How To Appropriately Deal & Respond To Negative Online Salon Reviews?

Like other consumer-centric businesses, salons demand a quick and cohesive response to negative online reviews. Statistics say almost 72% of consumers expect businesses to respond to their reviews within 7 days.

Many expect a response within three days to validate a business. You can buy Google reviews to check how your quick responses to those reviews increase your salon’s reputation

Reputation building is vital for salons to gain and retain customers. Negative reviews can severely damage salons’ image if they are left without a proper response. Here are some effective tips for your survival.

6 Tips to Effectively Respond to Negative Online Salon Reviews

Responding to negative reviews is more complex than responding to positive ones. Here, you need much insight into the client’s dissatisfaction, root cause, and mitigation strategies.

Though you cannot restrict negative reviews, responding to them can help you do some damage control. Here are the tips you can follow while replying to negative salon reviews;

1. Examining the Validity of Such Reviews Immediately

Whenever you get a negative review, check its validity before writing a response. While some reviews highlight valuable concerns others can be simple dissatisfactions without justifications.

Read the criticisms carefully and understand their perspective to address the client’s concerns correctly. This will help you craft your responses more rationally within time.   

2. Apologizing and Sympathize Sincerely 

Replying to negative reviews in an apologetic and sympathetic tone is essential. Defensive language and argumentative replies can further aggravate unhappy customers and encourage them to write more harsh reviews. 

Therefore, be humble and apologetic even if you disagree with the client’s criticisms. Try to address their specific concerns to show that you validate their views and are open to improvements.

3. Take Responsibility 

Do not make excuses even if the incident was unfortunate or genuinely uncommon. It is entirely your responsibility if your customers are unhappy after their haircut or facial.

Therefore, make a comprehensive tone in your replies by taking the entire blame on yourself. Instead of using “we,” try to use “I” in such replies to show your direct involvement in rectifying the issue.

4. Offering Solutions 

Asking for a sincere apology is insufficient to secure customers’ negative responses. You must offer them solutions or request a second chance to make things right.

If your client is unhappy with the hair color, you can ask them to come and do it for free. If your chemical treatments damage their hair or skin, suggest a cure. 

5. Solve The Issue Offline

It is good to shift the conversation offline quickly. Arguments and counterarguments will only fill your review section with negative comments that can severely damage your salon’s online reputation.

So, try to figure out the issue and offer a solution offline. You can call or message the reviewer personally for another visit. Make your clients happy and request them to write about your damage cure instead.

6. Monitoring Continuously For Further Response

Once you respond to a negative review, try to look for further responses from the client. The client can either understand your situation or give further arguments.

Whatever it is, you need proper solutions ready to satisfy the client. Use online review monitoring tools and software or a reputable agency to understand and promptly answer such negative customer sentiments.

Following the above tips will help you overcome the negative feedback you usually fear. However, to internalise the tips properly, your salon will require some best review response practices.

3 Best Practices While Responding to Negative Salon Reviews

You can only utilize the above tips in responding to negative feedback for your salon services if you have a proper response policy and staff to follow it. Your negative review management will be easier with the implementation of the following practices;

1. Respond Timely

A timely response is vital for salon businesses. There is no point in addressing a skin care issue after two weeks. Your negligence will result in losing your client forever. 

Salon businesses must reply to negative reviews within 24 to 48 hours. With such timely responses, you can showcase your responsibility and reputation in front of a new audience while securing the existing ones.

2. Have an Online Review Management Team

It is very important for salon businesses to have a separate online review management team. Hire professionals who understand the review response guidelines and can transform data from various online review sites into valuable insights.

Without such a skillful review management team, it can be intimidating for you to deal with numerous reviews while managing your salon business. Therefore, hire professionals to represent your brand online with proper language and tactics of responses. 

3. Have a Review Response Policy

If you have more than one or two salons in multiple locations, chances will be multiple employees handling your online reviews separately. This can create a shift in brand representation.

Therefore, you need an organization-wide review response policy that every member can follow. This will help them to maintain the same tone of language, and offer the same sort of solutions to similar customer grievances.    

Conclusion: Strategically Respond to Negative Reviews to Succeed in Salon Business

Negative reviews are an inevitable part of running salon businesses. But your strategies for responding to them make all the difference. Therefore, be prompt with a solution and humble in your responses to maintain a positive reputation. 

However, you can also buy Google reviews from Buyreviewz as your strategy to minimize the harm from negative reviews. It has the potential to uplift your salon business to new heights.