It’s hard to admit when we’re wrong. But sometimes, that’s just what customers want.
When responding to negative online reviews, particularly those one and two-star reviews, take down your guard and don’t be afraid to say something like, “Hey, we screwed up. We’re sorry. You made us realize it, and for that we are changing. Thank you.”
Then take it a step further and let the complainant know what internal changes have been made as a result of their feedback. Finally, if the complaint is severe enough, the response could be crafted and signed by someone high-up in the company like the owner or a manager. Guide what your customers are saying by opening a line of communication between that person and the disgruntled customer. Leave a phone number, email or an invitation to come to the shop and talk further. Keep the conversation going so that you don’t lose them and at the very least, they will leave feeling better about the situation than they were before.
Blam. They won’t see that coming.
We’re betting that rare, irate customer is expecting to get some sort of pushback from a business when they review it negatively. That, in turn, could possibly launch both parties into a full-scale online argument—that’s not good for anybody and that is not spreading the love.
Instead, we suggest letting them in. Take the feedback to heart. Look for ways you can improve processes and take action. Understand and validate their complaint genuinely and then respond with that same understanding. Don’t fight back. Spread the love.
Here are a couple of great examples of some unhappy customers who got a big ‘ole dose of WebPunch love.
