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It’s no secret that real estate agents are among least trusted professionals around. And while many agents would rightly point out that this perception is largely the fault of an unscrupulous minority, it doesn’t change the fact that many vendors view real estate agents with skepticism.

The internet makes complaining about poor service easier than ever for frustrated customers. Sites like Rate My Agent and even your Google business page provide an open forum for your clients to share their experiences – both good and bad. There are also apps like RealAS, which aims to call out underquoting. 

The issue here for agents is that people are far more likely to vent when they feel they’ve been hard done by than they are to post glowing reviews of excellent service. And once something is online it’s there forever – information posted to third party websites is almost impossible to have taken down. You only have to look at the damage that negative reviews on Urbanspoon can do to a restaurant’s reputation to see that the danger is real. It’s vital for agencies to have a plan in place for dealing with damaging reviews when they arise. 

The first and most obvious step is to avoid doing anything that would lead to a customer complaining in the first place. Having said that, mistakes happen, and in some cases you may not even feel that the complaint is fair or justified. 

Those with active online presences are best placed to respond promptly and neutralise the damage. Staying on top of social media channels, as well as regularly monitoring review sites, is a good start. When a complaint is posted, it’s important to respond fast – online comments have serious longevity and can quickly become one of the first pieces of information someone finds when they Google you. It only takes one negative review to create a bad impression.

One of the benefit of social media is that it allows you to respond personally. This can make a big difference to how the situation plays out. Many review sites allow you to do this too – you may be able to create an account or ‘claim’ your businesses profile. This will allow you to respond directly to comments made by users.

Don’t attempt to argue or prove the complainer wrong. Keep it simple; apologise for their poor experience and tell them you want to discuss the issue further and make amends. A calm and polite response helps paint you in a positive light, especially if the review itself is filled with spelling errors and poor grammar. Whenever possible, try and take the conversation offline at this point to email, or preferably a phone call, where it can be dealt with privately. 

Creating strong brand awareness can help combat negativity – those who have positive associations with your brand are far less likely to take a bad review seriously. And avoid unscrupulous tactics like asking staff to create anonymous accounts and leave glowing reviews – it’s easy to get caught out doing this. Most review sites show user history, and reviewers who leave a single glowing review stand out like a sore thumb and can make a bad situation worse.

Has your business received a poor review online? How did you deal with it?