If you are a business owner, you will eventually realize that there are different kinds of customers. Some are easy to please while some needs to be pampered a lot to be satisfied. But the situation nowadays becomes more challenging to business owners because of the emergence of online review sites where customers can post negative online reviews of businesses that they feel are not at par with their standards. These harmful reviews are part and parcel of conducting business. How would you react if your business has received such reviews? Here are some of the do’s and don’ts that can turn negative online reviews to your advantage.
The Don’ts:
- Don’t feel sorry about yourself
You need to accept the fact that negative reviews are a part of doing business. There is no way you can please all kind of customers all of the time. Eventually, there will come a time when you or your staff is not in tip-top shape or your product or service will fail inducing customers to post bad reviews online. This thing comes to all kinds of businesses. Knowing that this will happen will enable you to look at it objectively and prepare for its eventuality. That means you won’t spend your time feeling sorry when negative online reviews come.
- Don’t try to dodge the negative review
When your business receives negative reviews, don’t ignore them. If you do, your customers will feel that you don’t care about their feelings. Word will spread around that your business is not concerned about making its customers happy. And bad impression is the thing that you don’t want your business to have. Negative feedback tells you the things that you need to do to improve your business.
- Don’t argue with the reviewer
If your business receives negative online reviews, you will naturally feel slighted. This is the time that you need to collect your feelings and emotions. Don’t respond angrily to the person who has criticized your business or your product. Responding in an angry manner will only hurt your business further.
- Don’t try to circumvent the review
Don’t try to go around the criticisms against your company by paying people to post positive online reviews about your business or your product. Sooner or later, the review sites will learn about your scheming and the downslide of your business might even go faster. Online review sites use specific algorithms to pry out businesses that are trying to game their system and warn their users when they receive paid reviews.
The Do’s:
- Take the negative online reviews objectively
Look at the negative comments objectively and determine if they are based on facts or just flimsy complaints made by your customers. Don’t react positively or negatively to the comments right away. But have a clear head about the issue so that you will know how to best respond to the complaint. If the complaint is unfounded, you can ask the review site to flag it down.
- Address the specific issue or issues described by reviewer
Whatever the issues brought up by a customer, you need to address each one specifically. Thank the reviewer that you have raised the issues and that you are now working on resolving them to improve his or her customer experience. Once you have resolved the issues, request the reviewer to give your business or your product another try.
- Respond in a tactful manner
You need to be tactful and professional in responding to negative online reviews. Avoid issuing a sarcastic response to the reviewer. You can respond publicly to the review if the issue affects most of your customers. However, you need to respond privately if the reviewer raised an issue that is peculiar to him or her.
- Say sorry and ask for suggestions
Apologize for the inconvenience that the reviewer has experienced regarding your business or your product. Admit that something wrong has taken place. And then ask the reviewer what he or she thinks is the best way to solve the problem. This will show all of your customers that you are open to suggestions.
- Resolve the issue
Resolving the issue to the satisfaction of your reviewer is the best thing you can do to mitigate the effects of negative online reviews. If you respond in a timely manner and then follow it up with concrete actions, you will earn the admiration of your customers and your problem with negative comments will eventually disappear.
