How to deal with a bad review as a dog walker

Bad reviews will happen because they’re just a part of running a business. Just as in life, it’s true that you cannot please everybody all of the time.

I’ve known dog walkers receive negative reviews for not walking the dog for an hour (they were being paid to do a 30 minute walk), not showing up for the walk (they hadn’t been booked) and for not being able to control their ‘pack of dogs’ when it met a member of the public’s dog (the review was left on the wrong businesses Facebook page).

Start now to build a moat.

A moat? Yep, a moat is a large ring of water built around castles to stop intruders from just wandering in and attacking them.

For your business, your moat is full of satisfied customers who have also left you a review and this stops anyone attacking you from doing any lasting damage.

For example, if you have 9 good reviews and 1 bad one, you drop down to a 4.5 star rating.

If you have 99 good reviews and 1 bad one, you’re looking at a 4.99 rating and if it’s on your Facebook page, it’ll probably still show as a 5.

How to build a moat.

Ask your clients for a review and make it easy and quick for them to do it.

Make it a habit to send an email (save a template for this to make it quicker for you) after they’ve been having walks with you for a month.

Include in the email that you’re happy to have them on board, and that their dog is adorable and leave a clear link in the email for them to click on and leave a review.

Make the email super short and make sure that link is the last thing they read at the bottom of the email.

E.g.

Get the bad review removed

If the review is fake, abusive or left on your business pages by accident (perhaps mistaken identity) then you can contact the website and ask to have it removed.

Here are some of the processes of the most common review platforms;

Facebook

1. Report the review: Facebook has a feature that allows you to report a review if you believe it violates their community standards. To report a review, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the review and select “Report post.”
2. Provide evidence: When reporting the review, provide evidence to support your claim that it is fake. This could include screenshots of conversations with the reviewer or any other evidence that shows the review is not genuine.
3. Contact Facebook support: If reporting the review does not work, you can contact Facebook support for help. You can do this by going to the Facebook Help Center and clicking on the “Contact Us” button.
4. Respond to the review: If all else fails, you can respond to the review and explain why you believe it is fake. This can help other customers see that the review may not be trustworthy.

Google

1. Flag the review: Google has a feature that allows you to flag a review if you believe it violates their policies. To flag a review, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the review and select “Flag as inappropriate.”
2. Provide evidence: When flagging the review, provide evidence to support your claim that it is fake. This could include screenshots of conversations with the reviewer or any other evidence that shows the review is not genuine.
3. Contact Google support: If flagging the review does not work, you can contact Google support for help. You can do this by going to the Google My Business Help Center and clicking on the “Contact Us” button.

Yelp

1. Flag the review: Yelp has a feature that allows you to flag a review if you believe it violates their content guidelines. To flag a review, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the review and select “Flag.”
2. Provide evidence: When flagging the review, provide evidence to support your claim that it is fake. This could include screenshots of conversations with the reviewer or any other evidence that shows the review is not genuine.
3. Contact Yelp support: If flagging the review does not work, you can contact Yelp support for help. You can do this by going to the Yelp Help Center and clicking on the “Contact Yelp” button.

As you can see the steps are pretty much the same for all companies.

Is it a fair review?

So now that we’ve built our moat of great reviews, and removed any fake reviews, we need to be honest and ask ourselves whether the review is fair.

Fair doesn’t mean the customer is right, it just means that from that particular customer’s perspective, would anyone else have been disappointed or have the same feelings that this client did?

How to respond to a negative review

Respond promptly and professionally: Don’t ignore it. It’s important to respond to the negative review in a timely and professional manner. Acknowledge the customer’s concerns and offer to help resolve the issue. Be polite and empathetic, and avoid getting defensive or confrontational.

Take the conversation offline: If possible, try to take the conversation offline to address the customer’s concerns. This could be via email or phone. This shows the customer that you are taking their concerns seriously and are willing to work with them to find a solution.

Offer a solution: Try to offer a solution to the customer’s concerns. This could be a refund, a discount on future purchases, or some other form of compensation. Make sure the solution is appropriate to the customer’s concerns and is something you can realistically offer.

Follow up: Once you have addressed the customer’s concerns, follow up with them to make sure they are satisfied with the outcome. This shows that you care about their experience and are committed to providing good customer service.

Learn from the experience: Use the negative review as an opportunity to learn from the experience and improve your business. Consider the customer’s feedback and see if there are any changes you can make to prevent similar issues from arising in the future.

How NOT to respond to a negative review

Don’t respond when you’re upset or feeling emotional. Give yourself time to compose yourself. The worst thing you can do is write out a public, knee jerk reaction to a bad review.

Don’t get all your friends to pile on* in the comments section of the review. It’s unprofessional. Don’t forget future clients are more likely to be reading the responses to reviews when choosing whether or not to hire you.

*Pile on definition; an argument or attack by a large group of people against one person or a much smaller group

Don’t blame the reviewer for the problem. Even if they were in the wrong.

Don’t get defensive: Responding with defensiveness can come across as dismissive or insincere. It’s important to listen to the customer’s feedback and take responsibility for any shortcomings in your business.

Remember, when responding to negative reviews, it’s essential to remain calm, professional, and empathetic. Address the customer’s concerns and provide a solution or explanation for their negative experience. This can help turn a negative situation into a positive one and even improve your business in the long run.