06/27/2019
So peeps that own a business and gets reviews: Here's a tip....
A bad review pops up on Google that you deem fake or is a mistake. This happens to everyone eventually. This is what I recommend for that situation.
I would acknowledge that they had a horrible experience without taking any ownership of the fact that you may have been the one to deliver that service. Meaning you would say something like:
“Thank you for taking the time to let us know about your unfortunate experience. We strive to give all our patients an exceptional experience when they visit our offices. That being said, we have scoured our records and found no one with the name of the person who posted the review as a patient here. Please reach out to us at ###-###-###X so that we may assist in any way possible.”
Because you are reaching out to them but really taking no ownership of the horrible experience they claim to have had, it is still evident to people possibly reading this review and your response is that you are trying to help. It is also evident to the reader that this may be a fake review or the reviewer may have made a mistake and picked the wrong doctor to review.
Ignoring a review is not a good. NEVER IGNORE A BAD REVIEW. NEVER IGNORE A GOOD REVIEW. You always have to acknowledge every review good or bad. When it’s a bad one, make sure that your response is not accusatory and never insinuate that the review is fake or a disgruntled employee trying to make you look bad. That only makes YOU look bad and defensive which in many readers eyes = guilty. The way your word the response is very important. You want to come across as compassionate and not dismissive or combative.
NEVER ARGUE OR BELITTLE THE REVIEWER--EVER!! Inviting them off-line to resolve the situation by inviting them to call is always the best solution. With that being said, make sure you have the proper customer service process and script to handle complaints compassionately when they do take you up on a call to resolve the situation. Because if they feel that you didn't address their concerns, they will leave you another bad review on your attempt at customer service.
You can always appeal to Google. Sometimes they will remove the review sometimes they won't..but it wouldn't hurt to try. I have had some success in getting Google to remove a bad review. It isn’t easy and takes time and doesn’t always go your way. I'm in the 50/50 range.
Finally, get as many good reviews as possible to bury the one bad ones you will inevitable get. The more good reviews you have the less impactful one bad review will be to your score.
