How To Respond To A Negative Review

You’ve gotten a negative review! How is that possible? Should you respond? Your initial reaction might be to ignore the customer or to take the criticism personally. However, it’s important to remember that customer reviews are opinions about interactions with your company, business, products or services. Business review websites and apps such as Yelp, Angie’s List, Glassdoor and Google Reviews have all impacted how consumers choose contractors, with nearly 90% of consumers stating that they won’t even consider a business with less than 3 stars.

What should you do if you get a negative review? Responding to the review shows consumers that you care about them and gives you the opportunity to resolve a bad experience. Here are a few tips for responding to a negative review:

• Respond Quickly: Over 50% of consumers expect a response to their review within a week. Responding quickly shows that you are interested in resolving the situation and satisfying the customer.
• Acknowledge and Empathize: Acknowledge the customer’s issue, even if you don’t agree with it. Put yourself in their position.
• Apologize: A sincere apology shows that you care about providing exceptional service. You want consumers to know that client satisfaction is important to you.
• Resolve the issue offline: Offer the consumer a way to contact you offline, through a phone call or email. This allows for more open discussion related to the issue.

All feedback, both good and bad, is valid. Responding to a negative review with a positive and sincere response can create a better impression for your business than a 5-star review because it shows consumers that you care.