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Nobody likes receiving criticism, especially when it’s public. Getting negative reviews sucks, but even the best businesses get them sometimes, and that’s why it’s important to know how to respond. Read on for some helpful tips.
Write A Response
Getting a bad review is frustrating, and it can be tempting to get defensive or just ignore it altogether. But when you ignore a bad review and do nothing, you ruin your chance to make amends, explain your side of the situation, or uncover any potential miscommunications. At the very least, responding to a negative review shows that you pay attention to and care about the experiences of your customers.
Respond quickly
Make sure you respond to negative reviews as soon as possible. If you respond a month after you receive a bad review, for example, the reviewer will have likely already lost trust in your business and it will be a lot harder to change their opinion at that point.
Be polite (acknowledge their concerns)
Regardless of whether you agree with a review or not, you should make it clear that you acknowledge the reviewer’s thoughts and concerns. People tend to be much more receptive to someone else’s point of view when they feel that their own point of view is being accepted, too.
It’s important to note that acknowledging the concerns of a reviewer isn’t necessarily the same thing as saying that they are right. You want them to know that you’re paying attention to their experience, and you should apologize when the mistake is yours, but if there is a legitimate explanation (they were mad about the price of something even though it was clearly stated in a printed document, for example), then you of course can explain that in your response, too. Just make sure you do it in a respectful way.
Do your research
If you are going to respond with your side of the situation, make sure to find out any background information you can to avoid responding with inaccurate or incomplete information and perpetuating any negativity.
Offer to continue the discussion
At the end of your response, it’s always nice to include a phone number or email address and invite the reviewer to continue the discussion offline or reach out if there are other concerns they may have. Again, this shows your integrity as a business and your eagerness to make your customers happy.
Here is an example of how you could use these tips to format a response to a negative review:
We are extremely disappointed to read of your review and would like to learn more about your experience so we can communicate with the staff to make improvements. At your earliest convenience, please reach out to (insert name) at (insert email/phone number) to further discuss your thoughts and concerns. Thank you.
It’s impossible to please everybody, so don’t be too discouraged by some negative feedback. The best thing you can do is respond, show the reviewer that you value their thoughts, apologize when you need to, and try to keep an open line of communication.
For more help with your reputation management, contact AG Marketing Solutions at (610) 337-8484.
