Negative reviews are real!
No matter how much you go above and beyond, some of your customers might encounter a bad experience and write about it online.
So, what's the best solution? Hide the negative reviews? Delete them?
Absolutely not!
One of the most practical ways to deal with these situations is to calm yourself and write a reasonable response.
Even though this can seem a little challenging initially, it will all be much more natural as time goes by.
And, if you don't believe us, just look at this statistic...
Over 45% of consumers say they're actually more likely to visit a company that responds to negative reviews.
That's why, in today's article, we will be teaching you how to respond to negative feedback like a 1-star review and win back all of those customers.
Strap in because we're sliding straight in!
Why Is It Important To Respond To Negative Reviews?
Nearly 9 out of 10 people read online product reviews before they make a purchase decision.
And, even though you can't really control what customers write about your business, you can control your response to their negative reviews and explain your side to potential shoppers.
So, let's see why it's essential to respond to negative reviews online!
Show Individuals You Have Excellent Customer Service
By responding to negative reviews, you're showing other shoppers that you're listening to your customers and caring about what they say.
And, in this day and age, consumers want to be heard and acknowledged.
This will help you earn more trust and encourage more reviews.
Gain More Insight About What Happened
By responding to the review and asking to get the conversation offline, you can learn more about what went wrong and how you can fix it so that it doesn't happen to other potential customers.
Now, that's a win-win scenario right there.
Build Longer Relationships
Responding to negative feedback allows you to showcase yourself in a much brighter light and help build a long and lasting relationship.
You can communicate with them every now and then to show how much you appreciate them as a customer.
Opportunity to Change Their Mind
Some customers might even change their opinion and switch that negative review to a positive one.
Get More Sale Conversions
When visitors see how well you treat your customers, they will be likelier to go with your brand and make a purchasing decision.
Beautiful, simple reviews for your site
Easily collect, show & grow customer reviews, photos & videos for your business.What To Do When You Get a Negative Review?
1. Stay Calm
Before you read the review or write your response, just take a quick moment to calm yourself down and settle things in your head.
You can even go outside to take some nice, fresh air; it will be incredibly helpful for the whole process.
We understand that staying calm in these situations can be hard, but it's the only way to succeed.
However, replying in anger will never lead to a positive outcome.
On the contrary, it will only make things worse for you and your company.
As Rishi Pushkarna would say, "A decision taken in anger is one of the worst decisions of life..."
2. Acknowledge The Review
Now once you've calmed down, you can go ahead and read the review. Try to put yourself in the shopper's perspective and understand why he's so upset.
This way, you can find the issue and solve it as fast as you can.
Was it because of the quality of the product or maybe because of the delivery service?
Remember - constructive feedback is always helpful and can help you advance further.
3. Don't Dismiss the Review
Even though there might be times when the review might seem questionable, you should never dismiss it.
As we mentioned before, this can be a bad decision for you and your brand.
How To Respond To Negative Reviews Online?
Once you've laid the groundwork, it's time to start crafting your response to your customer.
Again, the key here is customization.
You don't want to copy the same response repeatedly for every customer; this will probably do more harm than good.
Let's go through a few essential tips you should follow while writing your initial response - shall we?
1. Apologize
"The customer is always right."
Even if you feel like the buyer is wrong, you should always remember to take the high road and apologize to your customers. Again, this is something that can go a long way for you.
Not only will this appease the customer, but it will also show all the other buyers that you care about offering high-quality services.
Believe it or not, over 40% of individuals only want a truthful apology from the manufacturer - nothing else.
Try to make your apologies short and straight to the point.
Here are a few examples of how this should look like:
- "We are sorry to hear that your experience didn't match your overall expectations."
- "We truthfully apologize for our mistake. Let's make this right."
2. Be Responsible
Don't make any kind of excuses. Nobody really wants to read a super-long explanation for why something resulted in a bad experience. Long-winded explanations can seem defensive and unprofessional.
For instance, let's look at two different replies, and you decide which sounds better, okay?
Reply A: You're right. No one should wait an hour for a regular dish of pasta. We will take this review into consideration.
Reply B: We are busy during weekends, so that's why our service is a bit slower. We only have three chefs in the kitchen. And the entire preparation takes much more time than you think.
Clearly, the first reply sounds way better!
3. Create A Solution
Finding a solution is one of the most important things in dealing with these reviews.
Rather than losing your customer over a single negative experience, try to use this opportunity to turn them into your best supporters.
For example, let's say that you have a carpet cleaning store and accidentally ruin your customer's rug.
So, chances are the client will go online and share his negative experience immediately.
So, rather than just ignoring it, you can give them credit for a free carpet cleaning service or tell them that you would replace their rug with a new one (completely free of charge).
And don't worry about losing profit.
As your customer base grows, you will quickly recap these additional costs.
4. Talk With the Customer
Instead of going back and forth in public, it's always good for you and the shopper to continue the conversation on your own terms.
And this actually means going on a private platform.
You can do this in several smart ways:
- Through a quick call,
- Direct messages,
- Or even email.
But just remember - always make sure that you ask the customer to reach out to you because you don't want to put their number, email, or any other personal information on a public website.
Here are a couple of words you can say:
"We would like to investigate this case even further. Please can you personally reach out via email ("your email") or phone ("your phone")? We are more than happy to resolve the issue."
"You may reach out to us anytime at (your email). We're available 24/7 for our customers. Again, thank you for your feedback!"
5. Try to Flip the Negative Review
But that doesn't end there.
There's still one more thing you can actually do to UNO reverse the situation and turn the negative review into a positive one.
Just follow up with the individual and see whether the issue is resolved. If yes, then you can politely ask him to share some public feedback on this experience.
A testimonial from an individual who previously had a negative experience is to be one of the most powerful lead-generating tactics available.
Example: Negative Review Responses
Before we show you some real-life examples, let's see how you can easily implement everything we discussed in just one paragraph.
Negative Review Response Example 1:
"Hello (name of the customer). We're so sorry to hear that you aren't satisfied with our services/products. We would like to make things right. Please reach out to (contact info). We're available throughout the day. Looking forward to hearing from you."
Negative Review Response Example 2:
"Hi (name of the customer). Thank you so much for your feedback. Customer satisfaction is and always has been one of our top priorities. We're terribly sorry to hear about your experience and highly appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Please reach out to (contact info), and we will make sure to solve your problem."
Negative Review Response Example 3:
"(Customer's name), I'm so sorry to hear about (add details from review). Maximum satisfaction is our main goal at (your company name). Please reach out at (number) or (email) so that we can make it up to you; thanks, (Your name)."
Now, let's see some real-life examples that some of the top companies have used:
Conclusion
Knowing how to respond to negative feedback is extremely important.
As you can see, all of the examples have the same format:
- Acknowledging the problem
- Addressing your sincere apology
- Telling them that they can resolve the issue
- Giving them contact information
- Moving the conversation offline
If you follow these crucial steps, you can deal with all kinds of customers and build strong relationships in no time.
Want to read more about the exotic world of eCommerce?
Check out our other blog articles here.
