It seems like you can find online reviews everywhere. Google. Facebook. Amazon. Trip Advisor. Yelp. Angie’s List. Kudzu.

The list goes on and on.

Online reviews determine where we’ll spend our money – and if we’ll spend there again.

In fact, more than 90% of customers say their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews, according the to the Spiegel Research Center at Northwestern University.

With numbers like that, it’s easy to see that online reviews can make or break a business.

So, what should you do when you receive a negative review? In this article we’ll explore the issue.

Let’s get started.

Understand negative reviews will happen and aren’t fatal

Let’s be clear – even the best of the best businesses gets negative reviews. You can’t please everyone.

Don’t fear negative reviews. Don’t run from them. Don’t condemn them. View negative reviews as an opportunity to learn and improve.

If you have a few less than stellar reviews, that’s OK if the vast majority of the reviews are positive.

Studies show that a few negative reviews actually build trust because consumers understand that nobody is perfect.

Customers become suspicious if EVERY review is a glowing 5-star review. It feels “manufactured” and manipulated.

Do your best but realize a well-handled negative review isn’t fatal.

Make sure you are paying attention

If you want to manage negative online reviews, you first must know when they occur. You don’t want to be unaware of negativity surrounding your brand online.

It’s a must that you monitor what’s being said about your business and products online every day. Potential customers do.

There are monitoring systems like Angus that can monitor hundreds of review sites in real time and give you an alert via email or text immediately any time you get a review.

Use a review management system. They’re your most efficient way to solicit new reviews and handle negative reviews.

Think carefully

Pay close to what’s being said in the negative review.

Think objectively. Is there anything in the review that is useful and truthful?

This can be hard to do. It’s your business after all – your baby – and you do your best to make people happy. Some are going to have a dark cloud over them no matter what you do.

However, you must try to understand the customer’s point of view.

Don’t get upset. Keep emotion out of the equation.

The negative feedback can be invaluable. Even if it’s hard to swallow.

A negative review could spotlight a problem in your offering or service. If you don’t know of it and/or fix it, you could have a whole slew of negative reviews about the same thing.

Not good.

Research before responding

Do your homework.

If you can research the transaction prior to responding, do so. The more information you have available to you prior to responding to the negative review, the better.

But be quick about it

Think this through for a minute.

How long do you want a negative review about your company to be on social media or a review site without a response from you?

Not very long is the correct answer.

When customers attempt to contact a business for an answer or resolution to an issue via social media, 1 out of 3 expect a response within 30 minutes, and nearly half expect you to respond within one hour!

Failure to respond to any customer issue is poor customer service, even if you disagree vehemently with the negative review. Not responding at all means acceptance and reflects poorly on your company.

Studies show that 70% of the buying experience is based on how the customer feels they are being treated.

Response time counts!

Acknowledge the review

Publicly acknowledge the review in the place where it was left.

You want to let the reviewer, and anyone reading the review, know you are aware of this issue.

It also shows you are proactive and interested in exceptional customer service.

Don’t be argumentative or anything less than a total professional. Even if you disagree with the reviewer’s comments.

Don’t add fuel to the social media fire by escalating a battle online. Don’t turn one negative experience into something bigger.

Although I want you to acknowledge the review in the place where it was left, I don’t want you to have a back and forth exchange with the reviewer on a public forum.

Those type exchanges are best done via phone or email.

It’s important to show empathy when responding. You want to show you understand how the customer feels. Use phrases like, “I’d feel that way too.”

Apologize. Even if you didn’t do what upset the customer. Be genuine and be sincere. You can always be apologetic for the way your customer feels, even if they are wrong about the situation. Use phrases like, “I’m sorry you feel that way,” or “I’m sorry you had that experience.”

Resolve the situation. Do it quickly. Don’t let it fester. Find out what must be done to resolve the issue and then act.

What about fake negative reviews?

If a review is fake, vile or defamatory, you may request that it be removed from the review site.

Policies and procedures for removal vary by site.

Here are some instructions on steps to remove a review from Google: https://support.google.com/business/answer/4596773?hl=en

Go here to learn of removal steps on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/help/439579999521224/?ref=u2u

If you see a review on Yelp that you would like to report for removal, they first suggest that you look at the reasons Yelp may remove a review.  Then you can follow their directions to report a review to their website moderators for evaluation.

Summary

In today’s world customers evaluate your business before interacting with it.

They do it online, just like you do.

It’s a requirement of business today to build and manage your online reputation. And a HUGE part of your reputation are online reviews.

Potential customers evaluate you by reading online reviews. It’s often the first thing they do before doing anything else.

Make sure you have a system in place to monitor what’s being said about your business every day.

And when you get a negative review, deal with it using the tips outlined in this post. Make sure to learn from it as well. Act to improve your business processes and products so you don’t have the same problem with other customers.

Have you ever gotten a negative review? Which review site was it on? Did the review lead to any change in your business? Please let me know in the comments below!