“I learned all about Yelp because of a negative review.” That’s Nic Faitos, founder of New York City’s Starbright Floral Design. In the early days of Yelp, he was notified that someone had left him a critical review. “When I first discovered it, I said, ‘Holy mackerel, what is this?’ And my Mediterranean temper took over.”
While he clearly wasn’t thrilled about it at the time, he later sat back and thought more about what reviews actually represent—both positive and critical ones.
“Everybody who writes a review… we take the approach that they care,” Nic said. “They care because they want to praise and amplify the business that did the right thing, or they care to relieve some inner frustration that they may have had as a client. Put personal feelings aside—nobody should be offended by a bad review. We use them as a teaching moment.”
As New York City’s leading florist for the past 27 years, consistency and brand authenticity have been key elements to the business’ success. In this week’s episode, our featured business owner Nic (and first-ever guest on the show) shares his step-by-step playbook for upholding those values and addressing critical reviews.
“There’s a consistency to my story and that has been built into the brand and everything that we do,” said Nic. “We survived that 1-star review, and I’m thrilled about that. But more importantly, it did teach me a lesson, and I said, ‘Okay, what is Yelp? How does it work? How do I study it?’ I want to learn about it. And then I started realizing that, hey, Yelp might be a good thing.”
Throughout his decades of experience, Nic acknowledges that critical reviews aren’t always bad for business. If you post a public response online and explain how you resolved it, it can even be good for business because it shows your dedication to high-quality customer service—and since no business is perfect, it makes your business look more “real.” Nic and his Starbright team align themselves with this motto: “If there’s anything that went awry, please tell us right away, and we will correct it. If you love what we do, please tell the whole world about it.”
And the world surely has—Starbright boasts 4.5 stars out of over 330 reviews. Nic says they only receive one 1-star review every couple years. And although emotions can run high in those instances, he never responds to a critical review impulsively or negatively. Nic first takes the time to analyze the situation. What caused this to happen? What did they do as a business? Did a part of their system fail? These questions are discussed in staff meetings and conversations. Then, a resolution is proposed depending on the situation.
He also strategically lets critical reviews sit for a day or two, allowing time for emotions to cool. He always drafts his responses first, then he’ll read, review, and make edits before posting his official response to the review online. Additionally, Starbright always tries to contact the person via phone or email to offer a resolution at a personal level.
“The key words to us are, ‘We hope to make amends,’” Nic said. “To apologize and say ‘Hey, I want to make this right.’ To ask them what we can do to correct the situation.” The more sincere your response, the more understanding the customers will likely be.
Here are some additional key takeaways from this week’s episode:
- Critical reviews can be educational. While they sting, critical feedback can actually be used to improve parts of your business. At Starbright, Nic dissects reviews based on feedback in the following areas: quality of service, quality of product, presentation, and what they did every step of the way. From there, they can identify where the problem occurred, respond to the customer accordingly, and improve their business operations.
- Don’t impulsively respond to critical reviews, and be sincere. It can be tempting to respond sharply, but try to let it sit for a moment. Nic takes the time to draft his responses separately within a document that can’t be accidentally posted online. Once he’s crafted and posted a calm, sincere response, his team also reaches out to the customer directly to apologize and make it right. “At the end of the day, sincerity is what it’s all about,” Nic said.
- Offer a resolution. Critical reviews have the potential to turn into a positive customer experience if you follow up online with a resolution. Share how you tried to solve the issue and what you might be changing operationally to prevent it from happening again. Sometimes reviewers will even update their review to show that things were made right.
- A healthy mix of reviews shows that your business is real. If you’ve been in business long enough or have enough volume, you’re bound to have a few critical reviews sprinkled in. And everyone knows that not every person nor every business is perfect.
- Assume every customer will write a review. Although not every customer will actually post a review, operating under this assumption trains you to always be at the top of your game and give the best service possible.
Interviews by Emily Washcovick; photos from Starbright Floral Design
These lessons come from an episode of Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen below to hear directly from Nic, or visit the episode page to read more, subscribe to the show, and explore other episodes.
The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.