So far you have only had satisfied customers, but now you have suddenly received a negative review? Don't worry - it happens to every entrepreneur sooner or later.
In this article you will learn how to properly respond to negative reviews and how to generate new positive reviews. We also give you 5 examples of what a response to a negative review can look like.
Important: Respond to Negative Reviews
The first negative review triggers anger and annoyance in most founders - especially if it is unjustified. Many entrepreneurs fall into a kind of shock paralysis at this moment and consider whether they should not comment on the criticism at all. But some also do not have enough time and resources to deal with evaluation management. But not responding to a bad review is the worst possible option.
Potential customers and interested parties search online for your service or product. If they see in the Google reviews that you generally do not react to negative reviews, this has a deterrent effect. Prospective customers will conclude that you as a service provider either do not take the criticism of your customers seriously or that it is justified. In the worst case, this can lead to potential customers preferring to turn to your competitor.
Don't forget that online reviews are your virtual billboard. Search engines like Google have become one of the most important acquisition tools for most entrepreneurs. Accordingly, you should face the criticism and take a public stance on it!
How to Best Respond to Negative Reviews
There are a few basic rules to follow when responding to a negative review. Take these five guidelines to heart and turn the tide in your favour:
Do not take negative reviews personally
Even if you are very upset right now: The review is purely business. The reviewer is not attacking you as a person. Stay calm and remember that it is not possible to get a five-star rating from every customer.
Do not respond in an emotional state
If you want to respond to the review yourself, wait until you have calmed down. In this case, first take a deep breath and wait a few hours or until the next day before responding to the criticism.
Have a neutral person respond to the assessment
However, it would be even better if you had a person respond to the negative review who is not emotionally involved. Ideally, this could be an employee from the marketing department who already has experience in dealing with negative customer testimonials.
Apologise
Even if the negative review is not justified: Apologise publicly to your customer for their bad experience. This way your user knows that you take their complaint seriously.
Talk to your client in private
After responding publicly to the review, it is best to communicate with your client by private message or on the phone. This way, you avoid a public discussion that all your prospects and customers can follow publicly.
How to turn negative reviews into positive ones
Often customers simply want to be heard and taken seriously with their problem. The best way to meet this need in an appreciative way is to go into a personal conversation. Try to solve the problem. And be as accommodating as possible!
If you have managed to satisfy your critical customer after all, ask him to change the rating. In the best case, he will respond and correct his rating. In this way, you improve your online reputation and impress your prospects on top of that: you show that even the critical customers are ultimately satisfied with you. What better advertising could there be for you?
3 Examples of Good Responses to Negative Reviews
Example No. 1: Negative evaluation in gastronomy
Comment: "The waitress was very unfriendly and ignored my wishes. I ordered the dish without coriander but still found a lot of coriander in my food. Can't recommend."
Answer: "Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience. I am sorry that you were not satisfied with our on-site service. Your feedback is very important to us and we will make our staff aware of it. If your order is not perfect, you may always point this out to our service staff and ask for a new dish. We want you to be completely satisfied."
Example No. 2: The order arrived incomplete
Comment: "My order arrived incomplete and much too late. Not what I expected."
Answer: "Hello and thank you for your review. We are very sorry that your order did not go as you expected. Your experience and feedback are very important to us. As compensation, we would like to send you a voucher for your next purchase. Please contact our customer service team and send a message to beispiel@shop.de."
Example No. 3: Faulty product received
Comment: "Some time ago I bought a very expensive coffee machine from this manufacturer. After a few weeks it was already broken and no longer usable. The customer service was not really able to help me and was very difficult to reach."
Answer: "Thank you for taking the time to describe your experience. We are sorry that you were not satisfied. We are already working on improving our accessibility for you. You are welcome to return the product free of charge or drop it off at a branch."
Focus on New Positive Reviews
Of course, it will not always be possible to turn a negative review into a positive one. Therefore, you should not only focus on your negative customer testimonials, but in the long run better make sure to get many new positive ones. To do this, invite your satisfied users to write reviews! Because if there are a lot of positive reviews, the negative ones won't stand out as much. Ultimately, it is the average of your overall rating that counts.
Create review links: Google Reviews QR Code/Link Generator
Superchat helps you get many positive reviews
However, asking all your satisfied customers for reviews again and again can become very time-consuming and annoying. That's why it's best to use software that makes rating management easier for you. With Superchat, you simplify communication with your customers and encourage them to leave a review with just one click.
The advantages of Superchat:
- Bundle customer communications - whether they contact you by phone, SMS or email.
- Communicate with your users quickly and easily via Superchat and complete orders faster.
- Send your satisfied customers a review link - and receive many honest, authentic and positive reviews!
Would you like to use Superchat? Do you have any questions about our product? Contact us easily and without obligation here via WhatsApp, or write us an email at hello@superchat.de. We look forward to hearing from you!