How to respond to bad reviews

Knowing how to respond to bad reviews is just as important, if not more important, than responding to positive reviews. Ignoring feedback implies you have little regard for your customers so why should they show brand loyalty if you are not interested and engaged in what they say. 

We know from research that before deciding on a product or service people will look at your star ratings, the tone of reviews, the number of reviews and if your business responds. 

 As a first step you need to have set up an automated customised message and notification alerts so that your team can immediately respond. 

TEMPLATES FOR RESPONDING TO NEGATIVE REVIEWS

There are many reasons why people will leave a negative review including:  

• A misunderstanding of the service you provides
• The product wasn’t what they expected 
• Pricing complaints 
• Service and delay complaints 

Take the complaint offline

“[Customer Name], Thank you for your feedback. I’m very sorry to hear about your experience. This is definitely not the standard of service we aim to provide. 

I am sending you a private message now so we can resolve this issue for you as soon as possible. 

Thanks!” 

Pricing

“Dear [Customer Name], So glad you enjoyed the [product description]. Yes, our prices are slightly higher than your usual [XXX].  

[Highlight what makes your product superior or different].” 

ADVICE/ TIPS 

Respond

In the online world people are always watching so it is important to respond quickly to try to prevent further negative comments. 

Be polite 

Be professional and don’t personally react.  

Take it offline

After acknowledging the problem, offer to discuss the matter off-line, out of public view. Provide an email or contact details so you can hopefully resolve the matter. 

Take action on fake reviews

If you know a review is fake or misleading report it and request that it be moved. 

Manage online reviews 

Register for Google Alerts to track mentions of your business and have social media notifications turned on so that you can respond quickly when a comment is posted. 

Encourage happy customers to write a review

Consumers trust customer reviews and will seek them out before choosing a product or service so wherever possible encourage customers who have had a positive experience to leave a comment or write a testimonial. 

You can learn more about testimonials and how they fit in to your PR and social media plan HERE.