How to Handle a Negative Review
If you own a business, then you understand reviews are a crucial part of the job. The downside of owning a business is that no matter how hard you try to please your customers, some of the reviews will still be negative. It comes with the territory. Online bullies can be hard to contend with especially if they are tarnishing your brand’s image for no reason.
If you do not have the patience or technical know-how to deal with such issue, it can turn ugly really quickly. Every businesses nightmare is a negative online review driving away customers and undoubtedly affecting your sales. It is commonly known that most customers form their opinion of a business based on online reviews.
In many cases, it might even lead to a business owner suing the customer for public defamation through their scathing reviews because the reviews have negatively affected their business.
Negative review happens to everyone regardless of your experience and it is up to you to not allow it to submerge your business but instead learn from it to make your business better.
Identify the Patterns
As mentioned earlier, negative reviews are a part of the job. If you rarely experience negative reviews, then this is positive. If it happens to be a frequent occurrence, then you might have a more significant problem on your hands.
You need to notice the commonalities by taking each negative review and looking for repeated complaints and common themes. If customers mention being disappointed, then that points to the fact that your product or service is not living up to expectations.
Once you have identified these patterns, the logical step is to start working on it. Yelp reviews for instance, actually highlight any word that is mentioned by multiple customers so that it is easier to track the specific keywords that represent what a customer does not like about your product or service.
Respond ASAP
Nothing calms a customer down like a prompt response to their complaint especially if the criticism is justified. Follow the tips below when addressing a negative online review:
- Never get personal. There is no use in lashing out. Always treat the customer professionally as if they were in front of you.
- Don’t get drawn into an online battle with a bully and make sure to only address legitimate concerns.
- Appreciate the reviewer for bringing your attention to the complaint and assure them that you pride yourself on excellent customer service so you will be doing your best to correct the issue.
- Apologize when appropriate but never take responsibility for matters that you had nothing to do with.
The tips mentioned above will help you show empathy to the customer and reduce their apprehensions. Also, other customers will appreciate the way you handle complaints. Therefore, the review will not have a long-lasting effect on your sales if played right.
It is our sincerest hope that you do not fall prey of online bullies and their negative reviews. With the aid of this article, you will always be one step ahead.