Best Provider Google Seller Ratings Handle Negative Reviews

Online reviews on sites like Google, Facebook, Yelp, and Tripadvisor give people a manner to share their experiences not only with businesses but with fellow consumers, likewise.

Consumers rely on these reviews in order to find peachy products, services, and brands. This makes information technology extremely important for companies to larn how to answer to negative reviews, specially in situations where these reviews might impairment their brand reputation.

• 94% of consumers say that a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business organisation.
• 53% of customers look businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week. Just 63% say that a business has never responded to their review.
• 45% of consumers say they're more probable to visit a business organisation that responds to negative reviews.

The takeaway: reply to negative reviews before they drive your customers away. Exercise this and consumer perceptions immediately improve, making it more likely that people volition come and visit your business locations.

As for what to practise with positive or neutral reviews — yeah, they also warrant a response. Think of information technology equally an opportunity to reinforce and spotlight the things customers already love nigh your company. (Not to mention, it's the polite affair to practise.) For tips on what to exercise with positive feedback, read our guide on Positive Review Response Examples for Any Brand.

Need aid navigating the often treacherous waters of negative online reviews?

To help you reply to reviews ameliorate, we looked at 200,000 review responses in the ReviewTrackers database, harnessed our ain natural language processing technology, and combined these responses' best features to come up with powerful examples and templates you can utilise to respond to negative reviews you may have received.

In add-on to the templates, we scoured the Internet for great real-life examples of companies that know how to respond to negative reviews.

Downloaded the report? How to Translate Your Reputation Score

How to Respond to Negative Reviews

Responding to negative reviews is difficult. Bad reviews hurt and sometimes they tin can be downright cruel.

While it's natural to get upset about your negative reviews, it's important not to lose your cool or feel like retaliating. In many cases, information technology'south wise to step abroad from the keyboard, so that your emotions don't dictate what you lot're going to write in your response to the review. Be certain to go yourself to a at-home mental state first, and then that you can reply in a professional manner.

Here's a template that you lot can use to learn how to respond to negative reviews:

Dear [Name OF REVIEWER], thanks for sharing your feedback. We're sorry your experience didn't lucifer your expectations. It was an uncommon example and nosotros'll do amend in the future.

Please experience free to reach out to [INSERT CONTACT Information] with any further comments, concerns, or suggestions you wish to share. We would dearest to make things correct if you give us some other chance.

Obviously, how you reply to negative reviews will vary from situation to state of affairs, simply call back of the to a higher place template as an all-purpose one. It's a peachy starting signal that can serve as the foundation for a groovy response.

Allow's pause this downwardly further past examining what's often said when companies reply to negative and positive reviews.

While businesses practice repent, information technology's but a relatively small part of the response (13%). Why? Because information technology tin can sometimes come across as unprofessional to be overly apologetic.

Instead, brands focus on their delivery to service, client feel management , and "side by side steps" (e.m., how a consumer can contact them directly).

The template above applies a number of the best practices in responding to negative reviews.

Best Practice 1: Accost the Reviewer

Your customers want to be heard individually and addressed personally. Then don't forget your salutations and, if possible, avoid the generic "Dear guest," or "Dear customer."

Co-ordinate to online reviews statistics, 76% of all reviews are either Google reviews or Facebook reviews. This means y'all can usually get the proper noun of the reviewer and utilise it every bit a style to further personalize your response.

Best Practice 2: Say Thank Y'all

Show customers that your company appreciates and values candid unsolicited feedback . Always retrieve to say thanks in responses to reviews (even the bad ones).

Here are some variations where saying "cheers" goes a long way:

"Cheers for your review. I'm lamentable to hear you had a frustrating experience, simply I actually capeesh y'all bringing this event to my attending."

"Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We're pitiful you had a bad experience. We'll strive to do better. "

"Thank y'all for letting us know about this. Your feedback helps us practice meliorate. We are looking into this consequence and hope to resolve it promptly and accurately."

All-time Exercise iii: Apologize and Understand

Proverb lamentable shows that you care nearly your customers and that you're not too proud to ain upward to your mistakes.

