One unhappy customer can post negative reviews about their experience on multiple websites. Some passionately worded negative reviews could slow down business by keeping potential customers from doing business with you. If you want your company to be as successful as possible, you need to regularly search the Internet to read reviews and comments that others have left. You can easily take these steps to counteract any negative comments that you find.
Respond to Negative Reviews and Comments Immediately
On many review platforms, you may be permitted to respond directly to a negative review by replying to it. Otherwise, you may be able to create a new post. Your response should in no way be negative to your customer, and it should always be as professional as possible. You may express the circumstances of the situation and how your company normally deals with different situations.
Attempt to Correct the Situation When Possible
While simply responding to negative comments in a positive, professional image may counteract some of the negativity associated with bad reviews, you may also consider taking the initiative to correct the problem. For example, you may leave a comment asking the customer to contact you directly to resolve the problem, and offer a free or discounted service or product to compensate them for their negative experience.
Post Positive Reviews on Your Own Website
Many consumers who read negative reviews on third-party websites will also take a look at your website to determine if comments others have left are true. Therefore, one way to counteract negative reviews on other websites is to post glowingly positive reviews on your own website. A good example of this is Wheaton World Wide Moving as they feature positive reviews on their site. You may even post a facial image of your customer who made the comment, if he or she permits it. This can create a more personalized review experience.
Hire a PR Firm
Some customers are so disgruntled that they can create more negative publicity than you can reasonably counteract on your own. If this is the case for your business, you may need to hire a reputable public relations firm as soon as possible. A PR firm may have reputation management and improvement strategies that can effectively be used to improve the situation that you are currently dealing with.
The best course of action is to prevent negative reviews as much as possible. Always take time to ensure that each customer is fully satisfied, and you may have to deal with this type of situation much less frequently in the future.
