• EDUCATE. EMPOWER. SUCCEED.
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Login
Club Solutions Magazine
  • Topics
    • Leadership
    • Marketing & Sales
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • Continuing Education
    • Club Solutions Leadership Summit
    • Club Solutions Leadership Retreat
    • CS Connect Virtual Event
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier Voice
    • Supplier News
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
    • Thought Leaders: A Virtual Roundtable Series
    • On-Demand Webinars
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Leadership
    • Marketing & Sales
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • Continuing Education
    • Club Solutions Leadership Summit
    • Club Solutions Leadership Retreat
    • CS Connect Virtual Event
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier Voice
    • Supplier News
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
    • Thought Leaders: A Virtual Roundtable Series
    • On-Demand Webinars
  • Buyer’s Guide
No Result
View All Result
Club Solutions Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Column

Marketing: Responding to a Negative Customer Review

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko by Rachel Zabonick-Chonko
April 19, 2017
in Column, Marketing & Sales
0
responding to a negative customer review
Share on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 90 percent of consumers read less than 10 reviews before forming an opinion about a business. As a result, if there is a negative customer review on your gym’s Facebook, Google+ or Yelp! pages, this can be detrimental to gaining new customers.

With this in mind, here are strategies for responding to a negative customer review that can shed your gym in a positive light.

Take a Step Back 

Before you jump into writing a long-winded paragraph about why a negative customer review is wrong, take a step back and consider the person’s comment carefully. Collect your thoughts. Only when you’re calm, cool and collected should you respond.

But, you should respond! See next point.

Respond

As a business owner or manager, it should be a priority to respond to any negative customer review that appear on your gym’s Facebook, Google+ or Yelp! pages. Negative reviews without a response only share one side of the story — and the keyword here is “negative.”

However, when responding, be wary of making your response defensive. Avoid critiquing the customer, and instead focus on the experience that particular customer had. Own up to any mistakes (if there were any made). And, even if there weren’t mistakes made, say you’re sorry the customer had a bad experience.

Now, if other potential customers see the negative customer review, they’ll also see your response as well — providing two sides to the story.

Offer to Discuss the Issue Offline

At the end of your response to a negative customer review, offer to discuss the matter offline. That way, you can work to resolve the situation in a non-public forum. Typically, customers are more agreeable over the phone or via email than they are when writing a one-sided review. Try saying something like this:

“I’m am very sorry to hear your experience with our company wasn’t satisfactory, and would love to discuss the matter further with you. Please reach out to me at joe@abcbusiness.com so we can come to a solution.”

If you’re able to come to a solution, ask them to edit or update their negative review (or remove it completely), stating the situation has been resolved.

Take Action

Not all negative reviews are credible — some customers just like to complain. However, if you’re getting similar comments from multiple people complaining about the same thing, then you should take the feedback seriously and make changes. Doing so will improve your customer experience, and ultimately lead to more positive customer reviews.

Finally, keep in mind that when you’re responding to a negative customer review online, you’re not just responding to the one customer — everyone can see your response. So, be sure to write in a way that appropriately represents you and your gym’s culture.

For 3 steps to generating positive online reviews, click here.

Tags: Customer Service BlogFacebookGooglemarketingnegative customer reviewsYelp!
Previous Post

Personal Training: 4 Ways to Help an Athlete with Sports Injury Rehabilitation

Next Post

The Club Management Software Utilization Debate

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko

Rachel Zabonick-Chonko is the editor-in-chief of Club Solutions Magazine. She can be reached at rachel@peakemedia.com.

Related Posts

sell more memberships
Column

2 Ways to Sell More Memberships

March 20, 2023
industry events
Column

Making the Most of Industry Events

March 13, 2023
Donyel Cerceo
Ask an Expert

Donyel Cerceo on Successful Marketing Strategies

March 7, 2023
Mental Health in the Workplace
Column

Prioritizing Mental Health in the Workplace

March 6, 2023
biohacking
Column

Biohacking and the Future of the Fitness Industry

February 27, 2023
building successful enrollment programs
Column

Building Successful Enrollment Programs and Ideas

February 20, 2023
Next Post
Club Management Software

The Club Management Software Utilization Debate

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn
Club Solutions Magazine

Club Solutions Magazine is the #1 business resource for the health and fitness industry. Established in 2003, Club Solutions provides best practice, business resources that educate and empower health club professionals.

EDUCATE. EMPOWER. SUCCEED.



The Current Issue

March Issue 2023

March 2023



Browse

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • The Magazine
  • Buyer’s Guide
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Club Solutions Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

No Result
View All Result
  • Topics
    • Leadership
    • Marketing & Sales
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Media Kit
    • Contact Us
  • Continuing Education
    • Club Solutions Leadership Summit
    • Club Solutions Leadership Retreat
    • CS Connect Virtual Event
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier Voice
    • Supplier News
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
    • Thought Leaders: A Virtual Roundtable Series
    • On-Demand Webinars
  • Buyer’s Guide

© 2022 Club Solutions Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In