Negative Reviews Aren’t a Disaster
A negative review can feel like a punch to the gut. You’ve put your heart and soul into your business. Unfortunately, there’s no way to avoid negative reviews entirely. People complain even about companies with stellar reputations. It doesn’t have to be a disaster, though. If you respond well, you can improve your business’s reputation and build trust by showing that you work with customers to solve problems. There are two things to avoid at all costs when it comes to negative reviews. One is ignoring them, which gives the impression that you don’t care about customers. The other, which is far worse, is responding emotionally. No matter how valid your emotional response is, people who see it will think you’re unprofessional.
Stop and Reflect Before Responding
First, pause. Never respond to a negative review when you’re upset. Even if you’re determined to keep a professional tone, strong emotions make people somewhat less objective about the message they’re getting across. Everybody in the world will have access to your response once it’s posted, so missteps won’t remain private. People draw sweeping conclusions based on a single improper response. You want those conclusions to be good. Once you feel a bit better, go through the review with a fine-toothed comb to make sure you fully comprehend the complaint before addressing it.
Writing a Productive Response
Responding to negative reviews doesn’t have to be complicated. Instead, focus on authenticity and understanding. Keep in mind that staying professional doesn’t mean being cold or formal. If you do a good job, the unhappy customer might do a 180 and become a loyal fan of your business. People understand that all businesses mess up sometimes. What they care about is how companies respond. Another bonus of responding? Google’s algorithms reward businesses that actively interact with reviews, making responses a positive for your SEO game. That could make a difference in the search ranking of your Google Business Profile. Here are some simple elements to include when writing a smart, authentic response:
- Respectfully acknowledge the customer’s point of view, and thank them for sharing it.
- Apologize for their negative experience—even if you don’t think their perspective is entirely accurate.
- Suggest a fix to their problem or, if not that, encourage them to contact you privately to resolve the issue.
- Keep it short. If you write more than four sentences or so, many people will stop reading. Also, the more you write, the more chances there will be to say something that hits the wrong note.
- Never argue. Never make excuses. Never—and we mean never—blame the customer.
Valuable Digital Marketing Feedback
Once you’ve responded, your work isn’t over. The feedback you get will provide valuable opportunities to improve your business, so consider it carefully. Keep an eye on new reviews, especially Facebook reviews and Google reviews, to make sure you don’t ignore any by accident. Now that you know what to do, there’s no need to fear negative reviews. In fact, you’re ready to turn negatives into positives, gaining respect and trust from potential customers by responding well to complaints.
