If you are a business owner whose goal is to offer a product or service that solves a customer problem you want your customers to be satisfied. A satisfied client means that your business is developing and that everything is going in the right direction. However, you should be aware that things won’t always go smoothly and that you will sometimes have to deal with negative comments and reviews. This is part of the job and the sooner you learn how to deal with it, the sooner you will turn things around. In the article below, you can read more about why it is important to respond to negative reviews and how it can help build a brand.
Why do consumers write negative reviews?
There are basically two main reasons why consumers feel the need to write a negative review about your company and share their not so great experience. The first is that the service of your company objectively did not meet certain criteria and the customer therefore experienced a negative outcome. The second is that the person simply had different expectations and was disappointed when he or she realized that their expectations did not match the final service. However, no matter what the reason is, it is necessary to adequately position yourself in that situation and respond to a negative comment no matter what.
Why is it important to respond to negative reviews?
While it might be easiest not to respond to a negative review and forget about it, it is still not the best decision for your company. Why? Because it can backfire and lead to new problems. It is important to understand that acting properly in such situations and responding to negative reviews can be very beneficial for your company and brand building.
1. Failure to respond to negative reviews can result in the loss of more than one customer
In case you avoid responding to a negative comment about your company’s service that someone left online, one thing is for sure: that person will never be your customer again. It will be clear to her that you did not bother to change her opinion and she will never want to buy your product or service again.
On the other hand, negative reviews that you have not responded to can affect your overall reputation. And we all know that reputation is one of the most important things for a brand. You can start losing old or potential new customers, because many will read that negative comment and decide that they do not want to give you their trust.
Remember: If you try to respond to a negative comment people will see that you have tried to do so and that there may be another side to the story. It will be clear to them that you take each of your individual consumers seriously and that their satisfaction is important to you. This in itself can make you, despite the negative reviews, look positive in their eyes, because you are responsible, professional and do not run away from problems. And also that, if something similar happens to them, they can rely on you.
At PissedConsumer.com you can find millions of comments about different companies, potentially including yours. Being aware that people are dissatisfied with your service and talking about it publicly is the first step in order to do something about it and turn things around.
3. You can win over the customer
The very fact that a person has left a negative comment about your company publicly suggests that they need your feedback. This can be a great way to show how developed your customer support is and what each customer means to you. If you take the time to apologize to the consumer and try to solve the problem, there is a high probability that you will win them back, because they will now have a very positive experience with you. After all, who knows: maybe they will withdraw their negative review and permanently remove it from the networks.
3. You will gain insight into your business from a customer perspective
Another benefit that comes with responding to negative customer comments is the ability to gain insight into your business from their perspective. Maybe there are really some shortcomings in your business that you fail to see, because you look at it from the point of view of the business owner. If you go deeper into a conversation with a dissatisfied customer, you can gain some new insights that can be of great help to you in the future. With new insights, you can provide your customers with a much better user experience and prevent situations like this from happening again.
Note: Online communication with a dissatisfied customer and responding to his negative review should have a limit. Not everything needs to happen in public. When you want to go deeper into the situation, the best idea is to switch to offline communication via email and other platforms.
4. Getting closer to your clients
Responding to a negative consumer review and the positive outcome that can come out of it can show you how important this type of communication is. If you take the time to dedicate to your customers, you will realize how beneficial approaching them is for your business. After all, the point of your business is to provide the best possible service. And you can only do that when you get closer to the customers and understand their needs and suggestions.
Conclusion: Running a business is a very challenging task. Even though the point is to provide the best service to the client and make them satisfied, sometimes you have to deal with negative reviews too, and that is completely normal. However, business owners often ignore negative reviews, because it is the easiest option. Keep in mind that responding to negative comments is the best way to repair a damaged reputation and prevent your existing customers from leaving, and maybe even regain a dissatisfied customer. During this process, you will gain a better insight into your business and get closer to your customers. All in all, this can boost your business and allow it to thrive tremendously.
