Team Lally Gets a One Star Review

Unfortunately, no business is immune to negative reviews. These can impact your business if not handled properly and drive away new customers who may be doing research about your business. Here are some different ways to handle negative customer reviews.

The importance of responding to customer reviews:

1. 94 percent of consumers say that a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business.
2. 53 percent of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week.
3. But 63 percent say that a business has never responded to their review.
4. 45 percent of consumers say they’re more likely to visit a business that responds to negative reviews.

The point is to respond to customers’ reviews as quickly as possible before they have a chance to drive away other potential customers.

Guide to Handling Negative Reviews

Getting 5-star experiences from every single one of your customers is simply impossible, so why are so many businesses afraid of negative reviews? No business enjoys receiving bad reviews online, and it’s easy to get caught up in all the negativity.  You cannot however, let emotions dictate how you respond to any negative review.

Here’s an example of how you can deal with a negative customer review:

“Dear [NAME OF REVIEWER], thanks for sharing your feedback. We’re sorry your experience didn’t match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and we’ll do better.

Please feel free reach out to [INSERT CONTACT INFORMATION] with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would love to make things right if you give us another chance.”

This review response can be considered as an all-purpose example. When receiving negative feedback, businesses should focus more on engaging the customer directly, sympathize with his/her experience, and provide them with a simple way to contact you or your business. 

Follow these 7 steps to writing a positive response to a negative review:

1. Respond to the customer individually – They want to be addressed personally. Use the proper salutations and at all costs, avoid the generic ”Dear customer.”

2. Thank the Reviewer – Appreciate the customer for taking the time to provide their feedback and always thank them in your responses, even if they gave you a bad review.

Examples of ways to thank them:

• “Thank you for your review. I’m sorry to hear you had such a frustrating experience, but I really appreciate you bringing this issue to my attention.”
• “Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We’re sorry you had a bad experience. We’ll strive to do better. ”
• “Thank you for letting us know about this. Your feedback helps us get better. We are looking into this issue and hope to resolve it promptly and accurately.”

3. Say Sorry – Apologizing for any negative experience shows that you care about clients or customers and are able to own up to any mistakes on your part. Say sorry even during times when you feel you are not at fault. Customers respect businesses who don’t project themselves as being too perfect or too proud to apologize.

Examples of how to write your apologies : 

• “We apologize that our service did not satisfy your expectations.”
• “We’re so sorry that your experience did not match your expectations. This is on us.”
• “We set a high standard for ourselves, and we’re so sorry to hear this was not met in your interaction with our business.”

4. Take responsibility – Never make excuses for what happened. Always acknowledge your customer’s experience even if it was an uncommon situation, an isolated case or unfortunate incident. Remind them that you hold your business to the highest standards.

Examples of how to take responsibility:

• “I’m so sorry. We’re normally known for our exceptional attention to detail, and we regret that we missed the mark.”
• “We always aim to deliver a great experience. We are gutted when we miss the mark! Thanks for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We will use the feedback to make us better and to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
• “Thank you for posting a review and we’re sorry to hear that your experience was not of the quality you expected. We would like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further.”

5. Provide Solutions – After acknowledging your customer’s experience, communicate how you plan to improve your business’s process or policies based on what you have learned from their feedback. Avoid generic responses that contribute nothing to resolve or address any specific issues raised in the review.

Here is an example of how to take ownership, while providing a solution in response to a review:

• “I apologize on behalf of everyone at [Company Name]. Please know that your situation was an exception. As you can see on other reviews, we are known for taking ownership and caring deeply about our customers. We can’t fix the past but you have my personal commitment to improve the way our staff serves every customer. Until then, please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone on the team.”

6. Address the reviewer offline

If at all possible, invite the customer to talk about the problem or negative experience they had on the phone.  Make sure the provide them with the simplest way to call or contact you offline.

Example of what you can say:

• “We would like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further. Feel free to call our team at [Phone Number]? We’ll work with you to resolve any issues as quickly as possible.”
• “We are sorry that your experience at [Company Name] didn’t quite match your expectations. We would love to know why, so that we can deliver a better experience next time. You may reach us anytime at [Phone Number]. Again, thank you for your feedback!”

7. Try to win them back 

Just because a customer writes a bad review, it doesn’t always mean the end of your business relationship. Some customers really do want to resolve a bad situation. Do what you can to provide a solution and if they respond positively, invite them back as a customer. Welcome them with open arms when they do come back.

Example of what you can say to win them back:

• “Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. I’m very sorry we failed to meet your expectations. I would appreciate another chance to earn your business. Please call me or ask for me next time you’re at [Company Name].”

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