When your business receives a negative review, it can be off-putting, and you may be tempted to react in anger or despair. After all, those reviews can have a tangible impact on the success of your business – especially if they’re visible on sites like Facebook or Google Reviews. But that’s why you should take a measured and intentional approach to responding to negative reviews.
Statistically speaking, 53% of customers expect you to respond to their negative reviews within a week – a feat that most businesses don’t match. And the consequence? There’s a good chance you may lose them as a customer. Or worse, the customer might share their negative experience with others, influencing them to forfeit your brand.
But by following a few small steps, you can turn a negative review into an opportunity to show your customers that you care and take their feedback seriously. Let’s kick off by understanding why it helps to respond to negative customer reviews.
Benefits of responding to negative customer reviews
Why should small businesses respond to customer reviews, good or bad?
- Show customers that you care. Responding to reviews demonstrates your commitment to providing excellent customer service. It shows customers that you’re actively listening and that their opinions matter to you.
- Build trust and loyalty. Positively responding to a negative review can help boost your reputation, improve customer relationships, and build customer trust and loyalty.
- Increase conversions. Responding to good and bad reviews can also help convert potential customers into actual ones. When a potential customer sees how you react to customer feedback in public, it helps build trust and gives them a better idea of what they can expect from your business.
- Improve search engine rankings. When you respond to reviews, you create more content that search engines can index and rank. This helps more people find your business when they’re searching for it online.
How to respond to negative reviews
Now that you know why responding to negative reviews is critical, let’s discuss how.
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Acknowledge the reviewer’s experience
The first step is to express empathy and remain professional in your response. Avoid getting defensive or blaming the customer for their experience. Acknowledge their concerns and apologise for any inconvenience they may have experienced. It’s also vital to remain calm and polite in your response – no matter how hard it may be.
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Take ownership
Don’t get defensive even if you believe there was a misunderstanding or the customer is wrong. And if it was due to a mistake or oversight, you shouldn’t feel ashamed to admit it. Taking ownership of the problem shows you’re willing to take responsibility and make it right.
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Offer to help the customer
Whenever possible, offer a solution or resolution to the customer’s experience. For example, you should assure them you’re available to answer their questions and work with them to resolve any issues. And depending on the nature of the review/complaint, you can also offer a coupon, discount, repair, freebie, or any other form of compensation for their trouble.
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Show your expertise
While offering to help the customer, you should also grab the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise. Offer helpful advice and share some of your best practices to ensure customer satisfaction. This helps show potential customers you’re knowledgeable and confident in your field.
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Invite them back
Finally, invite the customer back to experience your product or service again. Offer a discount or incentive to encourage them to give it another try. You want to demonstrate that you’re willing to go the extra mile and make it worth their while.
Inspiring message for small business owners who got a negative review
Negative reviews can be tough to stomach, especially if they come from customers who have been loyal to your business. But instead of letting it get you down, use this opportunity to show your current and potential customers that you care about providing excellent customer service. With some empathy and problem-solving tactics, you can turn a negative review into an opportunity to build customer trust and loyalty.
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So why wait? Contact us today, and let us show you how we can take your business’s digital presence to the next level.
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