Have you received a negative review in the past six months? If so, you’re not alone. Millions of businesses around the world receive negative reviews quite often. Therefore, negative reviews don’t always paint the true picture of how legitimate a company is.
However, 93% of consumers read online reviews to determine if a local business is good or bad, according to Bright Local. As you can see, it doesn’t really matter how often negative reviews occur, people are still inclined to show more favor towards businesses with more positive reviews and star ratings.
So, what does this mean if you receive a negative review? What are you supposed to do to prevent your potential customers from slipping through your fingers? In this article, I’ll tell you exactly what you should do.
1. Always Respond
Negative reviews come in all sorts of ways. Some of these reviews are somewhat polite while others are extremely abrasive. Many businesses notice bad reviews left on Google and social media and don’t respond, which is a pretty big mistake.
Even if one of your customers didn’t enjoy their experience with you, it’s still important to at least respond to their review to show them and other potential customers that you’re always open to criticism and feedback. Let’s face it. Everyone won’t like the services or products you provide.
However, you can create a great impression to your future customers by showing that you deeply value their opinions.
Note: You don’t have to respond to any review older than three months.
2. Do Not Argue
When you choose to respond to a negative review, it’s important to remain cordial and understanding to the person who posted it. Responding in an equally negative or argumentative tone won’t do anything to help your case, primarily because your customers will see your response and won’t be convinced if they believe you’re being inappropriate.
Instead, try responding to a negative review by following these tips.
- Always begin your response by giving a genuine apology.
- Offer another chance to satisfy their request.
- Don’t give any excuses.
- Don’t blame the reviewer
- Don’t deny any wrongdoing
- Thank them for their review.
Following these tips will show your unsatisfied customer and others that you genuinely care about their experience. Responding in this manner will help paint your business in a better light.
3. Flag the Review
If you’ve received a fake online review from a person who was never a customer of yours, you can immediately flag the review for removal. Do not respond to this type of review at all because it could look suspicious if you wanted to remove a negative review after you’ve responded.
Fake customers reviews are pretty obvious to spot because they usually contain horrible grammar and abusive language. Before you respond to any review, perform an evaluation into your records to see if the reviewer was truly one of your customers. This can save you the headache of accidentally responding to a fake review.
Final Words:
Everyone receives negative reviews, but it’s how you handle them that will truly make a difference. If you’re polite and understanding to your reviewers, you can save your online reputation and prove to your potential customers that their opinion matters and will be handled accordingly.