Even if information technology'due south not your fault, say sorry anyway. This is a bang-up opportunity to plant and strengthen trust between your company or make and the client. Besides, people frequently get turned off past brands that are too perfect or besides proud to apologize.

Just like the rest of the response, keep your apologies curt and sweet:

"Nosotros repent that our service did non satisfy your expectations."

"We're so sorry that your feel did non friction match your expectations. This is on us."

"We prepare a loftier standard for ourselves, and we're so sorry to hear this was not met in your interaction with our business organisation."

Best Practice 4: Take Responsibility

Don't make excuses. Even if what happened was an uncommon instance, an isolated case, an unfortunate incident, an off solar day — admit the customer's feel. At the same time, provide reassurance that you hold yourself to high standards.

Some things you can say:

"I'grand and then deplorable. We're usually known for our exceptional attending to particular, and we regret that nosotros missed the mark."

"We always aim to deliver a peachy experience, and we are gutted when nosotros don't meet expectations. Thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We volition use the feedback to brand united states of america meliorate and to ensure this doesn't happen once again."

"Thank you for posting a review and nosotros're sorry to hear that your experience was not upwardly to standards. We would like the opportunity to talk and investigate your feedback further."

Best Practice 5: Make Things Right

When dealing with negative feedback, effort to avoid cookie-cutter responses that do not resolve or address any specific issues raised in the review.

Include details well-nigh the client's experience in your response (when relevant), and communicate whatsoever changes or improvements you have made or will make as a result of their feedback.

If there's nothing you tin can do to set what happened, here's a compelling mode to respond to the reviewer, take ownership, and hope to make things right in the future:

"I apologize on behalf of everyone at [Company Name]. Please know that your situation was an exception. Equally you tin meet on other reviews, we are known for taking buying and caring deeply about our customers. We tin can't fix the by but you take my personal delivery to better the style our staff serves every client. Until then, please accept my sincerest apologies on behalf of everyone on the team."

All-time Practice six: Accept the Issue Offline

It'due south e'er all-time for y'all and your client to talk directly near the problem they had and have the result offline. This saves whatsoever further embarrassment on your side of the result and prevents interference from outside sources. For this reason, you lot should provide direct contact information for customers in your review response.

Hither are some things y'all tin can say:

"We would like the opportunity to investigate your feedback further. Delight could you contact me at [Email Address] or call our team at [Phone Number]? We'll work with you to resolve whatsoever problems as rapidly as possible."

"We are distressing that your experience at [Visitor Name] didn't quite match your expectations. Nosotros would love to know why, so that we can deliver a better feel next time. You lot may attain us anytime at [Email Address] or [Phone Number]. Once again, thank you for your feedback!"

All-time Exercise 7: Inquire for A 2d Chance

Don't slam the door on negative reviewers. Instead, extend a (digital) manus. Invite them to come up back and when they do, welcome them with open arms.

Non only does this create an opportunity for you to change the conversation; it besides establishes confidence in your ability to deliver an experience worth raving (instead of ranting) nigh.

Some things you tin can say:

"Cheers for bringing this thing to our attention. I'm very distressing we failed to encounter your expectations. I would appreciate some other take a chance to earn your concern. Delight phone call me or ask for me next time you're at [Visitor Proper name]."

Real-World Examples of How to Answer to Negative Reviews

There isn't one perfect way to respond to a negative review. The fact that numerous brands have constitute different means to create great review responses testify the opportunities available to winning back unhappy customers. As you read each case, notice that they use a number of the best practices listed higher up.

Responding to a Negative Eatery Review

Restaurateurs know that delicious food doesn't ever guarantee a 5-star review. Take notes from this heartfelt response to a review that commented on other aspects of the dining experience.

Why information technology works: In the response, the restaurateur acknowledges that the guest's experience "could've been better." The response as well offers ways to deliver a better or more satisfactory experience next time — while keeping the tone polite and professional. Also, by highlighting the upstairs seating, the response non only offers a solution to this diner, but too offers a tip to prospective diners who may be reading this review in the future.

