Regardless of the quality of your service or the abundance of people who love your brand, a negative review is an unfortunate but realistic part of doing business. And although you may have a heap of positive reviews, never underestimate the impact a negative review can have on your business. It alters perception and your potential customer’s view of your services and products.
Source: reputationx.com
Luckily, you can take some steps to address the issues your customers may have experienced. Consistently aiming to deliver top notch customer service is what lays the foundation for a brand’s success and lucky for you, theBLOQparq (tBp) is all about being a people pleaser. Part of our commitment to the entrepreneurial community involves being a dependable resource. Providing relevant information and insight on business ownership topics such as how to respond to negative reviews. Here are some practical ways to counteract the occasional sub five-star review.
1. Invite further discussion
It’s vital to offer the reviewer an opportunity to resolve their issues, but offline. Speaking either in person or on the phone allows for more transparent communication and a more personal approach to finding a middle ground. When you respond to the negative review, be sure to provide your name, title, and contact information. Avoid asking the reviewer to remove the review as it can worsen the situation.
2. Offer a sincere apology
When you acknowledge the issue, it’s important to include an apology. As annoying as it may be to hear, as a business owner we must be able to adopt the old adage of the customer is always right. Take the high road and admit to how things could have been handled better – even if you feel that the customer is wrong. Not only will your apology appease the customer, but it is also a testament to your high level of personal service. It is important that your apology is sincere and demonstrates your vested interest in keeping your customers happy.
3. Provide an explanation
Sometimes an apology serves the purpose intended, but there may be a situation where you need to provide additional information to clear a miscommunication. When crafting your explanation, be sure not to make excuses or sound defensive. It’s important that you take responsibility for the issue at hand. Depending on the situation, you may want to invite the customer’s input as a way of re-engaging their commitment to your brand.
4. Use discounts as a peace offering
For a consumer, having a negative experience ignored and unacknowledged by the company at fault is a bit like pouring salt into an open wound. The last thing you want is for people to incorrectly perceive that your company doesn’t care about the negative feedback. Here’s where it is key to go above and beyond by incentivizing the consumer to give your business another chance and rebuild trust. You could offer a 20% discount on their next service or product purchase as a way of turning a one-time, troubled customer into a happy and loyal brand ambassador.
According to a study by Social Media Link, 83 percent of consumers discover businesses every month through peer-to-peer reviews.
Even though it can be challenging to find the right words to address a negative review, how you handle it is a crucial part of maintaining the integrity of your business. Your even keel interactions both offline and online with consumers are necessary for achieving long-term success. When faced with negativity, it is wise to combat it with extra positivity and at tBp, we are all about optimism. We envision a future for entrepreneurs that is filled with goals met and expectations exceeded. When you are ready to set up shop, our customizable micro-office and micro-retail are designed to get raving reviews and will be ready and waiting for you!