to handle negative reviews that harm your company’s image //

Negative reviews are scary for business owners, but they can also provide an opportunity to improve and grow.

The way you respond to negative reviews can affect how customers perceive your business.

This article discusses how to respond to negative reviews. It also explains why these reviews occurred and offers tips on how to address the concerns of dissatisfied clients.

Negative reviews can help your business

Customers today rely heavily on online reviews to make their buying decisions. Negative reviews may discourage potential customers or erode their trust in your service or product.

Many reasons exist for people to post a bad online review.

Negative reviews are often an emotional reaction from a client due to a bad experience with the products or services of a company.

It is important to understand the reasons for negative reviews as well as how you will respond.

I have studied the reviews of thousands of companies over the past decade. If your business receives negative reviews, you may be able to identify common complaints or issues.

Negative reviews can be useful for companies in identifying issues with products, customer service and billing.

Each review provides valuable insights to improve products, services and customer experience.

Businesses can identify problem areas through negative reviews, and make meaningful changes in order to better serve customers.

Three-phased approach for proactive online reputation management

How to respond to negative reviews

They appreciate when they are heard. Customers want to feel that you care about their feedback.

How you respond to negative reviews can have a significant impact on how potential customers view your business.

Here are some of my best tips on how to respond to negative reviews.

Be professional

When you read a bad review about your business, it can be easy to lose control.

It’s important, however, to respond to any negative comments with a professional, calm and respectful demeanor.

Avoid using any language which could be perceived as confrontational or defensive.

Personalize

You should tailor your response to each negative review.

When a company uses the same reply for all negative reviews, it can appear unauthentic.

Respond quickly

Ideal response time is 24 hours.

You will be able to show your customers that you are committed to solving any problems and minimizing the damage caused by a negative review.

A quick response will increase the chance of reaching a satisfactory resolution with an angry customer.

Empathy

Take responsibility for the mistakes and issues that were mentioned.

It helps validate their experience, rather than dismissing them. Remember that your potential customers could see thousands of your responses to reviews.

Even if the reviewer’s opinion is completely wrong, show empathy.

Offer solutions

Solve the problem directly by responding to the reviewer.

Provide the reviewer an email address or phone number to reach you and resolve the problem.

Positive Highlights

Do not miss the chance to showcase any positive aspects about your business.

Your responses can be used to highlight the quality and value of your company.

Follow-up

Follow up on the reviewer by phone or email, if possible, to make sure their concerns are addressed.

It is important to ask the reviewer if they are willing to update the review. This often results in an increase of stars.

Dig deep: Quick guide to managing online reputation

Templates for negative review responses

Consistency is one of the most crucial aspects of branding a business.

You should create review response templates if you receive negative reviews about your business. These templates can be used by your customer service staff or anyone else who will respond to the reviews.

Review response templates will ensure that the person responsible for responding to a negative review follows the script and treats each customer equally.

You should not copy and paste templated responses.

To create review templates, you should first perform a negative audit on all of your negative reviews.

After you have completed this, categorize each negative review. Look for any common themes or complaints.

You should create a template for each category.

Every time you respond, make sure to include personalization and relevant details to the reviewer’s concerns.

This template for negative reviews is based on the best practices discussed in this article.

Dear [Reviewer’s Name],

We appreciate you taking the time and sharing your thoughts about your recent experience working with us. We value the opinions of our customers and appreciate your opportunity to respond. We apologize for the inconvenience that you experienced, and we assure you that your feedback is taken seriously.

Over the past [Years in Business] at [Company name], we have worked hard to provide exceptional customer service and an enjoyable experience for each of our customers. We’re disappointed to hear that we didn’t meet your expectations. We have taken immediate action to rectify the issue and enhanced our protocols in order to prevent similar problems from occurring again.

Please contact our customer service department at [contact information] to discuss your concerns in more detail. Please contact our customer service department by [contact information] to discuss your concerns and come up with a solution.

Thank you again for bringing this to our attention. We hope that we can regain your confidence and give you a great experience in the near future.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

[Your Title/Position]

[Company Name]

What about fake negative comments?

Fake negative reviews can be frustrating. Fake negative reviews can take many forms.

• It could be that the fake review is a mistaken identity.
• Fake reviews could come from an adversary or competitor.
• A fake review may be the result of review bombing, which is done by disgruntled customers and others.
• Fake reviews are often part of extortion schemes.

Check your customer database if you suspect that a fake review was published about your company. The reviewer may be a former or current customer.

It’s possible that your business has been the victim of a fake online review.

First, you should try to remove the negative review. You can flag reviews that violate their rules on most review sites.

You can find information about how to flag a review in the help document.

You can reply to a fake review if the review site does not take action to remove it.

[Name Reviewer],

Thank you for taking the time to provide us with your feedback. We couldn’t locate any records of your interaction or visit to our company. This review could be fake or posted by mistake.

Please contact our Customer Service Department directly by [contact information] if you feel there was a miscommunication or have a particular issue that you’d like to discuss. Please contact us with any questions or concerns you may have.

Negative reviews on the Internet: How to handle them

Negative reviews of businesses are a part and parcel of doing business in today’s world.

It doesn’t matter what industry you are in, knowing how to constructively respond to negative comments will determine your online reputation and your ability to attract new clients.

If you follow the steps above, your business will be in a better position to turn a bad review into an opportunity.

The post How do you respond to negative reviews that harm your company’s image first appeared on Search Engine Land.