Responding to a Negative Hotel Review

When a loyal customer expressed her disappointment with her anniversary stay at the Stamford Plaza in Brisbane, executive assistant managing director Dale John wrote a pitch-perfect response.

Why it works: The response addressed the reviewer and started with a "give thanks yous." It was also very specific about the customer's experience and provided detailed information on how the hotel planned to resolve certain issues and maintain its standards.

Responding to a Negative Healthcare Review

For healthcare providers, it'southward a little bit trickier to craft responses to negative patient reviews .

With the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which is designed to safeguard patients' health information, healthcare marketers must be able to respond without referring to any specifics well-nigh medical care or the patient's identity, which could be construed equally "patient information."

You lot tin can read more than here on how to arts and crafts HIPAA-compliant review responses , but here'southward a cracking example in action:

Why it works: The review response addresses specific issues without breaking confidentiality. It as well communicates the provider'due south concrete plan to make things right. ("Nosotros recently hired a consultant…")

The response also wisely offers to have the conversation offline — demonstrating the provider's 18-carat desire to appoint with the patient and solve the problem.

Responding to a Negative Financial Services Review

Negative reviews tin also striking banks and financial services providers. By replying ASAP, you tin can minimize the possibility of other potential clients being swayed by the original reviewer'southward experience.

Why it works: This review response feels sincere instead of defensive. Sometimes, just thanking the customer for their unsolicited feedback and apologizing can get a long way. Take note, again, of the offer to take things offline and discuss the upshot privately.

Responding to a Negative Review of a Veterinarian Clinic

Here'due south another case of how to respond to negative reviews. This fourth dimension, information technology'due south from a veterinary clinic, a business organization in an manufacture in which emotions can run high, especially in times of a pet's health crisis.

Why it works: Pet owners can be extremely vocal and opinionated. There volition ever be people who are going to be convinced that their vets are just "in it for the money" and don't really care near the welfare of their animals. In response to the negative Facebook review, Forest Grove Veterinary Clinic posted a classy respond that highlighted the company'south values while also straight addressing the customer's feel.

Travel and Hospitality Negative Review Response Example

JetBlue Airways' Twitter account serves as one of the visitor'south main customer service channels. When a customer named Esaí Vélez complained (politely) about his backseat TV not working, JetBlue responded within minutes.

Why information technology works: The swiftness with which JetBlue responded is impressive. While it's a response to a tweet instead of to a review, the short reply finer displays sympathy while also offering a solution (or at least a genuine attempt to make amends).

Says best-selling author and customer service skillful Fleck Bell: "In the customer's mind the clock starts when he or she posts a negative review, and your reputation drops with every hour y'all delay providing a response. Bad reviews that remain unanswered signal to other customers you lot are disinterested. It also fuels the perception that the negative report by an aroused customer was probably authentic."

(More) Best Practices When Responding to Negative Reviews

With templates and examples in mitt, information technology's time to put your own review response plan into action. Before solidifying your ain response methodology, it'south important to keep three things in heed.

1. Reply in a Timely Style

According to customer reviews data: 53.3% of customers who have written reviews expect a response in seven days or less. That's a short time frame, especially for busy executives and teams who have a lot on their plate managing other things to keep the business concern operating.

With a reputation direction software platform like ReviewTrackers, y'all can ready up review alerts so you lot are notified of new reviews as they come in. Besides, you definitely don't want to be manually logging in and out of concern review sites — so utilizing a comprehensive review response tool may be useful when treatment multiple pieces of feedback.

Think: the clock begins ticking once reviews are posted, and customers are waiting to hear back from you lot.

ii. Assign Ownership of the Process

It's important to identify people in your organization who will be directly involved with online review management and with responding to bad reviews. This can be tricky because online reviews live at the intersection of marketing, operations, social media, and client service: there are plenty of stakeholders at this phase.

Typically speaking, we see that co-operative or location managers, marketing teams, employees who monitor social reviews, and customer service staff are the people who are put in charge of review responses.

