Everyone in the service industry knows “the customer is always right.” But get on the receiving end of an unbalanced review, and suddenly this age-old piece of wisdom can ring hollow. What do you do when a customer writes something that you believe isn’t true or at least isn’t fair?
After studying thousands and thousands of reviews, we’ve got the answers. Spoiler alert: it’s all in the response!
Today, we’ll outline the best way to respond to a bad review, and what to do next. How you handle bad reviews speaks a lot for your service – and it can make or break your online business.
How to Respond to a Bad Review
Once you receive a review, it’s there to stay. You can’t just take it down just because you don’t like it. But don’t panic. All successful captains receive reviews like this. You can actually use them to your advantage. Having them visible with a clear and reasonable response can work wonders for customer trust.
Many potential customers see past the review itself and look directly at the reply. So what you say really counts. How you word that reply is the key, though. But you’ll be surprised to see how simple it is!
- Identify their concern/complaint
- Thank them for their feedback
- Address their main concern/complaint
- Explain the situation
- End on a positive note
- Add photos of the catch (where possible).
Of course, not every problem is as easy to address as this one. But the golden rules of responding to a review still apply. Read on to find out how to adapt this structure to any situation!
Identify Their Concerns – and Address Each One Directly
Break every review down into sections and structure your reply around each of the points they raise. This will help you stay on track and will also explain the situation to anyone looking at your listing.
Did the customer want to fish a different area to the place you took them? Did they catch less than they expected? Did your boat have engine troubles? Acknowledge their complaint and explain what happened.
Perhaps this isn’t the season for the fish they wanted to catch, or the conditions were too dangerous to go offshore. Maybe your engine broke unexpectedly and you’re working to get it fixed. Let your customers hear your point of view.
As well as leveling out the negative feedback, this will also help set expectations for your future clients. No one can expect to catch a trophy every day, and your customers need to understand this.
Say What You Did to Improve Their Day
Once you’ve replied to the customer’s concerns, remind them of what you did despite the circumstances. Maybe you caught fish, just not the fish they were expecting. Perhaps you took them an additional 20 miles out at no extra cost.
These are all important parts of your service that your future customers should be aware of. Proving that you’ll go the extra mile on a bad day can even improve potential clients’ impression of you, regardless of the negative review one customer gave you.
Be Polite and Thank Them for Their Review
It’s hard to keep a lid on your emotions when a customer didn’t like your trip. But no matter how annoyed you are, it’s always a good idea to thank your customer for their feedback. Start with a thanks and close with a good word. Nothing gives a clearer picture of your attitude toward customer service than how you respond in stressful situations like this.
However rude your customer was, never insult them in your review reply. This looks like you’re not open to feedback and can even legitimize the customer’s concerns – when your intention is completely the opposite!
Even if they lost every fish you hooked them up on and then blamed you for heading home empty handed, you should explain what the problem was without insulting them. Focus on the fishing experience itself, rather than any details about the customer’s personality.
Upload Photos of Your Guest’s Catch
Being handy with a camera is a surefire way to make your trip more memorable. Most casual anglers treasure the photos of their catch as much as their memories of the fish itself. Therefore, you can use images to show you’re customer-centric.
Photos of the catch are also very valuable if your customer’s concerned about not landing fish. If you receive a bad review because they caught a Tuna while they were hoping for a Marlin, FishingBooker gives you the chance to share images of the day in your review reply. Anyone who’s fished before will understand that this was an unfair reason to give you a low score.
Invite Other Customers to Review You
A single bad review can affect how many people are likely to book with you. But collect more reviews, and the negative one will drop below the rest. Invite your other customers to review your service to balance out your total score and give a more accurate representation of your business.
Then get ready to accept more bookings and show your customers just how good of a service you provide!
Removing Bad Reviews
As we said, bad reviews are there to stay. In fact, only having positive reviews can even make your listing look less legitimate. Sometimes, customers view a product or service and believe it’s being falsely advertised, purely because all the reviews have five stars. This is why responding calmly to a bad review and inviting more balanced feedback from other customers can actually help you.
At FishingBooker, we don’t remove negative reviews except in extreme circumstances. If you’ve received a review that threatens you or someone else, or contains information that’s simply not true, we can help.. We can never guarantee we’ll be able to remove a review but we may be able to step in if the customer is seriously out of line.
Keep Up the Good Work and the Good Reviews Will Follow
Don’t let a bad review ruin your season. You’re sure to get more good feedback than bad, And, as long as you believe in yourself and your service, are good to your customers, and respond to the reviews you receive, you’ll be able to boost your online reputation as a reputable guide – no matter what.
How do you handle bad reviews? Have you been in any sticky situations and would like to share how you dealt with it? Let us know in the comments below!
