Bad reviews and poor janitorial services are never a good thing for your business’s reputation. When the two come together and someone writes a negative review about the cleanliness of your facilities, the results can be particularly damaging. So, what is the best response to negative reviews about cleanliness?
Responding to Bad Reviews About Cleaning
Your response to a negative review about cleanliness is important. Studies have shown that reviews and cleanliness play a big role in shaping consumer behavior. Recently, one survey found that 88% of consumers consider online reviews highly trustworthy. Another 79% of customers will avoid a hotel or restaurant with dirty restrooms. 45% will do the same for a retail store or even a gas station.
But those stats don’t mean that you can’t change customers’ minds. In the hospitality sector, businesses that respond to reviews — and take a proactive approach to negative reviews — see a 20% boost in business.
So how can you respond to a bad online review about the cleanliness of your facilities? Below are six rock-solid principles for responding to negative reviews that every business owner should know:
- Show gratitude for feedback.
- Avoid defensive language.
- Apologize for the reviewer’s experience.
- Acknowledge their concerns.
- Outline steps taken to resolve these concerns.
- Invite private communication of further concerns.
These principles can easily be applied to bad reviews about cleanliness in your facilities. Here’s a generic example that puts these principles into action:
“Hi, John. Thanks so much for letting us know about your concerns. We’re sorry that we failed to make your visit as enjoyable as it could have been. Cleanliness and hygiene are two of our highest priorities, and we take feedback like this very seriously. I’ve spoken with the head of our cleaning team to review our cleaning procedures and to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
If you wish to discuss your experience in more detail, please get in touch with me by email at me@myemail.com.”
Responding to Janitorial Service Concerns
When responding to a negative review about cleanliness, it’s important that you actually follow through on the steps outlined in your response. Even if you think the reviewer is making up or overstating their concerns, it is a good idea to investigate the issue and review your janitorial service procedures. Going forward, you should expect more scrutiny about your facilities’ cleanliness and you should safeguard yourself against future negative reviews. While readers of Yelp, Google, or Facebook may forgive one bad review, they are much less likely to forgive a second bad review about unclean facilities.
If you’ve received multiple negative reviews about cleanliness, serious steps need to be taken to regain customer confidence. You may want to consider switching your janitorial service provider or replacing in-house cleaners with professional contractors. Your local JAN-PRO® janitorial service will be more than happy to help you draft a cleaning plan to address any cleaning concerns that you — and online reviewers — may have.
Call 866-355-1064 today to connect with your local JAN-PRO® for a free janitorial services consultation.