Whoever steps up as the head of your review response program should empathise the guidelines of each review site, transform the collected feedback into valuable insights for your company, and — peradventure most important of all — display the correct tact needed to address complaints and represent the brand well.

Read more: Brand Management Skills: How to Exist a Good Brand Manager

three. Create a Review Response Policy

If your company operates in multiple locations, chances are more than one person will be assigned to answer direct to online reviews.

This makes it crucial to have an organization-wide policy that guides your company on how to reply to negative reviews too as positive ones.

Your policy should encompass things like what linguistic communication and tone you should employ, what the timeline is for getting dorsum to customers, with whom the reviews will exist shared in your organization, when do escalations go necessary, what the platonic response rate is, and other items that may affect how your company handles reviews.

How to Answer to Neutral Reviews (3-Star)

As you might wait, neutral reviews usually combine positive comments with negative feedback — which ways that you'll have to accept what you can from the sections above and make up one's mind review response techniques about applicative to your state of affairs.

Often, yet, neutral reviews are cursory and lack details. They happen considering customers don't feel strongly enough either manner to describe their feel in great detail.

If that is the case, here'southward an appropriate mode to respond to neutral reviews:

Dear [Client Name], thanks for your review. We would dearest to hear more near your feel, so that we can employ your valuable feedback to evangelize an even better experience next time. Please achieve out to [CONTACT Information] with whatever further comments or suggestions you wish to share. Once again, thank you for taking the fourth dimension to review our business!

With a template in mind, you lot should plough your attention to the details that make a great neutral review response in the eyes of the customer.

Best Practice 1: As Ever, Say Thanks

Before you write out the rest of your neutral review response, commencement the right manner by showing appreciation for the time the customer took to write the review.

Best Practice 2: Reinforce the Positive

If the iii-star review contains positive feedback, be certain to phone call attention to information technology by mentioning it in your response: "We're glad to hear that the quality of our product matched your expectations."

Even if the review includes a critical comment, start your response with an affirmation of the review's positive aspects. (Research shows that readers are more likely to absorb ideas in the start 100 words of a text block.)

All-time Practice iii: Address the Negative

If you receive a neutral review with negative feedback, admit the specific bug the customer had with their experience. You may also issue a brusque apology and provide a brief explanation of what happened.

Best Exercise iv: Take It Offline for More Details

If y'all're request the customer for more details, practice and so with the intention of taking it offline. That style, you can investigate the situation more thoroughly while preventing details of a possible negative feel from condign public. This is besides a nifty customer experience management tactic.

You can say something to the effect of:

"Your business means a lot to us, so if you e'er have boosted feedback, please don't hesitate to reach out via [your contact information]."

Examples of How to Respond to Neutral Reviews

Many brands excel at responding to positive and negative reviews, and there are a select few that we found that proficiently navigated the tightrope of responding to a neutral review.

Take a expect beneath and see why these companies succeeded in their responses.

Responding to a Neutral Review of a Salon

Kréme de la Kréme Nail Lounge is the recipient of numerous positive reviews on Yelp. Angela T., the business possessor, takes the time out to thank Yelpers who put in these good words for her.

When this neutral review came along, Angela responded with:

Why it works: Her review response reinforces the positive ("So glad you enjoyed the cupcakes and liked our jewelry…"), while besides providing data that'southward useful to the customer who wondered about the toll, too as to readers of the review who might be curious why the blast salon'south prices are slightly higher than that of her competitors.

The response also gives an idea of the great lengths the business goes to in order to provide quality services and products.

Responding to a Neutral Restaurant Review

Etta in Chicago received this three-star review on Yelp, and what followed was an ideal response, penned past general manager Adam Scholten:

Why it works: Like the review itself, the response is short and simple. Adam thanked the customer for his honesty, only too expressed his eagerness to investigate the matter further and then that the restaurant tin deliver a improve dining feel next time.

Read more than: Restaurant Reputation Management in 5 Steps

Responding to a Neutral Retail Review

Another good example of how to handle a mixed or neutral review is from Joseph D., the owner of Flowers for Dreams in Chicago.

Why it works: The review response takes responsibility for an uncommon instance in which the flower system ordered by the customer kind of differed from the organisation delivered.

