You might be surprised to hear that negative Google reviews are actually opportunities to win new business. Here’s everything you need to know about how to respond to negative Google reviews and salvage your online reputation.
Negative reviews on Google can happen.
While nobody wants to receive a negative Google review, accepting that this will be inevitable at some stage is the first step towards being able to effectively handle bad online reviews. When it comes to responding to a negative review on Google, honesty, compassion and genuine customer care are prerequisites for a successful outcome. If you do not show any of those, it might be why you received a bad review in the first place.
That said, even when you do have these qualities, there are a few things that you must never do when responding to a negative review on Google and this quick article will uncover all that you need to know. Scroll down to find out how to respond to a bad Google review and don’t forget to check out our other articles on Google review management when you’re done.
Skip sections via the links below.
- Why respond to negative Google reviews?
- How to respond to negative reviews?
- How to stop negative Google reviews.
- Responding to bad reviews summary.
Why respond to negative Google reviews?
It might be tempting to ignore negative reviews on Google. However, this is the worst course of action you could take. You must have faith that customers understand that not every business is perfect. When you respond to negative Google reviews you have another bite at the apple to get things right and, more often than not, this care will shine through.
By not responding to negative reviews on Google you are closing the door on a potential opportunity to save a customer, a potential opportunity to look like you care to thousands of others and leaving a one-sided comment out in the open for everybody to read.
Once again, it’s the worst thing you could possibly ignore. To put how important responding to negative Google reviews into perspective, here are some statistics.
In a survey by Tripadvisor, the vast majority of respondents (89%) indicated that a thoughtful response to a negative Google review improved their impression of the business. In fact, even 90% of respondents said that respectful responses to negative reviews made them believe the owner truly cares and were more likely to do business regardless of the initial negative review.
In addition, of the 90% of people who read reviews, 59% of these people will read reviews on Google. So, out of all the places you might choose to neglect to respond back to a negative review, Google is not one of those. Do not leave yourself wide open.
Every time that somebody reads your reviews your tone of voice will influence the perception of your company. So, it’s important to tailor your responses to the reviewers’ specific concerns and really go out of your way to make a difference.
Remember, you are responding to an entire audience and not just one disgruntled customer. Everybody can see your response. So, how do you respond to bad Google reviews?
How to respond to negative Google reviews?
Okay, now you understand why responding to bad Google reviews is a great idea, the next step is to handle the negative review. At the core of every good response, you will find honesty and compassion. Be sure that you are in high spirits before you start typing and always get a second opinion from a trusted and impartial source. Here are 10 tips for responding to a bad Google review.
1. Write a timely response.
Responding quickly to negative reviews on Google has many benefits. Firstly, it stops the angry customer from venting on other online platforms until they get a response. Secondly, it shows that you care. This is not only the customer but also to your wider audience. And thirdly, by acting quickly you will resolve the situation must faster. It may even stop the customer from being angry in the first place as the negative review could be because they felt that you did not care.
2. Never blame the customer.
This should go without saying, however, directly blaming the customer is like sticking your head into a blazing firepit. Not only will this spark more frustration, but you are also likely to end up on the wrong side of new potential customers too. Although the phrase ”the customer is always right” is not strictly true, the art of negative review management is compromisation.
Sure, your customer could actually be in the wrong. But there is no need to blatantly call them out online over being stupid. Be tactful with your response.
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