The reputation of your business is vital for lead retention, and overall sales. That is why getting a bad review may leave you with a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach. After all, living in a digital era, almost 97 percent of all consumers check out the reviews of businesses before hiring/buying products from them.
Tips for Dealing With Negative Reviews
But is a bad review really that bad?
Customers will never waste their valuable time to leave a bad review unless there is a serious problem that they are facing with your product/service. That means a customer just pointed out a problem that you may not have been previously aware of.
The best part about it…
When a customer leaves a negative review on your website, handling it correctly will make all the difference. Through this article, we will show you exactly how you can turn a bad review into a way to develop trust with potential customers. The right approach will also emphasize that you genuinely care about the satisfaction of your customers.
So how can you do this?
Make Sure You Respond To Negative Reviews In A Timely Manner
A customer willing to take the time to send a bad review is probably more than just slightly disgruntled with your service.
So now is your chance to exceed their expectations.
That is why you should aim to reply to negative reviews as soon as you possibly can. On average 21.7 % of all consumers expect a business to reply to a negative review in 24-hours.
The most important detail about crafting a reply to the unsatisfied customer is to understand
their perspective on the problem. Take the time to find out exactly why they are unhappy.
Through doing this you will be able to address the exact frustrations that unhappy customers are having. This creates a stronger sense of trust, and if you show that you are willing to settle for a resolution to make up for the problem – the unhappy customer may just leave satisfied and astonished.
Want some examples of how to do this? Check out some great replies to negative reviews by these businesses.
Take Action To Emphasize That You Truly Care About Your Customer Satisfaction
Great, so now you have replied to the unhappy client. For some reason, you still can’t seem to shake that empty feeling in your stomach. After all, a negative review is still lurking on your almost perfect record.
If the customer is within their rights to complain, try to address the issue. If they were delivered a broken product, reimburse them for the costs. If there is a complaint about the way you approach a certain service, change it up to address the problem.
Why bother doing this when the complaint has already been made?
These negative reviews give you the unique perspective of your ideal customer. Someone who was interested enough in what you are selling to actually part ways with their hard-earned money. That means through solving an issue they encountered, you will improve the experience for your entire customer base.
It’s amazing how great one little negative review on social media can be for your business, right?
If you want to find out some of the more important do’s and don’t of handling negative reviews, check out what these guys are doing.
Sometimes There Is Just No Budging An Unhappy Customer
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer”
Let’s face it. In the world of business, you’re going to get THOSE customers. You know, the ones that seem to love wreaking havoc and ruining your day.
These cyber bullies, unfortunately, do target businesses. If you happen to get an illegitimate review, take a breath. Don’t let yourself be baited into making matters worse.
Provide a to the point reply, addressing the problem, and possible resolutions you are willing to make to compensate the customer for their experience.
If this does not work, there is not much more you can do. By replying to even the most absurd negative reviews, your customers will see that you take the initiative to ensure that all of your customers walk away smiling – even from a bad situation.
Of course, just because you get a few negative reviews along the way … stay positive. Work to address prominent issues so that you can exceed the expectations of your current customer base.
Remember the more positive reviews you can cultivate – the further down those pesky reviews are going to sink.
Nice guide!
your blog post is informative. Handling negative online reviews is walking in a land mine. The explosion is unavoidable. Responding immediately online and change talk to offline will be a better option. offer little marketing. Frequent responding to review will make your reviews will solve this issue.