Today, 89% of consumers in the world say they check online reviews before buying a product. Do you know what people are saying about your business online?
Sometimes, even one negative review can tarnish your entire reputation. So you need to know how to handle negative online reviews to keep your business going strong.
Read on to find out what to do with negative online reviews so you can save and maintain your brand’s reputation.
Try to Rectify the Situation
Many times, consumers log on hastily when they’re angry about something. So while they might’ve left a scathing review, once they’ve calmed down, you’d be surprised at what a change of heart they can have!
For this reason, don’t try to fight fire with fire. Not only will you make the situation worse, but you’ll also look bad to current and future customers.
Instead, try to rectify the situation. Tell the customer that you understand their frustrations and that you’ll do your best to fix what’s wrong. They’ll appreciate it and often, they’ll switch their review from 1 to 5 stars.
Not only that, but the dignified way you handle negative reviews will also leave a lasting impression. In fact, it might even cause consumers to choose you over a more incendiary competitor!
Report or Flag the Review
Sometimes, it’s obvious the “customer” has never even stepped foot in your store before. It’s not unheard of for a business to post false reviews to hurt their competitors.
Or maybe the negative review has broken some part of the platform’s terms of service.
In any case, you’ll want to report or flag the offending review. The in-house support team will take a look and remove the review if they determine the reviewer’s broken rules.
Have the Review Removed
If you’d like to keep your reputation sparkling clean and you’ve tried the above methods to deal with a bad review online, then it’s time to bring in the big guns.
There are professionals who can remove online business reviews for you. These reputation management firms are so good at what they do that they even have guaranteed removals! They’ll use their expertise to search the internet thoroughly (but quickly) and scrub all negative reviews.
By paying for this service, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that the next time someone searches your product, there won’t be any harmful reviews that’ll turn them away.
Handle Negative Online Reviews in the Right Way
Negative online reviews are just a fact of life. No matter how hard you try, you can’t please every customer, and you’re bound to run into a bad review or two.
While the reviews are out of your control, how you handle them isn’t. So choose the best course of action in dealing with bad reviews to keep your business going strong!
Want to learn more about managing your small business? Then read our other blog posts now!