How to Deal with Online Negative Reviews
Social media have provided businesses, both ecommerce and brick-and-mortar ones, with a fantastic way to engage with customers. However, they are all two-way communication channels and negative reviews form dissatisfied customers will also be accessible by everybody, which can do you harm.
Stay positive
Even if you feel that a review is overly critical or unjustified, never forget that your response to it online will be read by other potential customers. They may or may not feel that the review is unfair, but what will really remain in their mind is how you, as a business, dealt with it as it is an indication of how you would deal with them if there was an issue.
So always stay professional, courteous and most of all, positive. If you need to, breathe and count to ten before hitting ‘Reply’!
Not all reviews need addressing
It is inevitable that some customers will feel less enthusiastic about products once in a while, and they don’t all need a reply. The reviews you should concentrate on are those which comment on the unsatisfactory quality of goods or of your processes.
Make sure that you have a policy to engage with those customers and address their grievance so that you can turn disappointment into problem-solving success stories.
Never delete negative reviews
Replying to negative reviews takes time and it would be so tempting to press ‘Delete’. You should refrain to do so at all cost though, as other customers may be following the conversation and making it disappear will only look suspicious and damage trust in your business.
Instead, put yourself in the customer’s shoes and engage a discussion to show that your business is dedicated to creating a client-centric experience.
Place customer satisfaction at the heart of your business
Customer satisfaction is a must-have, not an afterthought and it should be embedded into all policies or processes of your company. Besides, a happy customer will promote your brand for free so it makes as much sense financially as it does business-wise.
It is never pleasant to see negative reviews, but they will be much easier to deal with if you think of them as invaluable feedback on how to improve your business.
