Respond to Negative Reviews the Right Way with These Tips

Before online reviews, it used to be someone’s job to visit an establishment and critique the service and products. With the internet, anyone can now leave either positive or negative reviews about their experience with a business. This has caused several problems for small businesses and even national corporations.

When people leave a negative review, whether it is true or not, it’s important to respond in a professional manner. Before you type out a response you may regret, take a moment to read these tips on how to properly respond to a negative review.

Politely Correct Any Misinformation a Review May Have

Negative reviews may intimidate some business owners, but it shouldn’t shake your confidence in your establishment. If you treat every negative review like a customer service call, you can approach the situation with more ease.

For example, if a person left a negative review for a local bakery saying that the cakes were stale and overpriced, ignoring the review might make people assume the comment is true. Defend your business while keeping a positive attitude and turn what the customer pointed out as negative into a positive point.

“Hi Patty, we’re sorry that you did not have a positive experience with us. We bake our goods fresh every day and because we do not add preservatives, our bakery only sells what is made that day. That is why our prices may seem more expensive than our competitors. We hope this clears up any misunderstanding.”

In a clear, calm manner, you can defend your business while also acknowledging the criticism and even making it into something good. You never want to degrade the reviewer or your own business. Keep the response light and positive.

Offer to Resolve the Problem Personally 

Let’s say that a person on Yelp accused the staff at your restaurant of being extremely rude and lazy. This is the first time you’ve ever heard someone complain about your employees. Rather than ignoring the negative review or accusing the reviewer of being a liar, reply in a calm, approachable manner like:

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We take these accusations very seriously and do not tolerate that sort of behavior from our employees. At your earliest convenience, please contact us about your experience at xxx-xxx-xxxx so that we can take the appropriate actions.”

See how the response addressed the issue and offered to take further steps to solve the problem away from the public eye in a more private setting? Rather than asking for details publicly, offering a personal consultation with the negative reviewer shows that you do care about your customers and are willing to listen. Plus, if the accusations are true, you will be able to prevent similar negative reviews from reappearing by correcting the problem that was brought to your attention.

Be a Real Person When You Are Responding

If you have ever received a phone call for a survey, you’ll probably agree that talking to a real person versus an automated voice message feels much more personal. Responding to negative reviews can help defend your reputation, but if your business’s responses are all the same, your message may come off as impersonal and forced.

“Hi Chad! We’re so sorry to hear this! We will resolve the problem as soon as possible.”

“Hi Judy! We’re so sorry to hear this! We will resolve the problem as soon as possible.”

“Hi Paul! We’re so sorry to hear this! We will resolve the problem as soon as possible.”

Although typing out an original response does take a little more time, it does make a difference when there is thought behind the message. When your responses don’t sound automated, reviewers will see that your business is actually reading what they had to say, which is important for customer service.

Take the Time to Respond on All Your Listings

When your base is being attacked, you do not want to leave any side unprotected. Be sure to promptly respond to negative reviews on all review platforms so that all potential customers will see that your business is proactive in ensuring their customers have the best experience possible.

If you are worried about spending too much time responding personally to negative reviews, Kydos! can help by letting you view all your reviews from over 40 review sites on a single dashboard. Instead of hunting down every negative review on all your listings, you can have them all right there for your convenience.

To properly manage and respond to all your online reviews, follow these tips and call Kydos! today for a free demo of how we can make review management much easier for you