Speaking at the Publican’s Morning Advertiser’s MA300 event, director of partnerships Gweneal Merlin told the trade: “The best way to handle them is to respond promptly, say thank you for feedback (even if it’s bad), be original in your response and highlight the positives.
“Often, complaints are more about how a venue handled a problem rather than the fact there was a problem in the first place. Operators who do everything they can to deal with a problem quickly and politely receive much better feedback. Dealing with issues as they happen can mitigate and defuse bad reviews and stop things escalating.”
Vancouver based hotel the Fairmont Pacific Rim’s response was held up as a perfect example of what to do when faced with a bad feedback online.
The hotel wrote: “Thank you for taking the time to share your experience and feedback on your recent stay with us. We are glad to hear you enjoyed our guestrooms and the fitness centre. We do, however regret to hear we may have missed any opportunity to ensure your check in was smooth and seamless. I would welcome you to contact me directly, and we look forward to the opportunity to welcome you back to experience the high standard of service we have become known for.”
Merlin added that positivity and originality were the best tactics for dealing with negative reviews posted online, and said that businesses who respond to review with identical responses were doing more harm than good.
He also urged licensees to remain calm in the face of negative feedback, advice that some publican’s have yet to take on board. In the PMA’s latest round of ‘interesting’ TripAdvisor responses, one licensee asked a customer: “is you being a little bit silly?’ and also responded in song. Another told a disgruntled diner ‘you clearly wanted your steak cooked to old shoe leather'.
The online review website came under fire earlier this year after a frustrated licensee received a ‘terrible’ review- despite a barman saving a wedding guest’s life.