You did a “good job”. Your customer appeared satisfied, paid you and off you went! Life is good…
UNTIL you see on Google and/or Angie’s List, Yelp, etc that this same client left a slashing, nasty negative online review about the “good job” you just completed! AND they didn’t even let you know they were unhappy! OUCH!
Take pro-active steps now to avoid being “bushwhacked” with negative online reviews!
Why do supposedly happy customers post “surprise” negative online reviews? A) Online complaining feels “safer” since face-to-face is “adversarial” and B) “Buyer’s Remorse” is common with any service.
Remember, 96% of your “passively dissatisfied” clients won’t contact you directly. instead, impulsively posting a negative review is a tempting way to vent. Your problem? A negative review can stick around “forever”!
So how can you avoid being “bushwhacked” online with bad reviews? OR even better motivate clients to post delighted Cheerleader reviews about your work?
- Create a professional, friendly relationship over-the-phone. NOTE: Get permission to call them at work on their cell if they won’t be there.)
- Set “clear expectations” with this “How to Get Ready for Us” email.
- Manage their Emotional Experience: “80% of how your customer decides if you did a good job or a bad job is based on how they FEEL about the person doing the work.” Download a free, step-by-step “Moment of Truth” checklist HERE.
- Do a final walk-through with your client qualifying any areas of concern. (Call them at work for an “over-the-phone walk-through” if you have permission.)
- Have your office (or someone other than the tech) do an Immediate Quality Check Call right after leaving the job.
And if you do discover a “surprise negative online review”? Immediately contact your client using my Emotional Judo technique while filling out our SFS Customer Concern Follow-up Sheet HERE. (An online “complaint retraction” is VERY powerful!)
Steve