Would you like step by step instructions and examples of how to turn negative reviewers into brand advocates? Read on…
One problem every business will face is unhappy customers sharing their opinions, but how is the best way to respond to a negative review?
Every online business will receive negative reviews once in a while.
There’s no getting around it. They’ll spring up like a small crack in the window of your website.
Handle them in the wrong way and the crack might spread.
Deal with them like a pro and your window will mend and shine brighter than ever before.
To be clear, we’re talking about service reviews, not product reviews. Take a look at all the benefits reviews can do for your business.
They provide a chance to:
Added credibility, more sales, increased transparency. These are a few of the benefits our customers report from receiving honest feedback and reviews.
That being said, a whole page filled with negative reviews won’t look good.
But if they’re the exception rather than the rule, they’ll actually do more good for your business than harm.
What’s the best way to handle negative reviews?
From experience and feedback from our own customers, we’ve got a pretty good idea for the right approach to take.
It happens to the very best of businesses that at one point or another they receive a negative review about their service.
Maybe the customer received the wrong item. Or has faced delays in delivery.
Or weren’t able to get through to anyone on the phone when they called. Or felt misled in what they were actually purchasing.
There are any number of reasons why we all, from time to time, feel like we’ve not been treated fairly.
When your company gets a negative review, you have two options:
We prefer the second option.
Responding promptly and professionally to criticism directly under the original review shows prospective customers that you care and are committed to improving your business.
As Jonathan Ford explains, it also proves to prospects that you’re not cheating By cherry picking the reviews you display.
Even if you don’t feel that the review is valid. There is much to be gained from responding the right way.
Imagine you’ve just received a negative review. What are your next steps?
There’s little point in trying to address the situation when your emotions are still high.
Negative reviews can feel like a personal attack. So take a moment to allow clarity to return before doing anything else.
Once you’ve regained composure, you’ll want to figure out where you stand.
Try to avoid making assumptions. Check the validity of the negative review.
What does the customer feel let down by? What is the underlying problem? The product? The delivery? Service?
Get the full picture of the situation and let that help guide your actions.
Confirmed that the complaint is valid? Apologise sincerely and outline the changes you will be making to ensure the problem will never happen again.
Think that the customer is wrong, or at fault themselves? Offer a sincere apology for their experience, and consider outlining steps to prevent recurrence. And see if you can resolve the problem.
In both cases you may not be able to resolve the situation with the customers in question.
But prospective customers will appreciate that you’re being proactive in your attempts to resolve issues.
Apologies will go a lot further to convincing prospective customers to purchase from you than denying fault.
In fact, you’ll want to fix the problem twice
It’s generally preferable to engage directly with customers over the phone rather than through email.
Firstly, you’ll need to solve the reviewer’s problem.
Even if that means involving other members of your team. Make it your responsibility to ensure that a solution is found promptly.
Before ending the call, ensure that the customer is satisfied with the solution you’ve provided during your direct interaction with them.
Summarise what you both agreed as an outcome and go through the steps being taken towards it.
If you’ve made a deal, don’t assume that both of you have the same idea of what has been agreed.
Follow that up with an email.
Secondly, you’ll need to figure out whether this is a problem other customers might experience.
If it is, fix that too.
You’ve fixed the problem, within the timeframe that you agreed with the customer. That should be done and dusted, right?
Not quite.
Circle back to the customer with a courtesy call. Check whether they are satisfied with the solution to the problem.
This step might feel like extra work. And you might question its value. But there are a couple of big reasons why you should do it anyway:
Let’s look into crafting your perfect response to a negative review. What you’ll want to post underneath the review on your website.
In summary we’re aiming to:
Regardless of whether the review is fair, unfair or hurtful - your first priority is to thank them for taking the time to give feedback.
“Hi Dan, thank you for taking the time to write a review of our service”
We don’t need to admit guilt or wrongdoing - but we do need to accept the customer’s point of view.
Accept that their experience was poor and expectations were not met.
Make sure to avoid sounding insincere.
“…I’m sorry this has happened, and that your expectations were not met…”
To fix the problem we’ll need to invite the reviewer to get in touch.
All we need to do is explain that we want to make it right.
“…We’re dedicated to customer support and we would like to fix this problem for you. Please give us a call or contact our support at support@email.com and one of our team will get right back to you…”
You’ve stated that you want to fix the problem. Now make sure that happens.
If you already have the customer’s contact information, you may not need to wait until they send an email into your support address.
Proactively reach out to begin the process.
If you’ve said you will do something, make sure you do it. Within the timeframe your customer expects.
Otherwise you’re raising their hopes only to dash them.
Nobody writes a negative review for fun. It’s an emotionally charged action, and everyone hates doing it.
Responding to negative reviews brilliantly displays your business in a good light. And will influence purchase decisions of prospective customers.
Prospects who read a negative review with a professional response get a feel, before becoming a customer, of how your company deals with its customers.
Reading both positive and negative reviews gives them more to go on.
They’ll know that you try to avoid bad things happening. And will take steps to resolve problems if they arise.
And you’ll stand a good chance of winning back the reviewer as a customer for life.
As specialists in customer experience, we want you to have the tools and knowledge to champion your customers. Find out more about our proven methodology, and how we can help you drive measurable improvements through customer feedback and exceptional experience.
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