Bad customer reviews can really hurt your business. One of the most daunting things for new business owners is getting used to hearing the criticism from their customers. Entrepreneurs may initially receive feedback from investors, family and friends or other partners but ultimately their customers are one group that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Ignoring a bad review is to admit defeat and it allows consumers to be influenced by the write-up. So how do you turn things around? Below you will find four helpful tips on how to turn a negative review into a positive.
- Recognize the Feedback as a Learning Opportunity
It’s understandable that you want to respond to the person who left the review, but first you have to ask yourself what type of state you’re in? How are you feeling about the review? Angry? Frustrated? Perhaps disheartened as well. You have to find your appropriate state of mind in order to deal with this situation correctly.
The review probably made you feel angry, upset and devalued you and your business. It’s a cliche to say but before you respond to that person, take a deep breath and count to 10. You will be surprised how your state of mind will change and make you think clearly.
So, someone left a negative review on Yelp or Facebook. You now have an opportunity to do something positive that everyone can see, such as demonstrating your excellent customer service. This in turn creates a marketing opportunity, directed not so much at the reviewer but at other consumers who find the review. Use this opportunity to shine as the bigger person. People will read the bad review but if they see you’ve responded to it, they may withhold judgment until they read your side of things.
- Respect Their Point of View
Do not reply to negative feedback with the response coming from a defensive or angry place. You must find your appropriate state of mind and find your happy place before you respond to negativity. That can be hard to achieve because negative feedback can rile someone up, either through the wording or if the comments have little substance.
You also have to respect their opinion and point of view. We are all entitled to our opinions, some stronger than others, but it’s important for you to keep in mind that it’s just that; their opinion. You shouldn’t let one person dictate the kind of business you are and the service you provide.
An impulse is to respond by telling a customer just exactly what you think of him or her. While this may be tempting, it’s never a good idea. No matter how justified you may feel you are, you’ll come across as petty and small.
- Apologize and Own the Mistake.
You’re not going to convince someone that he/she actually had a good experience after they left a bad review, so don’t try. Instead spin that experience by apologizing for the bad experience they had. If the reviewer had a legitimate complaint, own the problem. Address this fact in your response and explain how you’re going to fix things moving forward. Then ask the individual to return as a customer and offer a discount or any other benefit that you are able to. People reading the review will love to see this. Why? They see that a business owner cares about good customer service and perhaps if they, too, have a bad experience that you’ll try to make it right. This gives customers the knowledge that doing business with your company will either be a good experience from the start or that you’ll work hard until it is.
Good response to a negative review.
- Move On.
Once you have cooled off, responded with a great apology and took the requisite marketing steps, move on. If the consumer replies negatively again, fight the impulse to engage with him or her. This will diminish the credibility of the initial bad review and readers will probably automatically discount the complaint and the reviewer. Meanwhile, you will still score points by having replied and tried to make things right.
The truth is that pretty much every company will receive a bad review at some point, no matter how excellent the products or customer service are. Sometimes people just aren’t going to be happy. And though it might violate terms of service agreements, underhanded competitors could leave a nasty review using a fake persona.
Businesses that are nimble and willing to do the right thing after receiving constructive criticism are the ones that stand out and live on. Whether you think the review is fair, fake or completely unreasonable, when you respond well – rather than keeping silent – you’ll have a fighting chance at landing the business of other customers.