I once ordered content from AussieWritings. It was great, but I didn’t like some arguments and I left average feedback. I immediately got an email from a customer support representative.
Dear Sir,
Our team strives towards ultimate customer satisfaction. You probably missed the information that free revisions are available for all clients at our website. Please send us your requirements and we will deliver an improved version of the content ASAP.
Waiting for your response,
Head of customer support department at AussieWritings.
That was a surprise. I’ve never received such a kind response after a negative review. So I did ask for those revisions, and the content came back perfect. My impression of the service immediately changed for the better.
I have another experience to share. This one is not so pleasant. I left a 3-star review on the Facebook page of a local restaurant. The service deserved no better. Oh my God! The manager started writing nasty comments, blaming me for a fake review and claiming I’ve never been to that restaurant. How do you think that looks in the eyes of someone who’s checking out the restaurant and planning to make a reservation?
This brings me to an important point: the way a company handles negative reviews determines its chances for success. Negative feedback is something that naturally occurs. No matter how hard you try to meet all demands of all customers, someone will have higher demands.
At that point, it’s up to you: will you turn those negative reviews into the driving force of your business or will you leave them hang in there, showing other people that your company is not as great as you claim it to be?
Of course you want to turn the negative into a positive! Let’s see how you can do that.
How to Turning Negative Reviews into Something Positive
Negative feedback is a good test for your business. If you turn it into a driving force, you’ll get more creative, you’ll learn more, and you’ll be open to change that makes your company better. Plus, the audience will see that although your business has flaws, you’re doing your best to fix them. Such an approach promises a reliable service. They know that no company could get entirely positive reviews all the way. They expect to see some negative points, and they will judge how you approach such a situation.
There are two roads to take after receiving negative reviews:
- Run away from them. You’ll simply ignore them. You won’t feature such feedback at your website, and you won’t pay any attention to it on social media. That’s not the right thing to do! You cannot stop the voice of your consumers. If they don’t get what they paid for, they will take their dissatisfaction all over the net. If you’re part of the Instagram community, you probably remember the Alo Yoga controversy that occurred recently. The company ignored the voices. They deleted comments and blocked people on social media. Yeah; that didn’t work. The dissatisfaction only grew from there.
- Embrace the negative reviews. Your customers are telling you what’s wrong with your business, so those can be your starting points for improvement. Now that’s what you want to do when you get negative reviews.
1. Rule #1: Respond!
When you respond to negative reviews, you show your customers that you truly care about their satisfaction. When people check out your Facebook page, they will inevitably encounter some negative opinions. They come to the page with the intention to find them. What makes the difference between good and unreliable businesses? – The way they respond to these reviews.
Check out the Facebook page of Zappos.com as a good example.
Screenshot 1
Whenever the company gets negative feedback, the team does their best to fix the damage and provide a solution to the customer. Such a big difference from the restaurant I was telling you about!
2. Provide More Information
When your customers don’t understand how some things work, they don’t get to have the best experience. If, for example, they didn’t read the terms and conditions of your promotional campaign, they won’t be happy when they don’t get what they expected. Your policies say they cannot combine multiple discounts on a single purchase, but they didn’t read the small print and now they are furious.
They will leave a negative review, complaining about all complications with your policy.
You can turn this into your advantage. You get an opportunity to explain everything really well, so your customers will no longer be confused. Sometimes, it’s negative reviews that lead people towards informed decisions. When potential buyers see these reviews on your pages, they absolutely need to see your response offering valid information.
3. Improve!
Every single business on this planet should aim towards continuous improvement. The competition is brutal; they won’t forgive your mistakes and they will attract your customers when you do something wrong. That’s why you must take negative reviews as indicators of the aspects you have to improve.
Even when you get trolling reviews posted by people who don’t even fall within your target audience, you can learn something from them. They indicate that something is wrong with your targeting strategy, so you must fix that part of your marketing campaign.
Negative Reviews Are Not So Negative
People won’t stop buying your products or services if they see few negative reviews on your pages. If there are tons of positive reviews, they will provide balance.
However, people will stop buying from you if you don’t show some grace regarding the negative reviews. With the right approach, you can actually turn them into an advantage!
Author: Olivia is a journalist who always tries to see the bright side of things. She likes to inspire people in her writings and to enjoy a mysterious beauty of twilight. Connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
