What should you do when you receive a not-recommended review?
The first step is, don't panic!
Let's take a deep breath and have a read of the review.
Is the client just letting off steam?
Is there any constructive criticism in the review?
Did I drop the ball on this one? (we all do sometimes, its part of being human)
Now, let's turn the bad into a good with a public reply
The second step is to reply to the review publicly.
Do:
Be positive and apologetic
Address all of the concerns mentioned in the review
If there are parts of the review that are not correct, address them respectfully
End the reply with an offer for them to contact you if required
Don't:
Be defensive or aggressive
Disclose potentially private information (This includes the client's name and details)
Ignore key points
Shift blame onto your clients
Hint - Need more inspiration for your reply?
Can I have the review removed?
We often get asked if not-recommended reviews can be removed from RateMyAgent. We understand that it hurts to get a bad review, and we also know that sometimes these reviews are not fair.
It is important to remember that these reviews are the opinions of your clients, and that is what the site is built for. If we removed all of the negative reviews, there would be no power in the positive ones.
All not-recommended reviews go through a check by our Support team before they go live on your profile. We are checking to make sure they are aligned with our RateMyAgent policies. Therefore, the review will only then be posted if it does not breach the below:
abusive
containing inappropriate language
completely unrelated to an agent's professional practice
submitted by a competitor or related person
submitted by a person found to have had no professional dealings with the agent
Regardless of the situation, if it does not breach one of the above policies we will not remove it. The only person who can remove the review is the person who had left the review initially.
We have strict policies on this as the integrity of our site relies on both good and bad being posted publicly.
Is this the end of the world?
No.
When a prospective client looks at your profile and, in the midst of your great reviews, sees a bad review with a well-worded reply, they will likely understand, and it will also add validity to all of the positive reviews that they have on your profile. A negative review is an opportunity to re-evaluate and then improve processes to serve your future customers better.