel. Even if they are very disappointed, they should feel that you sympathize with them.
2. Take matters into your own hands
Bad reviews are usually very annoying, especially if they do not reflect reality or are unfair. However, part of your job is to respond in the right way to manage the situation before it gets out of hand. You can apologize for something that went wrong, for not meeting your customer's expectations, and ensure that future customers will not have the same negative experience.
3. Don’t respond with standard messages
Every customer spends time writing a review even if it's negative. No one wants to receive non-personal standard responses from a machine. Instead, they want to feel like they are special and that their opinion is being heard. So, pay attention and decipher every message you receive from your customers and reply accordingly.
4. Do not ignore bad reviews
As difficult as it is to respond to an unpleasant customer experience, you need to do it. Ignoring bad reviews may take the pressure off you, but it will definitely cause you more problems in the future. Keep in mind, with every response, you are not only addressing the customer who made the comment but all your customer base as well as potential new customers who might read the negative review.
5. Keep calm
In many cases, bad reviews do not match the facts. Stay calm and you will benefit. Be specific with the problem you are trying to solve. Politely and calmly ask the dissatisfied customer to tell you about their unpleasant experience, and give them a confident response that this will not happen in the future.
6. Avoid open dialogue process
Your responses to a bad review should be detailed, factual and not apologetic. No matter how unfair a negative review is, avoid taking the approach of defending every point, the objective is to close the case and make the customer feel content, happy and ready to dismiss what happened. Often, discussing the problem does not help solve it. Instead, the problem becomes a perpetual cycle.
7. Acknowledge what the Customer has stated
Remember one thing: mistakes are meant to be made. Learning from them is what make us better. So when you discover a mistake in your business, rectify it and announce the “changes through improvement” actions. In this way, you will show honesty, professionalism and gain the sympathy of your critics.
8. Reply immediately and clearly
Do not let time fly. Take a deep breath and reply to the bad review immediately! The unique marketing features of fimble automatically turn negative or unobtrusive comments into complaints about better control and management.
Food for thought
With the choice of a restaurant now largely dependent on reviews online, it's clear that technology and immediacy now play a crucial role in the development and progress of a business. Do not waste any more time. Fimble can help you start making every customer feel important and enables your restaurant to provide the best customer experience every moment.
