Logan Godfrey — September 14, 2017 From an award-winning, internationally recognized tech company to a local mom and pop breakfast joint, no business is safe from negativity when it comes to online reviews. Regardless of how great your business model is and the hundreds to thousands of remarkable comments and reviews you have, there is always going to be a few undesirable reviews that your company is going to have to deal with.
Don’t run from them. Work, relationships or life in general, ignoring the problem never works. Here are some simple solutions to those negative online reviews pertaining to your business:
When addressing a negative comment or review, keep it professional. Depending on what the basis of the complaint is, you can respond publicly or privately (most useful when you disagree with the complaint) to show readers you are addressing the issue.
Try to be objective when reading your reviews. If they are vulgar or malicious in any way, especially if the comment really doesn’t pertain to a real issue, remove it immediately. Other customers or reviewers would think this online behavior is acceptable if they see it to be common throughout your reviews. Also, try to incorporate a feature where customers can flag down these reviews for you (many comment sections and message boards already offer this feature).
The most common action to take with negative online customer feedback is a simple apology and an admittance of wrongdoing. When replying to a customer’s negative review, admit a possible mistake was made and ask what you can do to better their experience with your company. Keep up with customer responses consistently. You want other customers or reviewers to see you’re actively engaged and care about them having a great experience with your business.
Finally, here are few actions you should NOT do when receiving negative online reviews:
- Do not have paid positive reviewers to counter negative ones. These comments or reviews sound fake and out-of-place and do not benefit your business in any way (besides your company’s ego).
- Don’t argue with a reviewer. A response made in anger can permanently ruin your business’s reputation.
- As it was stated earlier, never run from the problem. Doing nothing is never an option.
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