Your online reputation plays a big part in the customer experience. Customers can leave reviews on Google, their social media, your social media—pretty much anywhere they feel their voice can be heard. Whether those reviews and comments are negative or positive, it’s imperative that builders respond to customers in a meaningful, authentic way. Because it’s not just about your rating on Google, it’s about your reputation as a builder.  

Resolve negative experiences  

We understand how disheartening a negative review can be—but they actually pose a great learning opportunity for your staff and offer a chance to get a once-angry customer back in your good graces.

After the negative review, your first step should be to discuss it with your team or marketing partner—don’t respond immediately after receiving feedback. Our gut reactions to criticism are usually defensive or emotional, neither of which will help your online reputation.

Decide what you want to say and respond directly to the initial review within 48 hours. While you might think reaching out to the reviewer via phone or email is more heartfelt, it leaves the negative online comment completely open-ended—and potential customers will see this as an unresolved issue. Responding publicly to negative reviews shows everyone, from the upset customer to potential ones, that you take their complaints seriously and want to make things right.

Your response should express that you’re concerned about the situation and aim to fix it. Provide a phone number or email address that the customer can reach out to, and sign with a team member’s name—even if it’s not actually that person writing the response, this humanizes the interaction and emphasizes transparent communication. If they don’t reach out to the contact information provided, consider calling or emailing them directly. It’s important to not leave issues unresolved, no matter how minute they might seem.

As you work through complaints with an upset customer, it’s vital that you own up to your mistakes. Offer the best solution you can provide, be empathetic with their frustrations and use this situation to improve how you do business in the future. Once you’re confident the source of the negative review is resolved, it’s completely appropriate to ask the customer to update their review. If your team took the right steps in their response and resolution, chances are the customer will be willing to update their words to show a more positive experience.

Acknowledge positive reviews  

Luckily, positive feedback is much easier to respond to. While you might not see the value in responding to four- and five-star reviews, they can have a significant impact on your online reputation and the ability to win over potential customers.

Keep responses short and simple. Respond quickly, acknowledge them by name (if it’s not anonymous), show gratitude, encourage them to tell their friends and family about their excellent experience and use a team member’s name to sign off. That’s really all there is to it.

Use feedback to better your business  

Whether a review was negative or positive, it’s important to record all feedback and discuss it frequently with your team. Builders can learn from every type of review, and they can even help dictate how business is done moving forward. Multiple complaints about projects going past the given timeline? Extend your promised timeline for future builds. Repeat praises for a friendly, helpful staff member? A bonus or promotion might be in order.

If you’re ready to offer the best customer experiences possible, Builder Designs is here to help. Whether you need assistance managing Google reviews, responding to customers on social media or protecting your brand in other ways, our team can walk you through best practices and preventative measures. To get in contact, call Amber at (913) 393-3367 or email her at amber@builderdesigns.com.