How Should A Retailer Respond To Negative Online Reviews?

More than 97% of consumers regularly check online reviews. When they want to buy a product, they first make their choice based on information found online. Then they look for the best seller, using predictable criteria. An attractive price is only one of them. The second criterion concerns safety.

When a store has a lot of negative comments, as many as 66% of potential buyers are willing to abandon the transaction. Hairdresser cuts hair shorter than agreed with client? I’ll look for someone who can listen. A restaurant serves stale food? I’ll visit a competitor. It doesn’t really matter if the unfavorable reviews are many. What matters is their content… And the company’s response.

How to fight negative online reviews?

First of all, change your attitude. Don’t fight it. Take them for granted. Remember that only those who do nothing are not wrong. The more actions you take, the greater the chance that you will end up falling short of someone else’s expectations. Importantly, as your business grows, you will pose an increasing threat to competing companies. Some of the negative content may come from them.

Respond to criticism as soon as possible

This is how you show that you take your clients seriously. A true professional is not afraid of confrontation. On top of that, he keeps a close eye on his business cards, even if they are on multiple portals. The right tools can help you respond quickly. Using them, you will receive notifications when reviews appear in real time.

Your company is professional. Show it

The key to a good reputation is respect. More specifically, respect shown to all interested parties. Therefore, restrain from spontaneous reaction. Take a breath and respond according to the pattern indicated below. Remember that you are publishing your response publicly. What does this mean? Not only the dissatisfied customer will read it. Its content will influence every person who sees it.

Admit the author of a negative comment is right

Why? Because the client is always right. Negative reviews on the Internet about your goods or services do not come out of nowhere. There is always a specific reason behind them. Try to understand the client’s unmet need. Then publicly acknowledge its validity. Already this small move usually calms down the critical buyer and directs the conversation to a completely different track.

Offer a solution

Once you understand what problem your customer is coming to you with, simply solve it. Let’s discuss this with a specific example. Imagine that you run a catering company. There is a review on your website from a customer who did not like the food delivered. Do you know what a professional response looks like? Put yourself at fault! And make it official!

“We are very sorry that our salad was not to your liking. As compensation, we offer a special mix of our dishes. We will be happy to deliver it to your address completely free of charge. We sincerely encourage you to contact us via e-mail!”

A few sentences that will change everything. Respect and going out of your way to meet their needs. And finally, a very important incentive.

Invite for a private contact

Why is this important? Because it’s in your best interest to have a private conversation with a dissatisfied customer. In fact, you don’t want to talk further in public. Everything that other clients are supposed to see is included in the feedback comment.

Moreover, each specific case is better handled individually. That way you can choose the ideal solution in each situation.

Emotions or logic? Just draw conclusions

Responding to feedback should not be limited to providing a professional response. Treat the comments as a source of information about your company. Then use it to improve the quality of services or goods you sell. Is the problem in customer service? Address it. As it occurred once, it will happen again if you don’t respond. In this way, negative comments will help you grow your business and better adapt to consumer demands.

Can an administrator delete company reviews?

You might think that bad reviews should be best simply deleted. However, this is not easy in practice. It only makes sense to report to the administrator if the review contains content that does not comply with the portal’s terms and conditions.

Even then you have no assurance that your request will be approved. In addition, before you see any action, a negative comment will be read many times by users. Therefore, respond quickly and professionally.