Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Turn Uncertainty to Confidence

(0:54) Negative reviews can lead to uncertainty on the part of a boater. This can be true even if most of your reviews are overwhelming positive. It is critical that you turn the uncertainty into confidence using your Management Response.

(0:48) 88% of TripAdvisor users state that reviews impact their choices. When an issue is brought up in a review, it raises a series of questions. Not having answers to those questions can lead a boater to lose confidence in your marina. How can you turn that around? You need to write a confidence-building Management Response.

(0:40) To craft that Response there are several things you need to do.

(0:38) Understand who you are writing to. It is easy to be drawn into focusing on the reviewer. However, your real focus should be on the wider boater population that will be reading the review. You must consider how the information in the review will apply to the average boater, the concerns it might create, and the questions the boater might have.

(0:30) Then you must respond to those concerns and questions in a way that will satisfy your typical boater. Focus on the issues that could have the largest impact on future customers. Provide answers to the questions the review might raise. If you have rectified the issue, or have a plan to do so, make sure to include that in your Response.

(0:22) Let the boating community know you care about the service you offer. Apologize sincerely. Tell them how you plan on improving your service in the future. Build confidence that you take these matters seriously and are working always to be better.

(0:17) Ensure that there is not a pattern developing by closely following your reviews and quickly fixing problems. Boaters will understand that even the best marinas can have an off day. What they care about is how you address it. Use your Response to build confidence.

(0:11) However, your job will be far more difficult if the boater sees the issues repeated in other reviews. The boater might see it as a larger issue which will reduce confidence. In this case it is even more important that you define how you have addressed the problem.

(0:05) We all tend to shy away from uncertainty and the unknown. Use your Management Response to alleviate doubt and you will see more business.

(0:02) And that's the marina minute.