Oh no, you’ve just received the dreaded 1-star review, and you’re starting to panic. Do you delete it? Apologize? But what if you did nothing wrong? Did you know 93% of local customers use reviews to determine if a local business is good or bad? No pressure. You don’t want people to view your business any less. There will be times when mistakes are made, and there will also be times when a negative review comes out of left field, hitting you right in the face.
Why You Should Respond to Negative Reviews
Some of you may even be thinking, “So what, it’s only ONE negative review—it won’t hurt me.” False. Did you know that 73% of customers value a written review over the overall star rating? Viewers can read that one measly negative review and turn away from your business. The fact of the matter is, you can’t control what people will write about your business, but you can control how you respond. Let’s take a look at how to respond to negative reviews.
1: Acknowledge and Apologize
The first step in responding to negative reviews is the most important one: acknowledge and apologize. Regardless of how accurate the review might be, your customer wants to know they are being heard, and their feedback is valued.
“Thank you, Bob, for your feedback on your visit to one of our stores. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your experience.”
2: Add explanation or reassurance, if necessary
It’s important to never make the customer feel like they are wrong when responding to a negative review, but you can explain the situation if it’s necessary. Sometimes things will come up, systems will crash, or any other number of unavoidable drawbacks. In your response, you can add an explanation of what may have occurred to result in their review. Don’t be afraid to reassure the customer that your business is held to high standards and give excellent service.
3: Keep it simple
When you are responding to negative reviews, there’s no need to revisit the situation in detail or call out the customer for things they may have done. Conversations over text can easily become misunderstood, and we want to avoid adding flames to the fire in these situations. Always remember, keep it simple and sweet.
“Thank you, Bob, for your feedback on your visit to one of our stores. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your experience. Unfortunately, our system faced an unexpected crash in the height of our business hours. We are known for our outstanding customer service and friendly staff. I can assure you, our staff did our best in assisting all of our customers.”
4: Offer compensation
No one likes having a bad experience, and if you can help improve a person’s mood, their view of you will drastically increase. When you offer a customer some form of compensation in your response to their negative review, they are more likely to continue doing business with you and even recommend your company. You’re not only taking the extra step to heighten your apology, but you’re also communicating to them they are worth going that extra mile for. Let’s take a look at our completed response to a negative review:
“Thank you, Bob, for your feedback on your visit to one of our stores. We are sorry to hear that you did not enjoy your experience. We are known for our outstanding customer service and friendly staff. Unfortunately, our system faced an unexpected crash in the height of our business. I can assure you that our staff did our best to assist all of our customers. Although this is no excuse, we would love to discuss this further and offer you a complimentary coupon for your next visit. Please give us a call at 000-000-0000, and we will be happy to get you set up.”
Responding to Negative Reviews for Your Business
There are millions of people on the internet daily, each interacting and having their own conversations. For business owners, it can be difficult keeping track and keeping up with what people are saying about you online. At CloudMellow, we monitor the conversations surrounding your brand for you, and keep you as the ‘go-to’ presence in your market. Let us respond to negative reviews for you and keep you at the top of mind for consumers with our social media management services. Contact us today to get started.
