How to respond to bad reviews
Most websites and webshops give customers the opportunity to leave a review, whether on the website itself or on external platforms such as Google, Facebook or Trustpilot. Reviews can help a business in several ways. Especially good reviews, obviously, since they give proof of the quality of your product or service. Bad reviews however can be a disheartening part of owning a business. Negative feedback, whether legitimate or not, can take a toll on your reputation and can lead to a drop in sales.
That’s why it’s important to know how to handle negative customer reviews, and how to formulate a proper response that will control the damage. Nevertheless: even a not-so-good review can benefit your business, by the way you react to it.
This article will show you how to turn a bad review into a positive experience. Below are several strategies that you can use to deal with poor reviews on customer review websites and social media channels
1. Realize bad reviews are normal
First of all, realize it’s almost impossible to avoid a negative review. At some point you will get one, or more. Receiving a bad review can be very frustrating, but keep in mind that every business receives such feedback at some point. Whether it’s legitimate or not.
2. Don't get angry in public
Keep your calm and unlock your empathy. You can of course be upset or internally angry when a negative review pops up, but it is important to remain calm, empathetic and professional in your response. Reviews are shown publicly online, and so is your reply to them. Wait with responding until you are calm enough – but don’t wait too long, because the customer will probably still be angry to some extent.
3. Be proactive and reply as soon as possible
A lot of people use customer review websites to gain intel on your business, product or service. They are becoming increasingly popular, so it is important for any business to keep an eye on them. When dealing with bad reviews on customer review websites and social media, it is important to take a proactive approach. Reply as soon as you feel capable of formulating a proper and sincere response to the negative review. This will not only show the concerned customer that you care, also every future person who will read the negative review will be able to tell you responded immediately to the issue.
4. Say thank you
A bad review might not sound something to be grateful for, but just like the positive ones it’s still valuable feedback for your business. By saying ‘thank you’ you also acknowledge the effort of the reviewer, which might even stimulate others to leave a positive review. Customer reviews offer businesses the chance to learn from their mistakes and gain valuable insights into their customers’ needs and expectations, so do take advantage of that.
5. Say sorry, explain and take responsibility
If the review addresses a specific problem, apologize for their bad experience and take responsibility for any mistakes made. Be clear about the things you are sorry for. A sincere apology can go a long way towards improving customer satisfaction, and should be followed up with an explanation of what went wrong. This can help to provide the customer with a better understanding of the issue and how it will be addressed. Be careful tho: an explanation can be interpreted as not taking your responsibility.
6. Offer a clear solution and be generous
If possible, offer a solution to the problem of the reviewer. This could be a refund, a replacement product, discount, or some other form of compensation. Be generous enough so the reviewer is satisfied and ideally still a potential future customer. This can help to demonstrate the company’s priority of customer satisfaction. It will also most likely increase the trust the reviewer has in your business, as well as that of every person reading the bad review you just responded to in this perfect manner.
7. Provide personal follow-up
If the issue raised in the review requires further attention, it may be wise to communicate directly with the reviewer in a personal follow-up. Make sure to indicate in your public response to the review that you will be getting in touch with them. This will help show both the reviewer and any other readers of the review that you are taking their opinions seriously. Additionally, it gives you the opportunity to talk through any issues and come to a mutually satisfactory solution. Utilizing this approach can help build trust with your customers and ensure that their concerns are addressed adequately.
Make changes based on negative feedback
If the issue raised in the review requires further attention, it may be wise to communicate directly with the reviewer in a personal follow-up. Make sure to indicate in your public response to the review that you will be getting in touch with them. This will help show both the reviewer and any other readers of the review that you are taking their opinions seriously. Additionally, it gives you the opportunity to talk through any issues and come to a mutually satisfactory solution. Utilizing this approach can help build trust with your customers and ensure that their concerns are addressed adequately.