If you’ve received a negative review, here’s how to properly respond.

Running a business these days is a lot different than it was just a few short years ago and it could very well be much different just a few years from now. In the past, when a customer had a problem with a company and wanted to issue a complaint, their only real recourse aside from dealing directly with the company was to tell family and friends about it.

Today, however, customers can leave negative comments on review sites, social media pages, etc., which can sometimes open you to up to hundreds or thousands of negative impressions. This is why it’s become instrumental for your online reputation to learn how to respond to negative reviews so that they don’t tank your business.

The Harmful Effect of Negative Reviews

In this day and age of digital technology, your online reputation may not be everything, but it’s pretty darn close. If you get a bunch of negative reviews and just let them hang there, this could be extremely damaging to your company and, of course, your bottom line. It’s impossible to avoid getting any type of negative feedback at all, so what you’ll need to do is learn how to rectify the situation whenever possible.

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

If you receive a negative review from a customer, the first thing to remember is that you shouldn’t panic. Even the best companies in the world can get a negative comment from time to time. So, take a breath and we’ll show you how to respond to negative reviews:

Routinely Check Platforms

The first step is to find the negative reviews in the first place. Two of the most popular review sites are Yelp and Google, but if you do a quick online search, you can find quite a few others. You’ll also discover customer feedback being left on your Facebook page and other social media accounts, so be sure to look there periodically, too.

Sign Up for Social Media

As we just explained, many customers turn to Facebook and other social media platforms when they want to leave comments about your company, products, services, or a specific experience. You can make it a lot easier on yourself by making sure that these people have a place to go by signing up for a few platforms so that you can more easily find any negative comments. This will also give you the opportunity to interact with positive comments, too.

Say Thanks for the Comment

No business owner likes the idea of receiving negative comments, but you always need to treat the person cordially and professionally. You can start off by thanking them for leaving the comment. After all, even though they may have had a bad experience, taking the time to express their dismay should be appreciated because bad-mouthing you to their friends won’t allow you to address the problem.

Apologize for the Problem

Once you’ve thanked the customer for leaving the comment, you’ll want to apologize for the problem. This isn’t the time to make excuses, even if you feel that what the customer is saying isn’t accurate. Instead, simply apologize and let them know that you’ll do whatever is in your power to correct the problem and make everything right.

Encourage Offline Contact

If the situation is simple and they provide you with enough information that will allow you to fix it, you may be able to correct the issue and then let them know. In most cases, however, you’ll probably need to speak to the person over the phone, by email, or via live chat. Leave all of your contact information and request that they get in touch with you at their earliest convenience.

Keep It Short and Sweet

If the negative review or comment is left on a social media platform like Facebook, where posting is a normal activity, then you may be tempted to go back and forth with the customer on your page itself. However, this is simply not an efficient way to conduct business, especially since you’ll probably need more information to correct the problem. Our advice is to always keep it short and sweet instead of providing a long explanation right away.

Never Respond Angrily

The worst thing you can do is to respond to a negative review in an angry manner. This can sometimes be a little difficult because, as we all know, online personas can often be very cantankerous, to say the least. Even if the customer curses or acts belligerently, you must always respond in a kind, professional tone. That being said, if a comment or review is especially perverse or hateful, either delete the comment or report it to the review site.

Make It Up to the Person

The end goal is obviously to address the negative review by making it up to the customer in some way. Depending on the situation, this could mean a variety of things such as shipping a replacement product, offering some type of refund, etc. Just be aware that some customers may ask for too much, so you may not be able to assist every single person who experiences a problem.

Check for Follow-Ups

After you’ve been in contact with the customer and solved their issue, it’s a good idea to do a follow-up. Check back with the review site or social media platform and see if the customer has left additional feedback. Either way, you should follow-up with a pleasant email a few days later to thank them for the opportunity to address their negative experience with your company. This small gesture can mean a lot.

Contact P3 Agency to Learn How to Respond to Negative Reviews

The P3 Agency has dedicated itself to be the best firm for web design in clearwater, in addition to blogging, social media, lead generation, and all other digital marketing strategies. If you have any questions about our services or would like more information on how to respond to negative reviews, give us a call at (800) 515-9422 to schedule a free marketing assessment today!