We know that a rant that passes for a review can boil your blood. Even if it isn’t true, it’s still bad for business because your prospective customers will see a glaring invective when they search for you. Sometimes, a negative review sometimes snowballs into a stream of negative reviews. You don’t want that and we don’t want that for you.
At Matador Solutions, we believe that reputation is everything. Day in and day out, we see that brands are as good as their word—and the words of their clients. We’re here to help you control the impressions you make.
You can bury the Yelp review, which we recommend, but you can also take steps to remove the review, or alter it.
1. Getting Started
Make sure you register your business with Yelp. If you do so, it’s easier for you to keep track of, and respond to, customer reviews. Be sure you’re diplomatic and consistent when you interact with customers over Yelp. You will have the option of communicating wit them publicly or privately. In either case, standard rules of decency and professionalism apply.
Many businesses have complained about the system Yelp uses to filter reviews. They say it disproportionately removes positive reviews and keeps negative ones around because they draw more traffic. Whether or not this is true, you should be aware of how it works.
2. Truth Is On Your Side
…And it doesn’t matter. Yelp will not remove a review if it is completely false. They will, however, remove the bad review if it contains any profanity. Suing Yelp will not help. Bashing Yelp will accomplish nothing. Common sense and diplomacy will carry you much farther in building a great reputation.
3. Responding To Bad Reviews
If the review is a bald-faced lie, you want to address it maturely, with respect and firmness. Publicly explain why it is false. Or kill them with kindness and questions. The post will still affect what people see and impact your overall star rating, but it will help you convince discerning customers that you are indeed an upstanding business.
For more creative ways to respond to bad Yelp reviews, check out Atlantic Wire’s story on the subject!
4. The Golden Rule
Remember, it’s a person on the other side of the screen. If you reach out to them as a human, you’ll have more luck reaching them.
Your best bet is to address your customer’s concerns. Exceed their expectations and convince them that the lapse in service was indeed a fluke. When you do so, you have grounds to ask them to either remove the bad review, or revise it.
We know all this is time consuming and labor intensive. You have a business to run and dealing with Yelp probably seems like a nonessential. Nonetheless, millions of people check Yelp everyday before they make buying decisions, and research shows that Yelp reviews are on-par with personal recommendations for many people. Your Yelp profile matters.
5. The Bottom Line
We’re here to take this weight off your shoulders. Let us handle the politics of Yelp. We want to help you do what you do best—run your business.
