Best practice for bad reviews
Even though it’s hard, it’s important not to take negative reviews too personally, says online visibility expert Nicola Moras. That means resisting the urge to launch a passionate defence of your operation, however fired up you may be feeling.
Instead, try to take an objective look at what’s been written and respond once you’ve simmered down. Ideally, that should be within 24 hours. Wait any longer to address it and you risk looking like you’re ignoring the issue or you just don’t care – which may worsen the situation.
1. Lightening the mood
If the subject matter is not terribly serious, a dash of humour can help defuse the situation. It sure did when a Woolworths customer posted a dramatically worded complaint about a couple of avocados that had passed their prime on the supermarket’s Facebook page.
‘Ryan! – the disappointment is more than we can bear! Private Message us your number and we will hook a brother up’, came the much-shared reply from the Fresh Food People.
It was a fast and funny response that worked. Two days later, posted again: a photo of himself clutching a perfectly ripe avocado and a shout-out to Woolies for being good sports and fixing his problem.
2. Rebutting with respect
If you believe the comments you’ve received are unwarranted or unfair, get on the front foot and state your case firmly and fairly but without getting personal, Moras advises.
This approach worked a treat for ‘Dan from Optus’. The customer service representative received widespread acclaim for his reasoned and respectful social media defence of the telco’s decision to display signage in Arabic in a Sydney store back in 2015.
3. Owning your errors
And if, on consideration, you conclude your critic has a point? Own it and talk about it, Moras counsels. “That’s a really powerful thing to do because it shows your audience you’re willing to be vulnerable and own up to your mistakes,” she says.
“It tells people who are considering becoming customers that you have integrity – sometimes you can actually gain new business as a result.”
US budget airline JetBlue Airways' Twitter team took this lesson onboard when acknowledging a passenger's tweeted complaint about the in-flight entertainment system's blue screen of death on a four-hour flight.
"We always hate it when that happens. Send us a DM with your confirmation code to get you a credit for the non-working TV," came the swift reply, whose conciliatory and empathetic tone drew praise from potential passengers who'd clocked the exchange.
Receiving the occasional negative online review is becoming part and parcel of doing business in the digital era. It’s how you choose to react that really matters. The right response will not only help control the damage, but may even give your business the boost it needed.
