Image Source: Pexels.com
In a perfect world, every single one of your clients would sing your praises and leave nothing but glowing reviews. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.
Emotions can run high when it comes to weddings, and even the smallest hitch can lead to complaints, bad feedback, or worse — negative online reviews. While not all negative reviews are justified, it is crucial that they are addressed promptly and with professionalism to avoid a tarnished brand image.
It’s important to be thoughtful and transparent when handling these delicate situations to help rebuild trust and prevent your wedding business from being dragged through the mud.
8 Wedding Planner Tips for Handling Negative Reviews and Rebuilding Brand Image
Threats and bad reviews in the wedding industry can tarnish your brand reputation in the blink of an eye, so it’s important to have a strategy prepared ahead of time to avoid being caught off guard and delivering a hasty, unprofessional response.
The tips below can help you better prepare yourself for those unfortunate situations when you encounter an unhappy client.
1. Keep Your Cool
First and foremost, when you encounter a negative review or complaint, take a moment to catch your breath and find your inner peace. A hasty response driven by your emotions is going to get you nowhere fast.
Take a moment to try and see things from the client’s perspective before writing up a response. Stay calm and professional, and remember that you’re not only responding to an unhappy client, but you are also showing everyone else reading the review how to react in problematic situations.
2. Respond ASAP
To show that you value customer feedback and are committed to resolving the issue, respond as soon as possible. Ideally, this means getting back to the client within 24 to 48 hours.
When dealing with negative social media reviews or complaints on other online review platforms, it’s also essential to first respond publicly. A quick public response that simply acknowledges that you are aware of the issue and are working to address it shows the entire online community that you are professional and proactive about handling complaints.
3. Apologise, Acknowledge, and Empathise
When responding, offer a sincere apology regardless of the circumstances. Never get defensive when responding in a public online space. Acknowledge the issue and try to empathise with the customer.
If the complaint isn’t justified and the client is genuinely out of line, address this issue with them in private, which brings us to our next tip.
4. Take the Convo Somewhere Private or Offline
Whether the client is right or not, you should always connect with them privately after initially acknowledging their complaint publically. While it’s good to show others that you are taking care of the matter, every single detail and conversation about the issue needs to be public.
Invite the upset client to email or message you directly, or you can set up a phone call or even an in-person meeting to further discuss the matter. This shows the client that you are sincere about working with them to find a solution.
5. Be Thoughtful, Understanding, and Offer a Solution
When you do meet with the client to discuss the matter privately, it’s important to come prepared to offer a genuine solution. Try to be understanding, even if the client’s negativity isn’t justified.
Maintain a constructive tone and avoid getting worked up or defensive. Remember, their wedding was a big day for them. Whether the complaint is true or not, something clearly upset them, and it’s helpful to try to understand where they are coming from.
Try to work with them to work toward a valuable solution. A proactive and constructive approach can help you win back their trust.
Consider Adopting a Reputational Risk Management Strategy
In addition to the tips above, having a reputational risk management strategy in place can help you avoid negativity and mitigate reputational damage.
To do this, you need to understand and identify your reputational risks, which start with understanding your current reputation. Use surveys, questionnaires, polls, and even focus groups to get an idea of how your brand is currently perceived.
Next, evaluate your mission statement or company philosophy. Are you genuinely upholding those values and doing everything you can to live up to your promises? If not, make a plan to do better and consider adopting a mission statement to work by if you don’t already have one.
Conducting regular reputational risk assessments is also vital. These assessments identify situations or processes that could harm your brand’s reputation and image, such as communication habits and social media engagement. You can also assign a risk score to each issue you identify so you can prioritize your action plans.
Finally, don’t forget to create a crisis communication plan and educate your employees on mitigating reputational risks. The tips in the section above can help you develop your communication plan, but you’ll still need to relay that information to your staff and remind them to communicate and behave professionally and uphold your brand’s mission to help maintain a positive reputation.
Wrapping Up
In the competitive world of wedding planning, building a positive reputation is paramount. Committing to thoughtful and professional communication both online and offline and being proactive about resolving issues can go a long way toward helping you maintain a better brand image.
Leave a Reply