Review sites might be a consumer’s best friend, but they’re a perpetual source of anxiety for business owners. With nearly 90 percent of customers relying on reviews to influence their purchasing decisions, maintaining positive ratings is obviously important to a business’s livelihood.
Unfortunately, most companies will be forced to face the dreaded one-star review at some point during their careers.
Let’s face it. Negative reviews suck. Bad press can hurt your company’s bottom line and has the potential to turn away customers before they ever give you a chance. Luckily, there are things you can do to mitigate the damage.
Stay Calm and Don’t Get Defensive
First thing’s first: don’t take it personally.
A bad review isn’t the end of the world. It doesn’t mean that your business is bad or your product is awful. It just means that your services simply weren’t a match for the customer evaluating them. You won’t always be able to please everyone—that’s just the nature of business.
Most sites will give you the option to interact with feedback, but it’s a good idea to avoid doing so while emotions are high. Instead, take some time to reflect on the scenario and try to understand the customer’s perspective. Instinct will make you want to do whatever you can to get rid of the review, but in most cases, the review is there to stay. The caveat here is if you believe a review to be threatening, fake or defamatory, many sites will work with you to remove it.
Respond Promptly and Professionally
Once you’re ready, publically respond to the review with positivity and sincerity. Offer to resolve the issue in person and give the reviewer a few ways they can reach out to you. If they’re interested in pursuing the topic, they will respond kindly. Otherwise, don’t push it.
The more strongly worded the feedback, the more important it is that your tone remains as neutral as possible to avoid igniting attitudes. When in doubt, be polite but measured. Overly empathetic responses can sometimes be misconstrued as condescension or sarcasm.
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The best way to handle negative reviews is by offering a sincere apology and acknowledging the customer’s feelings.
Familiarize Yourself with the Site’s Culture
Yelp, Facebook, Google+—they all have different rules and algorithms that affect rankings and how reviews are displayed. Some sites might even give you the option to request that a review be amended after reaching out to resolve the issue. Knowing each site’s policies and procedures will help you understand what steps you can take and which, if any, are considered in poor taste.
Keep in mind that flat out asking a customer to change his or her rating is generally frowned upon.
Focus on the Problem
According to Lee Resource Int’l, for every customer who complains, about 26 remain silent. That means even if you manage to squeak by without accumulating a negative review, you still probably have customers unhappy with your product or service that aren’t speaking up. A nonvocal customer base doesn’t mean they’re not complaining to other people—just not to you. So you have no way of knowing what the problems are and how to fix them.
At the end of the day, the best thing you can do is accept the disappointment that comes with seeing the abysmally low star rating and move on. Focus on improving your business operations, and positive reviews will follow suit. Eventually, the good will outweigh (and even bury) the bad, and the experience will be long behind you.
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