MANAGEMENT > REVIEWS > NEGATIVE
What do I do if I get a negative review?
Don’t panic. You can’t please everybody all of the time and negative reviews only reflect the great diversity of opinions and tastes that are part of society. Critical reviews show reliability and credibility in the reviewing system and offer a good opportunity for you to win respect, show you care about your customers and, ultimately, improve your business.
Why bad reviews can be a good thing
Receiving a negative review is not the be all and end all of your business. If addressed correctly, it can be a good opportunity to win over customers with a good response and show off your personable, empathetic and positive customer service skills.
Good customer service demonstrates that you care. Your polite, positive and respectful response to a negative review can put you back on the front foot. By replying to reviews, you can benefit your business.
Negativity shows authenticity
As you gather more reviews online over time, mixed reviews signal authenticity to your audience. There are billions of people in the world and we all have different tastes and standards. Most people know that you cannot please everybody all of the time and regard businesses that have nothing but five-star reviews with a healthy level of scepticism. According to recent research by GetApp, online purchases are most influenced by an average star rating between 4.2 and 4.5 and the level of influence begins to fall again as an average rating of 5 is reached. A critical review demonstrates that you are open to feedback from all your customers and welcome all legitimate feedback.
How to respond and turn things around
Respond publcily: Following up on complaints shows good customer service and displays to other potential customers that you deal with issues seriously.
Keep a cool head: Be professional and reply appropriately. Never argue with your customers. Take note of what is being said and reply in a professional way. Remember that everything you write is public and will be read by other potential customers.
Show respect and empathy: Thank the customer for their review and empathise if they have had a negative experience. Regardless of whether the review is positive or negative, if you always finish on a positive note, you show your audience that you appreciate their time and that you are approachable.
Keep it brief: Don't go into details when responding to a negative review. Simply express your apologies and, if you feel a more in-depth discussion is needed, contact the customer offline. Remember, a customer can return and leave a more positive review in place of their existing feedback, so winning your customer around by also contacting them directly can lead to a more positive outcome.
Use reviews as learning opportunities: Take time to learn from your reviews. Your customers are giving you some valuable feedback on areas you can improve, so stay level headed and think about what you might be able to do better in future.
What if the review is not true?
Even if you believe a reviewer’s version of events is incorrect, it often pays to briefly and politely respond with your side of the story and an apology that the review had a negative experience. Avoid point-by-point corrections, which can appear confrontational, but briefly outline events as you understood them. You may not be able to win over every unhappy reviewer, but people reading reviews are often savvy enough to see through unreasonable complaints.
If you disagree with a customer’s review about what happened during their stay, most review websites still take a neutral stance.
For example, a reviews website won't decide who is correct if a reviewer writes that the WiFi at a property was not working, but the business disagrees and claims that it was.
If a business disagrees with one of its customers over the course of events, instead of looking to have that review removed, we recommend that you reply to the review and tell, briefly, your side of the story in a friendly tone (avoiding point-by-point corrections). Readers will then be able to see both sides of the story, and gain a more objective overview of the facts. This allows them to make up their own minds about how much weight they should give to the review in question.
If you strongly believe that a negative review contravenes a website's guidelines, contact that website directly and let them know.
If businesses engage with customers in a constructive way and show they genuinely care about their customers, this often leaves readers with a good impression.