Got a Negative Online Review? What to Do.

It’s practically inevitable. If you’re marketing your insurance business on social media—and in this day and age, it’s very difficult to avoid it—then eventually you’ll get a negative review online. This can be a challenge to deal with—both professionally and personally. But the way you deal with it can actually bring you more business, if you do it right. Here are a few tips.

Contact the site. Your focus shouldn’t necessarily be on getting the negative review removed. This isn’t always possible, and it could even be argued that it isn’t ethical—customers have the right to express their opinions, and prospects to hear both the good and the bad before making a decision about working with an insurance agent.

However, many sites have policies about who can and can’t leave reviews—and protections in place for businesses that have been targeted by unethical negative reviews, such as those left by competitors. Most likely, the site will (and should) leave the review online. But it’s worth it to check.

Respond to the review. Most sites will let you respond publicly to a review. Often, the best choice is to respond publicly—even if your call to action is to ask the person to get in touch privately to settle the issue. That’s because everyone reading the review will also get to see your professional, positive and helpful response.

The correct response varies depending on the nature of the complaint. But the focus should be on hearing the customer and offering to fix the issue, rather than defending yourself. If you aren’t sure what to offer in order to make things right, you could always ask the customer what they’d want.

Reviewers may even change their reviews if they are extremely satisfied with your response—although this isn’t guaranteed, and it’s not a good idea to make a customer feel pressured into it.

Elicit positive reviews. Build asking for reviews into your communications with happy clients. Don’t be afraid to request reviews, especially with clients you know are happy with your service. Include a line about leaving you reviews on your preferred sites in your email sign-off and other places where clients will see it.

Establish a strategy for negative reviews. Once you have a step-by-step playbook in place for dealing with negative reviews, they can seem less daunting. Double checking with the site to make sure the reviews are compliant with their policies, responding immediately and positively to the review in a public place, communicating with the reviewer, and ultimately asking them to change the review (if appropriate) are all good steps to take.

Negative reviews happen to everyone. Next time they happen to your insurance agency, have a plan. Respond publicly and positively; focus on how you’ll fix the problem rather than self defense. Talk to the reviewer and offer to make the situation right. And encourage positive reviews whenever you can. If you take these steps—and have an established process in place—you’ll be able to come out of the situation looking great.

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