How To Manage Negative Reviews

In today’s world, almost every consumer read online reviews before visiting a business. The main reason is that they trust third party opinions more than the company’s sales pitch. We, as a web design Singapore company, are in the same situation as well. Our prospects will check us on Google and Facebook to evaluate if we are the least risky option.

Past vs. Now

In the past, if customers have complaints, they can only go through the customer service hotline or email and that company most probably won’t take it seriously. Now, with the power of social media, everything is in reverse. Dissatisfied consumers have the power to make companies feel the pinch by posting their negative experience on their status update or tweet. If you are on social media, you should know the power of such posts. It gets viral and greatly impacts the company’s reputation.

After so many “horror” online stories that happened on big companies, most SMEs in Singapore are afraid that this might happen to them if they allow reviews on their social media channels. If you are like those SMEs that are afraid of your customers, you might want to take a closer look at how you’re doing business. Did you treat your customers well?

Second Chance

Think about it, would you prefer your unhappy customers post their negative reviews somewhere else where you have absolutely no way to reply to them? Or somewhere you can’t even find? If they post on your Facebook page, at least they give you a chance to make things right. Make use of this opportunity to turn a negative review into a positive one. If you plead your case quickly and sincerely, you will be able to gain back the customers’ trust.

Here are some tips that you can minimize the negative impact on your company.

1. Never Be Defensive

Sometimes, the reviewer might be a nasty person and is completely wrong, but do acknowledge that everyone has their own bad day, and this may have been theirs. So do not let your emotion get the best of you. Take a moment to cool yourself down and re-read the review again. Try to find ways that you can do to make up for that reviewer’s bad experience with your company. It will not end well if you engage in an argument with the reviewer.

2. Do Not Copy And Paste

Please do not use a one-size-fits-all reply for every review. It shows that your company is not keen on having a decent conversation with your reviewers. You have to put some thought into every reply for your reviews, especially the negative ones. You need to show the public that you value customer’s feedback.

3. Reviews Stay Forever

Remember that these reviews will be read by future customers and your response to every review might be part of their buying decision. In some cases, your response to the negative reviews is more important than the design of your website. So put in more thought in handling negative reviews.

4. What Happens Online Stays Online

Don’t always respond by asking them to take the matter offline. You need to give some form of closure online for future customers to see. However, if the matter involves privacy for the customer, then it is fine to handle it privately. Once it is resolved, you still need to post a closure to the negative review.

The Takeaway

By knowing how to deal with negative reviews is the key to customer relationships and continued success. Once you start to embrace reviews as a tool to encourage your customers to speak up, and for you to speak to them, a whole world of branding and marketing opportunities will unfold.