Reviews: From Negative to Approval!

Your company can be very successful, but sooner or later it gets the first negative review.

Negative feedback on social networks is available for study by any Internet user, unlike a complaint received by e-mail. Therefore, the company’s reaction to such a review must be mandatory. At the same time, if you respond correctly, you can easily protect your reputation and even improve it.
Always remember that your goal is to achieve a mutually beneficial solution to a problem and thereby regain trust in the company. The target audience of the company must be sure that you will approach the problem with full responsibility and understanding. To do this, you need to learn to find a balance between the interests of the company and the interests of the offended client.

So, you’ve found negative things about your company. What to do?

• Calmness.
If you find negativity and feel upset or angry, don’t respond right away. Calm down first.
• Fast reaction.
According to research, 32% of users expect to receive a brand response to their message within 30 minutes. Another 42% expect an answer within an hour. At the same time, 57% of users hope for a quick response regardless of the time of day or weekends.
A quick response to negativity shows the client how much you value your reputation and are ready to help him solve the problem. A negative review is a great opportunity for a company to demonstrate that it cares about a customer.
• Politeness.
Whatever emotions you may have for the commentator, always remain tactful and polite. Introduce yourself, thank the person for the feedback, and then try to figure out the situation.
• Answer publicly.
Negative reviews on social media are public, so you need to respond to them the same way. Even if for some reason you are privately dealing with the complaint, please post a solution to the problem in a public comment. This will show that you always respond to criticism and take action to address the issue.
• Take negativity seriously.
Often negative reviews can help identify weaknesses in a business. Use this information as an impetus for development.
• Monitoring your online presence.
For prompt responses to reviews, track mentions of your company on social networks. The search for mentions can be carried out manually or using various online monitoring services.

Should you remove negative reviews?

You may be tempted to simply delete all negative comments. And this is true on your personal page, but not acceptable in the business community. Lack of negative brand reviews can lead potential customers to believe that all positive reviews about you are custom-made. This will negatively affect your image.
If you delete the review of an offended customer, he may be even more offended and write ten new comments instead of one deleted one and ask his friends to do the same. In this case, it will be very difficult to restore the damaged reputation of the company.
The only time you can delete comments is if you are sure that you are trolling.

So, let’s sum up

• Be sure to respond to negative reviews
• Calmness, politeness and the ability to admit one’s mistakes in public is an indicator of the company’s professionalism.
• Offer a solution to the problem, even if it is not a problem from your point of view.
• Don’t be afraid of negative reviews. Working out negativity correctly can increase the level of trust in your brand.

Without a doubt, negative reviews have a huge impact on business. But it’s not they who really hurt, but the lack of response to them. The loyalty of a client whose problem has been successfully resolved is sometimes much higher than that of a new one. Therefore, the task of the business is to be in constant dialogue with the audience and to promptly, adequately and benevolently respond to customer reviews.
Good luck !