How to respond to salon & clinic reviews

There is no doubt that client reviews are important for your salon or clinic.  One of the first things a potential new client will check out when deciding on a new salon is what others are saying about you, your salon and your service.

In an ideal world, you only want glowing 5-star reviews but every business is going to get the occasional 1-star poor review - whether that's from someone who just loves to find fault, a genuine issue, or an unreasonable client who will never be completely satisfied.

So, how do you handle those negative reviews?  Your instinct may be to go on the defensive or simply ignore the review.  Best practice is to respond to ALL of your reviews - good and bad.  Of course, that is not always easy when you have a busy business to run which is why we have come up with some responses you can use and adapt...

 

Negative reviews can range from genuine complaints to unreasonable or even reviews from people you have never heard of.  Keep your head and respond in a professional and positive manner.  Consider writing something like this... 

1. For genuine complaints where you feel you may have let the client down

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your recent experience.  I am sorry we did not meet your expectations on this occasion and have discussed this with the team to ensure we can prevent future problems arising.  I welcome the opportunity to discuss this with you further so please contact the salon on and ask to speak to the manager. 

2. For completely unreasonable reviews or 'scammers' who did not actually visit the salon

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for leaving a review. Our aim is to always provide great customer service so I would welcome the opportunity to chat with you about your recent experience. Please contact the salon on and ask to speak to the manager. 

3. For reviews where the experience was good but could have been better

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us.  We are glad you enjoyed your experience and look forward to welcoming you back into the salon again soon. 

4. For reviews who were genuinely with their experience

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you so much for sharing your feedback with us. I’m so happy to hear that [insert staff name] looked after you and that you were happy with your service.  We look forward to welcoming you back soon!

5. For overall positive reviews that go into a lot of detail about the service received, possibly with some niggles

Hello [Reviewer Name],

We are so pleased to learn you enjoyed [insert visit/experience detail] and really appreciate your detailed review.  Your thoughts about [insert any useful references from their reviews] will be helpful in ensuring we can improve our service even further. We look forward to seeing you back in the salon again soon! 

6. For 4 and 5 star reviews with no words

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Many thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. It's always a pleasure to hear from our happy clients.  Can't wait to see you back in the salon again soon.

7. For reviews that absolutely love you, your salon & your service

Hello [Reviewer Name],

Thank you for taking the time to leave such a wonderful review.  We’re delighted you had such a great experience with us and look forward to welcoming you back soon!