The world is changing rapidly. We are being catapulted into the online future, and it’s creating new challenges and less time to deal with them. Even before the pandemic, managing all avenues where guests could leave reviews was a headache.
Not responding to a negative review comes across as careless. It also gives the impression that the problem persists. In contrast, a thoughtful response has the opposite effect; it can change the mind of an unhappy client and reduce the effect of the comment on future guests and gives piece of mind.
As a manager, you can either spend hours tracking and responding to reviews, or you can leverage reviews to your advantage, using new smart tools such as AI-driven review analytics such as ReviewMagic.AI, which can help organize and prioritize reviews across hundreds of online review sites, in any language, and present the most important and valuable action points.
Take Control of Your Reviews
When online reviews first became popular, it was both a blessing and a curse. Once a guest was unhappy they would often wait until after they left to leave a negative review as opposed to discussing it with a manager.
This becomes even trickier these days, when you personal interaction is likely to greatly decrease for the foreseeable future. The solution is two-fold. The first line of defense lies in an easy to use interface (App and/or TV for example)that allows guests to quickly leave reviews throughout their stay, so the hotel team can actuall deal with and solveissues right as they arise.
Once the guest leaves, you still need to quickly identify and respond to the most critical reviews left online.
A 2017 Consumer Content Report, found that 45% of future guests rely on user-generated content, such as reviews -positive and negative – to determine their hotel choice. A staggering 68% said they trusted peer reviews more than marketing material.
So, what’s the best way to handle bad reviews?
In essence, negative reviews are your guests’ way of getting your attention – but getting your attention when they’ve already left is too late.
If you create a space where guests can leave reviews while at your hotel, and get quick feedback, you’re one step ahead. That means you can help solve any issue and hopefully change their opinion before they opt to leave a negative review online.
Typically, only around 4% of dissatisfied customers will tell you about it, meaning that every bit of feedback you get from those who are willing to share is critical to improving the experience for all.
As examples, ReviewMagic.AI and InnSpire’s Instant “Happy/Sad” feedback buttons gives you a chance to make your guests happy, which can result in fewer bad reviews online. But, what if a client still opts to leave a negative review? Reputation management is essential.
By responding to each negative review (and resolving the issue internally) in a positive and engaged way shows a guest-centric establishment that takes a proactive approach in resolving issues and finding solutions. And if you were wondering if anyone reads your response – 89% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews, especially negative reviews.
There are benefits to managing reviews. A study done by the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration revealed that it’s possible to raise rates by as much as 11% if you improve your rating by one point on the most trusted review sites. The increase, when correlated to higher reviews, won’t affect occupancy or market share. In fact, in a 2015 survey, 76% of guests are prepared to pay more for a hotel with great reviews and 57 % of consumers will only make use of an establishment with four or more stars.
These numbers are bound to increase after the coronavirus pandemic subsides. People are going to be on the lookout for any reviews that indicate an effort to protect guests.
How to effectively manage reviews
There are a few key elements to managing reviews easily and effectively:
A staggering 73.8 % of customers are more likely to continue supporting a brand that resolves their complaints.
• AI-based analysis and support
If you manage reviews individually, you are missing some of the most important stats for your business. With AI technology, every review is analysed for the most important key-words, the most critical points, the sentiment of your guests (if people are happy or upset), and the specific items that may be causing frustration and more.
• Feedback sent to one central point
A great tool takes the hassle out of finding and responding to reviews. With a centralized reporting system, you get one report to review that encompasses every review almost no matter where it was left on the internet, and in what language.
• Added insights and tips based on your data
If there are no reviews, you still get valuable insights and feedback based on your data. This can help you stay on top of trends and be one step ahead of the competition.
• Simplify the response and resolve process
Save time by using one simple interface to respond and react. Guests who receive immediate and considered feedback are more likely to change their opinion, even delete their negative review.
With InnSpires ReviewMagic.AI you can take control of your feedback and reviews; quick and simple solutions for powerful results. As a professional hotelier, trying to resolve issues online, in multiple languages and on dozens of sites is nearly impossible. But, taking control and leveraging this powerful tool to your advantage may very well open up a whole world of new possibilities.