4 Tips for responding to negative reviews

We have all read reviews gone bad. One person posts some rough feedback. The owner responds in an unprofessional manner. The reviewer strikes back with way too much emotion The owner does the same. And soon enough it’s on White Whine and gaining traction fast. So how do you respond to a negative review?

A client of Silver Square recently found a very negative review of its business on a review site. They dealt with it like professionals, heeding the following 4 tips:

1. They didn’t respond emotionally. The bad review was angry, but our client did not respond with anger. Our client also didn’t respond with a unqualified apology. Instead, they took some time to gather facts and craft their message.

2. They were straightforward and honest. The response from our client addressed the reviewer’s concerns point by point. It cleared up a few misunderstandings and corrected an egregious accusation.

3. Their messaging was in line with their brand. The tone and message were professional and caring, which is line with the overall brand of the business. The response showed the business’ caring attitude and stressed its dedication to the highest quality of service to its clients.

4. They let someone else do the work for them! This was part serendipity and part dedication to doing right by their clients. While we were cleaning up our response and being careful about exactly what we said, a client of the business responded to the bad review. In the comment, the person wrote about their great experience at the business and refuted the validity of the original reviewer’s claims. Essentially, this third party strengthened our message and we are grateful!