Joseph was quick to apologize, explaining that the product the customer received was not up to the business' usual quality standards. His response ended with an invitation to privately discuss the matter in more detail and an offer to make things right for the customer.

How to Respond to Employee Reviews

Crucial to the success and growth of any arrangement is its ability to attract and retain the best talent. That's why it'due south and then important for your leadership and 60 minutes teams to embrace — instead of fear — online reviews and public employee feedback posted online.

Responding to negative reviews on Glassdoor and Indeed can assistance a visitor improve its online reputation, build a strong employer brand , and attract more prospective employees in the future.

It'southward too an essential function of every successful employee retentivity strategy.

Consider these employer brand stats :

• 83% of candidates are likely to check a company's employee reviews and ratings when deciding on where to utilize for a job.
• 84% of job seekers say that the reputation of a company equally an employer is very important when making a conclusion on where to use for a chore.

Companies that respond to employee reviews provide job candidates with an extra measure of reassurance, peculiarly when they see that you, as an employer, are agile on employee review sites.

Past responding to employee reviews, you lot tin can back up your employer brand monitoring strategy, drive appointment with employees, and support efforts to improve the overall employee experience. Here'southward how to practise information technology properly.

Best Practice 1: Respond in a Timely and Organized Manner

The first stride to responding to reviews posted by employees is developing an organized manner to do then. Timeliness is crucial: whether it is once a calendar week or once a month, find a cadency that works for your team's bandwidth.

All-time Do 2: Show Your Appreciation

When responding to employee reviews, arrive a priority to give thanks the reviewer, regardless of whether they're singing your praises or highlighting areas for improvement.

Best Practice 3: Respond Professionally and with Authenticity

The strongest responses to employee reviews show respect for the reviewer by addressing feedback in a way that'southward professional and authentic.

All-time Exercise 4: Take Activity

Correct any organizational problems discussed in online reviews posted by your employees. By using their reviews to improve the employee experience, you can build non just a strong employer brand simply also a happier and more productive workforce.

Best Practice 5: Inquire for More Feedback

Asking for more than details can be tricky when you lot're dealing with employee reviews — which are anonymous on a site like Glassdoor. Yous'll want to respect that anonymity and encourage the reviewer to give private feedback to your Hr squad.

For example, an employee may feel comfortable offering negative feedback well-nigh their dominate while on Glassdoor, but not in person. Direct them to your Hour squad so that you can become more details well-nigh their experience, but brand sure they also feel comfortable.

Real-World Examples of How to Reply to Employee Reviews

The best responses to employee reviews are able to highlight or reinforce the positives, capitalizing on the opportunity to show how stiff the employer brand is. Cheque out this example from Genentech:

Equally y'all can see in the response, Genentech elaborates on the positive aspects of the review, noting, "We are delighted to hear that you value the efforts we have put toward creating an environs where everyone at Genentech can thrive."

The response besides addresses the negative concerns, but non before showing appreciation for the positive feedback.

Here's another example, which comes from DocuSign:

Why information technology works: Information technology's a short, simple response that shows appreciation for the time the employee took to write the review. DocuSign really does this for every review posted on their Glassdoor contour, demonstrating that the company cares almost its employees and their feel working there.

The primal to responding finer to negative employee reviews is to acknowledge and try to understand the individual employee feel. Doing then can even do good your organization, resulting in improved employee satisfaction and plentiful wins for your business organization.

In the example above, WillowTree doesn't sweep the rather difficult concerns under the rug by ignoring the employee's comments. The response specifically addresses problematic areas brought up and discusses what is beingness done to remedy them.

Read more:The Consummate Guide to Employer Branding

How to Answer to Reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook

Learning how to answer to negative reviews and taking part in client conversations tin can have a very real and measurable effect on your business.

Go on in mind, all the same, that every single review site will have its own fix of rules, terms, or guidelines for review responses. Make sure that the person assigned to reply to your reviews is aware of these rules.

How to Reply to Google Reviews

Reviews on Google evidence up in ii places: Google Search and Google Maps.

