How Small Businesses Can Handle Negative Reviews
In today’s world, having an online presence is paramount for small businesses. Reviews bring forth trust and legitimacy to your brand. While there is a universal understanding that having positive reviews is essential, many fail to realize that responding to negative reviews is arguably just as important.
Negative reviews stop 40% of buyers from wanting to use a business. Picture this, ten people walk up to your storefront and four immediately walk away due to what they have heard from previous customers. Most business owners would want to resolve the negative feedback and there are correct ways to change a negative review into a positive resolution for both parties.
So how should businesses reply to negative reviews?
According to Vendasta, there are four steps to responding to a negative review. Here is my take:
Step 1: Acknowledge and sympathize
There are two main reasons for leaving a poor review: the first is to be heard by the business. Let customers know you see them, you hear them, and you want to offer a solution to make their experience better.
Step 2: Keep it short and factual
The second reason for leaving a poor review is to let others know about your experience. You already acknowledged them, now don’t bring emotions into this. Their review is THEIR experience, it may not be the whole story, but it is theirs. Don’t add fuel to the fire: stay calm, keep it short, and bring forth a solution such as an offline action plan.
Step 3: Bring it offline
Avoid a lengthy conversation in the review section as it may escalate and advertise the mistake to others. Quickly offer the customer the option to call you to resolve the issue, as you don’t want this to turn into a keyboard fight. Tones can be misinterpreted in text, so a phone call can help with showing how much you care about the customer.
Example: Hi Emily! I’m sorry you had this experience with us. We want to make it right, can you please call me at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.
Step 4: Request a review change
If the conversation went well and a solution was made, ask the customer to edit or reverse their poor review. One study has shown that 30% of customers admit to reversing their negative feedback once a business has responded.
Remember that your response to the review is displayed to the public, therefore your potential customers are coming to terms with whether or not they should shop at your business. If you respond correctly, you may win new customers plus have a poor review changed into a positive one.
If you are still wondering if a higher rating matters, Harvard Business School states that for every 1-star increase in a Yelp rating leads to a 5-9% increase in revenue. At the end of the day, you want your customers happy so more customers choose you over the competition. Staying calm, sympathetic, and bringing forth a solution may help improve your rating, show customers that you care, and bring forth more business.
