Thanks to social media and on-site rating features, leaving reviews is easier than ever for consumers. Most businesses are familiar with positive reviews – and negative ones.
Many customers consider reading reviews of a business and its services an important part of their decision-making process. As noted by Testimonial Engine, 72% of customers wait to take action until they have read reviews, which is why it’s important to respond to all feedback, especially negative ones. Bazaarvoice surveyed more than 1,600 people and found that 41% of consumers believe a brand that responds to reviews (both positive and negative) shows that the company genuinely cares.
You should definitely reply to negative reviews. Ignoring a negative review can harm your business more than the review itself. Not responding can lead to a 15% increase in customer loss, according to Chatmeter. While that bad review might make you want to hide, it’s important to handle it. Responding can actually strengthen your business.
Here are our tips on how to best handle negative reviews.
Be Proactive
Get ahead of your reviews by routinely looking for them. Monitor the platforms where your reviews lie, whether it’s on Yelp, Facebook, Google, Twitter, or a feature (like a forum) you’ve installed directly to your site. If it helps, assign a person or team to handle this at your company.
Respond Within 24 to 48 Hours
If someone took the time to post a public review, it’s obviously important to them. Responding quickly shows you’re actively engaged in conversations with your consumers across multiple platforms. The longer you wait, the more that person feels invalidated. Sometimes, this can lead to further negative reviews or bad word of mouth.
Acknowledge and Apologize Authentically
Even if you don’t agree with what they’ve said, something compelled them to reach out. Offer an apology after you’ve recognized the concern, but don’t sound robotic. Make it visible you’re a real human.
Be Polite
Harsh reviews deserve politeness. Don’t fuel the fire by a rude response. A negative response on your part will reflect poorly on your company.
Make It Right
Words matter, but actions can show you’re willing to take the extra step to ensure your consumer is happy. After all, this is a chance to right your wrong and showcase your customer service. If that person was unhappy with your food service, offer them a coupon on their next visit. If they were unimpressed with someone within your company’s assistance, tell them you’ll speak with them to ensure it won’t happen again.
Insert Some Marketing In Your Response
When appropriate, market your business. You can include a line similar to, “We’re recognized as meticulously detailed, but even we make rare mistakes” or “We always strive to have the best and swiftest interactions with our customers, but we missed the mark this time.”
Think of Future Customers
Think about future customers reading the review when responding. If the reviewer experienced a long wait time, assure them your business will work to make sure that doesn’t happen again. If the product wasn’t as advertised, let them know how you’ll address the issues.
Take It Offline
Once you’ve responded online, make an effort to contact that person more traditionally. Pick up the phone and call them. Email them or send them a card in the mail. Whatever you do offline will show dedication to improving the lousy experience they had. This type of interaction could change their review or make them return to your business.
Don’t Use Keywords in Your Response
While typically you want to mention your business name and related keywords in all online material, you probably don’t want a scathing review popping up first on a Google search.
BONUS: Examples of Businesses Handling Bad Reviews
Camelback Moving
In this response, the owner of a small moving company directly responded to a negative review by apologizing and promising to work with the crew to make sure bad experiences do not occur in the future. He also cleverly intertwined some marketing in his response, saying they always “strive for 100% customer satisfaction.” This response increases the chance of repeat business.
Southwest Airlines
As a national airline, Southwest Airlines faces numerous reviews on various platforms daily. They respond to as many as possible on Twitter, which is a good practice. In this example, Southwest acknowledges the customer’s frustration while moving the conversation to a one-on-one atmosphere, so they can gain further insight. This interaction also shows Southwest responds within hours on social media to reviews.
Adobe
Adobe offers a customer forum which they monitor actively. In this example, the staff member at Adobe acknowledges the person’s concerns, asks for detailed information to rectify the situation quicker, and promises to loop in more help. Throughout the conversations, she responds within 10-15 minutes. Responding to negative reviews is hard, but you must do it to keep your business moving forward. Ignored customers are unlikely to return to your business or continue using your product. They may even spread negative word of mouth.
