Bouncing Back from Bad Web Hosting Reviews

Your web hosting customers have more ways than ever to let everyone know exactly what they think of your services. While getting a good review can make you feel as though you’re on top of the digital world, all it takes is a single bad review to bring your web hosting business crashing down. Your current and future customers might be hesitant to trust you with their website, money and time after reading a bad review. Knowing how to handle a bad review and how to make your business stronger from it is just as vital as learning how to accept a genuine compliment.

Are Bad Reviews Signs You Need to Fix Your Business?

No matter how fantastic your web hosting services are, sooner or later there is bound to be at least one person who has something to complain about. While these complaints and bad reviews aren’t necessarily a sign that you need to tear your business down and completely start over, they are a sign that you may want to at least tweak your business model. Look at bad reviews and complaints as an opportunity to improve your business and learn more about exactly what it is that your customers want and expect from you.
One thing to keep in mind whenever you’re repairing bad hosting reviews is that you’re only human, and so are the people who’ve helped to build your web hosting service. No matter how closely you keep an eye on things, something is bound to slip through the cracks sooner or later.

What is the Best Way to First Address Complaints?

The first thing that you need to do whenever you receive a bad review or a complaint is keep a cool head. While you need to address the issue as soon as possible, you may not want to go with your initial reaction. You’ve put a lot of work into creating your web hosting firm, and when someone bashes what you’ve built your initial reaction is to probably lash out at them.

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It’s best that you take a few minutes to cool down and read over the review again to get to the root of the problem. What specifically is it that the customer has a problem with? Whatever response you make should be truly helpful and pleasant. Make sure your reply has a human touch and that it doesn’t seem as though it was written by a robot or automated response system. Let the customer know that you value their input as well as the opportunity to make your web hosting services better.
Another good idea is to highlight things that you’ve done well in the past to get your customers to see how committed you’ve been to excellence and quality service. Are there any awards that your company has won? Have you been in business for a long period of time? Do you get a high number of customers every week? You don’t want to make it sound as though you’re bragging, but you also don’t want to look as inept as a reviewer might make you feel.

Is it Better to Accept Blame and Show Reviewers That You’ve Fixed the Problems?

Even if you feel that the blame lies with the customer, it’s usually best to take responsibility for any problems they bring up. Think of how many of your current customers as well as potential future customers you could lose if you make it seem as though it’s the customer that’s the problem and not you. Don’t think about your ego when it comes to complaints and bad reviews, think about what’s best for your business.

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If you can, reach out personally to the unsatisfied customer and build a one-on-one rapport with them rather than respond to them directly on the review site or their social media profile. This shows that you are concerned enough that you’re willing to go to any lengths to find out how to get in touch with that individual and do what you can to keep their business. It’s always best that you step in before the customer has a chance to take their complaint elsewhere. Tame the fire before it spreads through the forest.
Once you’ve reached out to the customer, the next thing that you’ll want to do is get started on a solution as soon as possible. The longer you wait the angrier the customer becomes. Do what you can to go above and beyond what they’re expecting you to do. Show them how serious you are about taking the absolute best care of your customers.

Rebuilding Confidence

After you’ve addressed the bad review and made amends, you’ve got to restore confidence in your hosting firm. Remember that you’re doing this for your current customers, loyal customers and future customers as well. While releasing a public statement addressing common complaints or bad reviews is a good idea, you have to remember that actions speak louder than words. Take a close look at how your web hosting firm operates and see if there are any areas that you can improve on to deliver better service. There could very well be a genuine issue with your business design if there is a common thread in the bad reviews or complaints that you receive.

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Reach out to your customers to see what kind of changes and improvements they’d like to see with your web hosting business. They’re the ones using it, which means that they’re the best qualified to tell you how to make your firm even better than before. If customers feel as though they are being treated more like business partners and less like customers or numbers, then they are more likely to remain with you through thick and thin. Not only that, but they’re also more likely to recommend your hosting services to other people. Word of mouth marketing is one of the absolute best forms of marketing there is.
Rather than waiting to react to a bad review, create an effective and well-thought out contingency plan for repairing bad hosting reviews. Having a plan will allow you to handle the situation the right way the first time and is sure to fully satisfy your current and future customers.
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