To respond to Google reviews , yous must exist logged into your Google My Business (GMB) account (now called Google Business Profile Manager). From your GMB account, click the Reviews tab.

Yous can click on the "Reply" button below each review to formulate a response. Based on the electric current Google review policy , y'all can besides edit your response if it has a typographical mistake or inaccurate information, but effort to keep those mistakes to a minimum.

Keep in mind that customers are told when a business responds to their online review on Google via email notifications. The business' response is published immediately and the email notification is sent to the customer five minutes later. The 5-minute delay allows the business to edit or make any corrections to their response after initial submission.

Businesses will exist notified of any new Google reviews that come in through their GMB notifications. However, it's important to note that brands with over 100 locations don't receive Google review alerts.

How to Respond to Yelp Reviews

Yous can answer to your Yelp Business reviews through the Yelp for Business concern Owners page . Make sure you have already claimed your business page on the site before getting started with responding to reviews.

To see your Yelp reviews using Yelp for Business Owners, simply log in and click the Reviews tab.

Apart from reading each individual review, you lot'll also be able to respond to your Yelp reviews with a public comment or a directly message. Or you lot can but press the Thank button to show your appreciation for customers who took the time to review your business on Yelp.

Y'all can detect these response options under each individual review.

How to Answer to Facebook Reviews

Facebook reviews are activated past default when yous create a business Page.

Whatsoever review, whether or not it includes additional text feedback, appears like a postal service in the Reviews or Recommendations department. You can answer to Facebook reviews and Recommendations the aforementioned mode you can respond to comments on your Facebook Folio or through your Facebook Business Manager account.

Should Yous Reply to Every Unmarried Review?

What is the ideal response rate? Should your business reply to every single review that comes in?

The brusk answer is: it depends. There are many factors you should accept into consideration.

Call up Near the Review Sites that Matter to You

Non all business organisation review sites volition be highly relevant to your concern. Understanding which sites are near impactful given your industry or business category volition help you determine the value of the reviews.

Hoteliers and hospitality executives, for example, should definitely take a plan in place for how to answer to Tripadvisor reviews . Restaurants, meanwhile, should respond to Yelp reviews equally well as feedback on other pop restaurant review sites . For local businesses of all types, it makes sense to focus on responding to Google reviews .

Practise your homework and get familiar with the most pop reviews for your type of business concern, and arrive a priority to respond to those reviews.

Don't Reply for the Sake of Responding

Don't reply if you're only going to write the aforementioned generic "Thank you" message  for, say, two dozen positive reviews. Accept the time to personalize your responses and brand them unique.

This likewise ensures that your responses volition meet individual review sites' guidelines. For instance, some sites (Booking.com, for example) don't approve of identical responses.

If you're responding to negative reviews, do so to provide balance and express your viewpoint in a positive way. Don't respond to blame customers. Remember: how you respond to a negative review says more nigh your business organisation than the negative review itself.

Have Your Review Book into Account

If you accept only four or five reviews on your profile, it's best to respond to every single i of them. However, you don't take to aim for the aforementioned 100% response rate if y'all're consistently getting dozens or hundreds of reviews across multiple review sites.

Ratings-only reviews or comments that are five or six words long are not likely to make a big impact on your online reputation. When deciding which reviews get a response, choose the detailed feedback that lend themselves to informative, expanded responses. You tin can apply these types of reviews as opportunities to drive customer engagement, too as highlight the strengths of your business.

Final Thoughts

Online reviews influence the way customers think about your business.

Keep in mind that your reputation is shaped not only by what you say about the concern but likewise — and probably by and large — by what customers are saying on online review websites.

While this may brand y'all feel like you have little control over how potential customers perceive your brand, you can withal actively participate in improving your online reputation. One of the best ways to practise and then is past responding to your reviews.

By responding to positive, negative, and neutral reviews and by applying the best practices and examples outlined in a higher place, yous can make a positive bear on on your make reputation and fifty-fifty boost financial outcomes.

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Source: https://www.reviewtrackers.com/guides/examples-responding-reviews/

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