Responding to Yelp Reviews

Customer service is a vital part of customer satisfaction, and in some businesses it's the only part. One bad customer service experience can lead to a considerably negative experience, and these days even a single bad experience can haunt your company for a long period of time. This is especially apparent on Yelp, where customers can leave reviews based on their experiences with your company.

Scroll toward any 1 star review and there is a good chance that single star is due to bad customer service. Even if your company excels at providing customer service, chances are that reviewer is not wrong. They received a rare moment of bad customer service and they responded to it accordingly.

It's the reason that Yelp is more about averages than individual reviews – no company is perfect, but the better your customer service, the more likely you'll be closer to perfect.

But most companies don't like the idea that their business has a 1 star review. Most companies take pride in their business and their products, and the idea that someone could have had that bad an experience hurts them. Luckily, Yelp allows the business to register and comment on its user reviews.

This feature is only useful, however, if you understand how to use it. The customer-first company responds as follows: They apologize for the negative experience. They reassure the customer that it was a onetime thing and not intentional, but acknowledge that even one bad customer service experience matters.

They request forgiveness and possibly even offer something free if the customer chooses to come back. Either way, they admit failure. The company that doesn't have a customer-first strategy responds as follows: They blame the customer for their bad experience.

They try to reassure OTHER customers that the reviewer's experience is bologna, and that OTHER customers will enjoy good customer service. They may even insult the customer that made the review, or claim they're glad the customer will never come back. Customer service isn't about trying to appease the majority.

It's about trying to target every customer, and make every customer happy. While the customer isn't always right, the customer experience is always important. Companies that understand that the customer comes first respond positively and hopefully to any negative review.

Companies that believe they're better than the customer respond negatively and dismiss the customer's concerns. In everything you do, including Yelp, you should always focus on ensuring you take every customer complaint or comment seriously.