How to Respond to Negative Reviews in the Right Way?

You might know how important are positive reviews, if your business has a GMB (Google My Business) or Google Business Profile then there must be some reviews. Some can be positive and some can be negative, on behalf of these reviews’ customers come to your business. 

If they see lots of positive reviews on your business profile then there are high chances that people will contact you. But if there are some negative reviews, they may not trust you, hence you have to handle negative reviews carefully. You must understand the impact of negative reviews, why removal of the negative reviews is important,  and how you can respond to them in right way. Let’s explore all.

Impact of Negative Reviews

1. Loss of Potential Customers

Due to negative reviews, there are high chances that you lose potential customers who might be your convert in your customers. As per the study, 84% of people trust reviews before they contact you.

2. Hurts Brand Reputation

Negative reviews can badly hurt your organization reputation, because when people search you and find your business profile with negative user generated content, it affects them more than any other marketing channel. It can also lead in decline of customer loyalty, these reviews are visible worldwide.  

3. Affects Search Ranking

Negative reviews do not just leave a negative impression on customers, even search engines also consider them.  Therefore, such reviews can also affect your search ranking, because Google pays attention to the quality and quantity of the reviews.

Why You Should Respond Negative Reviews? 

1. It Shows You Care

Replying negative reviews shows that you are not ignoring the reviews and washing your hands of replying. Therefore, when you consider replying to those reviews, it shows you care your customers and sincere businessman.

2. Save Reputation

Responding to negative reviews on your business profile can also save your online reputation, if you handle the negative reviews carefully and apologize for their bad experience with your product and service, it can increase customers satisfaction and they may change their mindset.

3. Provides Feedback

Another major thing to consider feedback, every negative review is important, because they can bring good change or improvement in your product and services. Such improvement can change negative reviews into positive reviews, and lead to customer satisfaction, they also directly grow your business.

How to Respond to Negative Reviews?

This is one of the most searched terms on the internet, tons of people are struggling to reply negative respond, because they do not know how to act and handle it professionally. For all of them, we have prepared these tips: -

1. Respond Quickly

First step is whenever you get negative reply on your business profile then try to respond it as fast as you know. Old reply is completely useless, you might be so busy to run business, but you have to manage to address the reviews in order to solve the issue.

2. Respond Always

Try to respond always, you can schedule your time just few minutes to address the negative and possible reviews. This can help you manage your online reputation, replying on daily basis will also ensure the trust and transparency with customers, when they visit and read your replies.  

3. Don’t Take Negative Reviews Seriously

One more thing you need to know that you do not have to take all the negative reviews seriously, because lots of competitors try to leave negative fake reviews to win in competition. These reviews are fake, you can report them and sent them for removal to Google support. Every review is not real and related to your business, some are just for taking your business impression down.

4. Introduce yourself and your team

 In order to build trust and transparency, introduce yourself as a owner or team, so that customers can know you are handling everything at your best. It leaves positive impression but sometimes it is hard for the owners to respond every review. 

5. Thank Your Customer to Take out Time to Write

Try to please your customers, make them feel every of matter to your business. If they leave negative reviews, then let them but reply it politely and thank them for addressing the issues, it makes them feel their opinion matters for the business. It defuses the negativity from the customer’s mind and also makes viewers feel overwarm. 

6. Offer Discounts, Promotions and Refund

This one of the most recommended steps, and also many of businesses follow this. When your customers are not happy or disappointed by your product and service, must offer them something that makes them happy. It can extra discount, bonus product, and refund.

7. Make your Response Authentic and Personal

Make sure when you reply to any negative review, your response should not appear normal or general. It should be authentic and personal, provide issue ticket, handle it, process it professionally. Gather data and process to solve the issue.