How to Handle a Negative Review
Let’s get a few things straight right off the bat:
- A negative review doesn’t imply that your business is bad
- Taking care of negative reviews isn’t hard (read on to learn more about our 5-points of advice on how to do it like a pro)
- What’s the best way to combat negative reviews? Be certain to collect more positive ones.
Nothing gives independent retailers the creeps quite like a negative review. I’m sure you dread even the thought of receiving a bad on-site or offsite review. In the digital era, however, less than stellar reviews come from all corners, from Yelp to social media comments and every place in between. They’ve become part of today’s business environment, and those in the beauty and skin care industry have to deal with them every so often.
The truth is, a negative review can make or break your business depending on how you handle it. In this article, we’re going to cover 5 tips on how to tackle a negative review and make it work positively for your business.
A bad review can actually be good for your business. How so?
- A bad review paint your positive ones in good light
- It can help you gain more insights into your skincare/beauty products or services
- Bad reviews help build customer trust and loyalty. Who would believe a business that gets 5-star after 5-star review all year-long, right?
- A bad review gives you a fabulous opportunity to engage customers, and build your brand
- The experience of handling a negative review can help you learn from your mistakes
5 Effective Tips on How to Handle a Bad Review
Tip 1: Don’t Push the Panic Button
Panicking is a recipe for disaster when it comes to handling negative reviews. You want to be calm, collected, and well-informed before you approach it. Remember bad reviews are not that catastrophic, and they can certainly help you build trust and improve your customer service. As today’s tech-savvy customers can smell panic from a mile away.
Tip 2: Don’t Remove the Negative Review
It might feel or even sound right, but you need to resist the temptation to delete or remove the bad review. This is especially crucial if the review was left on your website. If you do remove it, the chances are that the reviewer will move to another platform, preferably the social media or review sites like Yelp or Google, to air out his or her concern.
The thing is, it’s quite natural to have some unsatisfied clients, and publishing your bad reviews showcases that you’ve nothing to hide. In fact, a bad review will make your positive reviews look better, and create a buzz around your products or services.
Tip 3: Respond to the Review Publicly
Resist the urge to take communication offline or away from the public eye. The last thing you want is for other customers to feel that you don’t care about the issue. That’s why you need to show that it has been solved with a public response.
Tip 4: Learn from Your Mistakes
What’s the take-home from the negative review? Take the feedback seriously and use it to improve your products and service delivery.
Tip 5: Lastly, Follow Up
It’s not enough to just resolve the issue. You need to go above and beyond to ensure that the customer is satisfied with the resolution. That’s why following up after the fact is crucial.