“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” – Bill Gates
Negative online reviews can be frustrating, but it’s important to remember that everyone has a bad experience from time to time. The way you handle negative reviews can make a big difference in how potential customers perceive your business.
Important things to keep in mind about negative feedback:
- This is not a reflection of your worth, your skills, or the direction of your business.
- These comments are based on the customer’s perception and a chance to reflect on your processes.
- This can be a valuable experience for you and your business if you view it that way.
Some tips on how to handle negative online reviews:
- Respond promptly. The sooner you respond to a negative review, the better. This shows potential customers that you take your customers’ feedback seriously and that you’re committed to resolving the issue.
- Be polite and professional. Even if the reviewer is being rude or unreasonable, it’s important to maintain a calm and professional demeanor. Getting into an argument with the reviewer will only make the situation worse.
- Apologize if necessary. If the reviewer is complaining about a legitimate problem, apologize for their experience. Even if you don’t think you’re responsible for the problem, apologizing shows that you empathize with the reviewer and that you’re willing to work with them to find a solution.
- Take responsibility and offer to resolve the issue by taking it offline. Make sure you have a clear process for how you and your team handle this. This is a great time to review – do you have a written and stated policy for returns or cancellations on your website or in your contract?
- Learn from the feedback. Even if the reviewer is being unfair, there may be some truth to their feedback. Take the time to consider their complaint and see if there’s anything you can do to improve your business. Ask yourself: What can I learn from this? Did I set the wrong expectation? How can you prevent this from happening again?
Here’s an easy example of a good response to a negative review:
Dear [Reviewer],
I’m so sorry to hear that you had a negative experience. I take your feedback very seriously, and I’m committed to making sure that all of our customers have a positive experience.
I’ve spoken to my staff about your complaint, and we’re taking steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
Please contact me directly at [email address] to continue the conversation.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
It’s important to remember that you can’t please everyone. There will always be some people who leave negative reviews, even if you provide excellent customer service. The best thing you can do is to focus on providing a positive experience for all of your customers and to respond to negative reviews in a professional and timely manner.
Take the time to look through the positive reviews and show some gratitude for those customers excited to share their love for you! Responding to positive reviews is a great practice as well.
