How to deal with negative online reviews for your salon

Elliot Adams, communications manager at Yelp, offers the following tips on handling negative online reviews for your salon business. Acknowledge and respond straight away It's vital to respond to a customer complaints as quickly and thoughtfully as possible. That way you'll minimise any potential damage and show customers that you care and take their loyalty seriously. Your customers are always connected, so the longer it takes to respond to a negative or false representation of your business, the more time it has to spread. Time is of the essence and a day is a long period in the world of social media. Be professional and demonstrate strong empathy Always respond to the bad review in a respectful and sincere way that communicates that you empathise with the customer and understand why they are unhappy. Acknowledge the customer's negative experience, and invite them to return so you can make it up to them in some way. Even if you don't agree with what's being claimed, be positive and avoid getting into an argument. If you feel the review is wrong then say why, but in a professional and reasoned manner. The key here is to create a meaningful, personal dialogue, and to do this publicly to show other prospective customers that you're listening and addressing the matter accordingly. Take the conversation offline While it's important to post a short, immediate public response to a bad review - showing other customers that you're addressing and resolving the situation - further detailed communication with the dissatisfied customer should be taken offline as soon as possible to avoid potential further public criticism. Communicating via email or phone helps to make things feel more personal, speeds up the resolution process and protects a customer's privacy. This approach can also help take the heat out of the situation and calm things down more quickly. Turn negative feedback into an opportunity Reviews can provide key insights into the health of your business and are a great indicator of customer satisfaction. Business owners can take full advantage of this feedback by encouraging all customers to provide it. Bad reviews should be regarded by business owners as a useful early-warning mechanism for spotting problems and addressing these before they escalate.