No customer would trust a business that has a bad reputation. To every business, a few negative reviews are inevitable no matter how great your products and services are. However, a series of negative feedback from your customers can tank your sales.
What can you do if your business has a bad reputation? Here are a few solutions:
Know What the Root Cause of the Problem
Whether your customers had an unpleasant transaction with your business or a product you are selling is not up to standards, you need to know the reasons why you have a bad reputation. Understanding the response you are getting from your customers can help you make improvements that can hopefully allow people to trust your business again.
You can use customer experience tools to gauge the public’s opinion on your business and help you identify areas where you can make changes. Using surveys, for example, can allow you to gather feedback and figure out the root cause of the problem. You may also scour social media and find any mentions of your business to see what people are saying about your brand.
Focus on Customer Satisfaction
When your business has a bad reputation, you need to focus your efforts and energy into making sure that every transaction and interaction you have with customers are positive. During this time, you would not want any more bad press when you should be making efforts to make changes within your business.
Tell your staff to respond to customers welcomingly. Make it known that being rude, especially in front of a customer, is not acceptable. Train them so that they know how to properly handle any situation they may face during business hours.
In addition, make it a point to reach out to the customer after the transaction is finished. Contact them to ask whether they are satisfied with their purchase or if there is anything else you can do to help them. This will make your customers feel like your business is not an evil entity that is out to get their hard-earned money. If you make your customer believe that you care about them, then they will trust you.
Make Changes (and Publicize It)
One way to save your business’ reputation, even if you are hit with negative press and bad reviews, is to treat it as what it is: constructive criticism. No one would want to buy from a business that does not listen to feedback so identify the area that needs to be changed and then change it.
Next, communicate the change you made to your customers through all available channels. Speak to reporters about the bad reputation and what you are doing to reverse it, send emails, and post on your social media channels that you are making improvements. Get the word out that your products and services are better now to entice your customers to give you another chance and transact with your business again.
Volunteer to the Community
One way to go back to the public’s good graces is by giving back to the community. By donating money to a cause or volunteering your services to a charity, you improve the public’s perception of your business.
Having a bad reputation is not a death sentence. As long as you respond to it with patience and understanding, you can find ways to reverse it.