Every business gets negative reviews. We are all human and sometimes experiences are not up to par. Review sites and social media just make it easier for people to share those experiences with the online world. The key is to address negativity in a professional, polite manner and do all you can do to resolve the issue.
Below you will find sample responses you can use to customize on your own for your local review sites. Please note the following:
- Respond in a timely fashion.
- Thank the reviewer for bringing the issue to your attention
- Apologize
- Take the discussion offline
- Remember that others will read your response and form opinions
- Be professional but human
- Never argue or criticize a customer online. It will be out there, and a reflection of your business, forever.
- Remember to listen! Often just feeling heard can appease an unhappy customer.
- If you resolve the matter with the owner you should request they update their initial review. Often having a negative experience turned positive goes farther than just an initial positive review.
- Make sure to respond to positive reviews with a thank you and an acknowledgement.
- Learn from this feedback!
Sample Responses:
Dear Ms. Customer, Thank you for taking the time to provide your feedback. I am very sorry your experience with Tutor Doctor of ________ was not positive. I would love to be able to discuss further if you would be able to contact me at [Phone Number]. Thank you – Sarah.
On behalf of everyone at Tutor Doctor [Location], I’d like to apologise for your recent disappointment in our services. I’m the owner of this franchise and I’d be happy to further discuss your concerns with you in order to learn how we can better your needs in the future. Feel free to contact me at [Phone Number], and ask for [Name]. Thanks again for getting in touch.
Hi Mr. Customer – my apologies that you were not fully satisfied with your Tutor Doctor experience. We would love to discuss the matter further. Please contact me at 888-343-4892 between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday. Thanks for your time. Greg.
Dear Matt, Looks like we did not meet your expectations of service. We'd like to see if we can help. Can you provide your contact phone number and we will reach out to you at your convenience to try to resolve? Thanks for your feedback. Sandra Brown.
As the owner of Tutor Doctor [Location], I’d like to apologize for your recent disappointment with our services. If you’re open to it, I’d appreciate the opportunity to further discuss your experience. I can be reached at [Phone Number] or [Email address]. Again, I’m sorry to hear about your frustrations and I’m hopeful we can talk about them sometime in the near future.
Dear Customer, Thank you for letting us know of your Tutor Doctor experience. We'd be happy to follow up with your if you direct message us your phone number and a convenient time we can call you to discuss. I trust that we can work together to resolve this less than positive situation.
Hi Melissa, thank you for taking the time to review our services on _______. We greatly appreciate your insight and are sorry your experience was not as expected. We would love to follow up if you would kindly provide further details as well as contact information to us via email at _________ . I look forward to speaking with you further.
Thank you for getting in touch to let us know about your recent experience at Tutor Doctor. As the owner of this franchise, I welcome you to contact our office at [Phone Number] and ask for [Name]. I sincerely apologize on behalf of the entire team, and I hope we can speak soon in more detail. Thank you for sharing your experience with us.