Every business owner wants to check customer reviews to find positive feedback and read nice statements about the company’s products and services. But no matter how good your products may be, there will probably come a time when someone will not be completely satisfied.
When that happens, it is important to keep your cool and react in an appropriate manner.
Getting Over the Shock
Let’s face it, reading negative comments about your business, products, or the services provided by your company is not pleasant. But if you are online long enough, you are bound to eventually receive some negative customer feedback. After all, it’s next to impossible to please everyone.
It is a good idea to develop a positive attitude about all types of customer feedback – even negative comments. The truth is, negative comments can sometimes be put to good use. But first you have to address the concerns in the message.
Remedy the Situation
The best reaction is to remedy the situation. However, in many cases, this is not possible. But if there is a chance of making the complaining person happier, then by all means, you should do what you can to turn the situation around.
If you can provide a workable solution to the problem and give the customer something extra, everyone wins. The customer will likely remain loyal to the business and the business’s reputation will remain untarnished. It’s a happy ending for everyone.
The extra you give the customer doesn’t have to be a lot. Most merchants offer a discount, which helps ensure a future transaction.
Use Negative Feedback
Some companies have learned to take advantage of the information provided in negative comments. That is, they have used it to make improvements to their businesses and to develop new products and services. Through these changes, these businesses are better able to meet the needs of their customers.
Negative Google Reviews
The first step in handling negative Google reviews should be to carefully review the information provided in the review. Consider the source as well as any other pertinent information. In some cases, such as when the review is generated via a Google-owned site, a negative review can be removed without much difficulty.
You should gather information that details why the review content is not accurate and provide that information to the webmaster of the site. Remember to present yourself in a professional manner as you request that the review be removed.
Other Negative Feedback
Sometimes negative comments are found on sites that are not owned or generated by Google. In such cases, the comments may spread from one review site to another.
This type of negative feedback can be a little more difficult to deal with. You will probably need to contact the webmaster at each website, making the request to have the comments removed and stating why.
Fighting Negative Feedback
One way to fight negative feedback, reviews, and comments that you cannot have removed is to try to bury it with positive content. Ideally this will consist of positive reviews and feedback provided by satisfied customers.
The point is, you cannot fabricate the content you use to bury the negative feedback.
If you cannot generate enough positive reviews from customers to force the negative comments down in SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages), you can add articles, press releases, and other content about your business to the Internet. Keep the content you add positive and upbeat.
Maintaining a Positive Reputation
Every business should be concerned about reputation management. Monitoring customer feedback is a big part of reputation management. Even though a few negative comments are expected, it is important to know that even one or two negative comments left unchecked can ruin a good reputation.
Those comments can spread and the situation can snowball. As the circumstances worsen, the business’s reputation suffers. Protecting the business’s reputation becomes increasingly difficult.
Cleaning up the business’s reputation may be a slow and tricky process. It may be necessary to contact a reputation company that is dedicated to offering reputation management services.
It’s much easier to tend to the basics of reputation management and appropriately react to negative customer feedback than it is to deal with the hassle of a damaged online reputation. It can save you years of work as well as lots of money.
Cover photo credit: Vlada Karpovich / Pexels
