Online Reputation Management: What To Do When You Receive Bad Reviews?
Thanks to sales platforms and review sites, customers have a platform to evaluate the services and products of any company and thus express their own opinion. According to various studies, around 97% of Internet users read online reviews and 85% of users even trust an online review as much as a personal recommendation from friends/family. Therefore, a good and meaningful online presence is crucial for any business to succeed in business today.
Therefore, if you have an online presence, you should most definitely practice online reputation management.
What to do when your company receives a bad review?
Numerous surveys have shown that a high percentage of customers consider online reviews to be credible. Many major review platforms report that very bad reviews — 1 or 2 stars — make up only a small proportion of reviews. But that’s precisely why negative reviews, when they pile up for a business, can have a big impact on sales.
1. Stay calm
Some business owners are upset or angry when they receive a negative review, especially if you feel it is unwarranted. It’s still important that you don’t respond impulsively and possibly upset potential customers.
2. Decide if it’s worth responding to
Some negative reviews are not worth responding to. If they are posted by someone whose language or opinion is irrational, or if the writer is a user who just likes to complain, you should not comment on these comments. Also, if the review has been posted on a personal blog, it is recommended not to reply directly to the blog.
However, if the review speaks of real concerns, problems, or experiences, it makes sense to respond to here. The tone should be factual, solution-oriented, yet empathetic. In addition, each review should be addressed individually. If a user has a problem with a product or service, it is often helpful to contact the user privately to resolve the issue. If the problem is resolved through this private communication, it is often the case that the user will amend their negative review.
3. Ask to remove false or inappropriate reviews
If you believe a review is false or malicious or violates the site’s rules (e.g., obscenities, personal attacks, or private information), contact the site and ask for the review to be removed. Note, however, that the website operator may not agree with your assessment of the comment or may be slow to remove a review.
However, solving the underlying issue rather than focusing on getting the review removed or amended, would be the best outcome. The customers, who do leave bad reviews, will end up going back and taking them down, or editing them to include how happy they were with the company’s response. Moreover, bad reviews are a great opportunity to take that in and work on improving your products/ services, which will improve customer satisfaction as well.
4. Encourage customers to leave reviews
Outside of the food and hospitality industry, it can be difficult for businesses to get positive reviews from users or buyers.
Many consumers don’t take the time to review their car dealer, supermarket, or dentist, even though it would be important for these types of businesses as well. Especially for companies that users do not interact with on a daily basis, reviews are often left only after very bad experiences.
It is therefore advisable to also actively ask customers for a rating, for example in an e-mail newsletter or in a confirmation e-mail after a completed purchase.
