Every business has its errors: a package does not arrive in time, a restaurant serves the wrong food, or a medical office fails to record an appointment for a patient.
Sometimes, these mistakes result in negative reviews. But, sometimes, negative reviews aren’t caused by mistakes but by unpredictable events or a clash of preferences.
The 2017 study conducted by Power Reviews again confirms consumers’ increasing dependence on reviews and ratings.
Today 97% of customers review products before making a purchase. Eighty percent of consumers believe online reviews are an important part of buying.
On the other hand, most buyers look for negative reviews to make an informed decision about purchases. The number of reviews that are negative rises to 91% of consumers aged 18-29.
Because negative reviews give customers an idea of what could happen in the worst case, they need to know what could happen to determine how important it is.
Positive reviews could be a sign of fraud to some buyers So; you must be aware.
Why responding to reviews is important.
If you’re a business, you’re likely to read your online reviews to keep up with what customers think of your company. It is also important to respond to certain reviews positively or negatively.
According to consumer surveys, businesses that take action on reviews can be viewed as 1.7X more reliable than those that do not (76 percent against. 46 percent) 1. Not just responding to reviews aids in the building of trust. Still, it also allows showing the human side of your company, show customers they are valued, and demonstrating professionalism.
Remember that your comments will be available for all to see when you respond. Your goal is to keep your response short and polite (even if you disagree with the subject). Be careful not to get too personal or appear to be sales with your offers of incentives or ads.
How negative reviews help customers make better buying choices
Consumers rely on negative reviews to help them determine which products suit their requirements and which don’t. A study discovered that 88% of customers look for negative reviews.
To explain why this is the case, our research shows that about a third of consumers believe that negative reviews helped balance their research into shopping, saying that a negative review was or was a very important or an ‘important’ factor in their choice.
When researching products, two-thirds of online customers look for reviews with one-star ratings. Yet, they still make purchases at 108% of the rate of all web traffic (incidentally, this is the kind of data that the Page Analytics solution provides regularly).
What is the reason for this scenario? Three things we’ve observed from talking to brands and analyzing the data day in and the day-out
1. Based on negative reviews, the customer decides that the product isn’t the best match for their requirements. Therefore, they continue to search for a more suitable and you can avoid the possibility of a dissatisfied customer and an unneeded return.
2. The customer decides that the information from the two and stars’ reviews isn’t important to them; thus, they don’t bother with the reviews. For example, a buyer is looking for shoes for their child. They browse through reviews and filter down to show only one or two-star reviews. Most negative reviews focus on the fact that the shoes don’t work for children with large feet. However, the buyer’s child has narrow feet, so the review isn’t pertinent. Nevertheless, the girl decides to buy the shoes regardless.
3. The buyer decides that the worst-case scenario isn’t an issue; therefore, they buy the product. As an example, suppose the shopper is looking up dining tables. She filters out just one and two-star reviews to comprehend the worst-case scenario. A majority of negative reviews focus on the difficulty of assembly. The particular customer is adept and loves creating furniture; therefore, she doesn’t consider this a problem. She views this feedback as an issue with the reviewers, not the product itself.
Negative reviews have helped the buyer make an informed choice in each instance. In all likelihood, when customers are satisfied with their purchases and enjoy their shopping, they’re likely to remain loyal to the brand and are much less likely to be able to return the product they purchased.
Tips for responding to negative reviews
1. Say thanks to the person who wrote the review
It is a fact that when you read a review about the product you sell, they feel strongly about your company. This is true for both negative and positive reviews.
The main goal that marketing is getting individuals to speak about your brand. If someone does something negative and you don’t want to be a victim, be grateful to them for spending the time to express their opinion. This can accomplish several things:
- It quickly disperses the negative
- Your reviewer will feel appreciated and heard
- It lets other readers know that you’re not just petty.
Beginning with a simple sentence such as “Hey, thanks so much for taking the time to write” is the ideal intro to your response to the negative review.
2. Ask customer to take matter offline
Provide a solution by phone or online. In-person or via the phone, you’ll be able to resolve your customer’s issues and let both parties find a solution. Here’s how to extend your invitation following your apology at the beginning:
You can contact me by phone or email, and I’ll be more than happy to discuss the matter at the earliest time possible.
It is important to give your name along with your title, address, and contact details (or the contact information of a manager in your company who has authority).
We do not suggest you request the person take down the review because this can cause more harm. Instead, just ensure the customer is satisfied that their concerns are acknowledged.
Example
3. Explain, if necessary
Occasionally, an apology can be sufficient to deal with the issue. But there might be times when you’ll have to provide additional details to dispel any confusion. This is an instance of a thorough explanation to follow an apology:
We, the entire team, apologize for the error in scheduling your service appointment. We encountered a major technical glitch in our scheduling software that caused us to lose important details about our scheduled appointments. This meant that we didn’t complete our scheduled service time at your residence.
We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience it has caused you. We’ve now solved the technical issue; therefore, feel free to make your appointment online or call us directly. We would love to have the chance to assist you in the near future.”
4. Make your response authentic and personal Â
In the final section of this post, We’ll give you some templates to use to address negative reviews. You’ll need to make use of these templates as a starting point.
This is not something you copy/paste completely verbatim.
It is easy to tell when you reply with an unnatural response. Because a negative review can make an impact on your company, you must consider making your responses personal to the reviewer.
Name them or introduce yourself. It is important to make the conversation in the best way possible. The dentist took his reply very personally when a woman’s friend was not happy with her entirely new crown:
5. Keep it short
When we receive negative reviews, we feel it’s an attack on us personally. Our fingers begin to tingle, and we’re eager to respond in self-defense.
However, the most important thing to not say in response to an unfavorable review is to go over and over. To clarify a few points:
- The majority of people simply avoid long responses.
- The longer responses appear desperate or defensive
- There’s no reason to have lengthy explanations
The most important thing is that your client is dissatisfied. If the problem is yours, apologize. If not, show compassion.
In any case, don’t confirm the negative review with lengthy responses. Simply respond using the advice we’ve provided. Here’s an example to show how effective the power of a simple message is:
If you want to go that extra mile to be more creative, you can use offline conversation to speak for a greater duration. That leads us to our next point…
6. Stick to the issue. Â
Do not ignore the issue that your customer is confronting. Keep the focus on their problem and what’s included in their review. Don’t attempt to change the subject, as it could make the customer more upset. It’s not something you want to do.
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