I appreciate all my clients who have reviewed my services and enabled me to maintain a 5-star rating on Google Reviews. I also want to thank everyone who has been part of my support system; I can never thank you enough. However, it’s often likely that we come across clients who are not easy to please. It’s part of our job to know how to communicate with our clients and to hear their concerns. I write this with a lot of disappointment because I recently received my first 1-star rating from a client that I feel was malicious in their review. Although I don’t expect to get 5-star reviews all the time, the client in question never complained or raised any concern during and after the lashing session. They then went ahead and gave me a bad rating online. For those who know me well, I always try my best to offer a redo or compensate whenever a client is not satisfied with the service.
It’s really sad when people try to pull someone down when all they are trying is to make ends meet. With that said, my plea is to my clients and competitors to be more considerate when giving online reviews and ratings. I would prefer you talk things out with your technician or seize from receiving their services. If the technician doesn’t make any changes or provide a solution, it’s fair to go ahead and rate their services according to what you feel. I thank you all for your understanding and support ❤
Below is A Step-By-Step Guide on How to Deal With Customer Complaints
Most lash technicians have had to deal with a disgruntled client at some point in their careers. This is no different from what I have experienced lately with a customer at my lash salon. Whereas it’s the customers right to voice their concerns about the quality of service they get, some clients go out of their way to ruin the name of the business online.
Google and other online platforms are important tools in selling your business name to new clients and opportunities. When someone offers a bad review, it can harm the reputation of your services. Anyone who has had to build a business from scratch knows how much it hurts to have their reputation ruined by one incidence. As a lash technician, I’m always willing to correct my mistakes or offer a redo. So, how do you deal with dissatisfied customers negative reviews?
Encourage Clients to Speak Out
It’s easy to solve things early before they escalate or blow out of proportion. A simple discussion during your one-on-one session with your customer can go a long way in avoiding various misunderstandings. For instance, if a client is not happy about the type of lashing they get, encourage them to voice their concern. This way you can redo their lashes or offer a different solution. It’s less likely that such a client will give you negative reviews later.
Take Time Before You Respond
A one-star review is not something you let slide and go about your business as usual. It will bring many emotions that might make you respond in the wrong way. Just like in my situation, I felt angry and responded with anger to my client, which I regret. The lesson I took from this incident is that you should always take time to cool off before typing anything.
Apologize and Offer a Solution
Be polite in your responses by first saying sorry. Personalize your response by using words such as “I’m sorry you felt that…” or “I’m sorry you were not satisfied with…” Once you are done apologizing, come up with a solution that will make the client feel that you care. It can be an explanation of what might have gone wrong or offer to redo the lashes. Look for something that is acceptable to the client. Inform them what your business is doing to avoid such issues in the future.
Try to Solve the Issue Offline
Once you have apologized, thanked and offered a solution to your reviewer, it’s imperative to take the conversation offline. Your conversation with your client might have a negative effect on other prospective clients. When responding, avoid addressing the person who reviewed your service as a “client” or “customer. Instead, use their first name to show that you feel and understand their concern. Encourage your customer to contact you personally by either calling or sending an email.
Encourage Other Clients to Review Your Service
The solution to a one-star review is not telling the reviewer to take down the review. Google and other review sites are public forums that give everyone the opportunity to voice their concerns. Instead of asking the reviewer to remove their comment, encourage other clients to review your service. This is what enabled me to get more 5-star reviews to maintain my 5-star rating.
Below is one sample how i dealt with such situation:
Mary: Hi (Client Name), i saw your 1 star review, im really sorry if you feel uncomfortable today, i was not talking to you the whole session because i want to focus on your lashes, i dont want to be rude but i dont really speak when im working with lashes to help me focus, please help me understand the issue today? I thought you like the lashes and you are smiling when you left.. i can fix them for you if you need to change it? Let me know, i want to do the right thing for you. Appreciate your cooperation.
Client: “Hey Mary, you glued the lashes directly to my eyelid instead of my lashes, which caused a lot of burning. It took 2 hours for someone else to remove them. I’d advise you take some upskill courses on lashing to refresh yourself on how they should be applied…”
Mary: I appreciate your sentiments and advice about the quality of my services. I apologise on my part if you felt that the service I offered was not up to standard. My main concern is that your rating is not a reflection of what I do, and could damage the name of my business. Besides hurting my morale and feelings, it is a big setback to the reputation of my services.
I can tell from the details you gave that you have enough knowledge about lashing, maybe you have a background of a lash technicians. This is the main job I have and giving me a one star really undermines the work I’ve put into this business. I wish you could have expressed your disappointment directly to me instead of giving me a below per rating. I always listen to my clients and would like us to solve this amicably.
It’s not common for regular customers or new clients to have someone else remove their lashes soon after they have them done. I would be willing to redo the work or grant your request if you voiced your concern to me. The vibe I’m getting is that you might be a lash technician or know someone within this industry. From a technician point of view, the glue works like a diva; it might work perfectly or have some flaws in certain situations. It takes a lot to keep the glue under the right humidity and temperature. Although I have a small fridge and use proper air conditioning for my glues, it’s not always possible to control how they react.
I apologize if at all some glue slipped on your skin, I would never do that intentionally. My aim is to make my clients happy, and in no case do I want to give excuses for my work. I have a lot of experience in this job but things can never be always perfect. Kindly accept my apology.
Going forward, I would recommend that you always let your technician know when you’re uncomfortable with the service. A one-star rating will only ruin the name of the business I have spent years trying to build. If there’s any way you can rectify this kindly do. I’m also willing to rectify my work on my part. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.
*Client hasnt replied to date
I dont know why but when im being let down, its always my turning point.. 🙃🤭 After receiving a 1-star google rating from a malicious client, i thought it will be a set back for my business, then i was wrong because the following days i got the record breaking highest bookings in my entire lash career with 6 new clients all book in one day (all new clients from google)! and that’s really a good problem to handle ☺
My Advice: Always be professional & treat people with kindness, wether you’re the client or the service provider.
In conclusion, don’t let a bad review ruin your morale and motivation. Ensure you respond in a professional manner and always request satisfied clients to leave a positive review.
🥰 😉🙏❤💕
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