Positive and Negative feedback is an integral part of every business, and companies have been dealing with it forever. Companies have dedicated customer service teams that handle both positive and negative feedback to enhance the customer experience. However, if you are an eCommerce or online business, such feedback or online reviews acquire a whole new technique.

What was limited to a personal interaction over the phone or face-to-face dialogue, is now out there for millions to read, and that can reflect on the image of your brand. And while it’s always a very good thing when the reviews are positive, the negative ones can impact more than just the morale of the employees.

Research proves that majority of buyers will read reviews and feedback before making an online purchase. Therefore, negative ones can spell real trouble if not handled in the proper manner. Here are some proven strategies to handle the not-so-great reviews you may find on different review sites, such as Google, Facebook, Yelp and others.

Reply Promptly

You must reply immediately, as leaving the issue to fester can be a costly mistake. Your silence can be interpreted as arrogance or indifference, and the issue may escalate, and negatively impact your status on social media.

If resolution and investigation of the issue need time, communicate this to the customer with an apology, and state a tentative date when you will get back with an appropriate reply. It is important that companies who run an online business have a robust system to track every review, positive and negative, to efficiently manage both.

Resolve the Issue

If a customer is leaving a negative review for a product or service, they are doing so for a solid reason. Taking responsibility and offering a sincere apology will go a long way in showing that you care.

Any apology must be followed by corrective action by way of fixing the problem, or doing the next best thing. This may include offering a refund or making a gesture in the form of vouchers, coupons, tickets etc. Quickly and adequately resolving problems that are highlighted in a negative review is guaranteed to create trust and goodwill for your company.

Don’t Ignore Negative Reviews

If someone has expressed a negative feedback, it could be that something may be lacking in the service or product, and you may need to tie up loose ends. Use the feedback to benefit your business and offer improved customer service.

You do not want the next client to have similar problems which have already been flagged by the reviewer. You need to put it right the first time, as 88% of buyers are influenced by online reviews when making an online purchase.

Use Negative Reviews to Your Benefit

People run businesses and sometimes a mistake can be made. It may be to your benefit to publishing the negative reviews along with the good ones. In the competitive eCommerce scenario, reviews can be amended, tweaked, invented. When you choose to publish the negative along with the good ones, with an explanation of how you resolved the problem, visitors can see the authenticity of the company and builds trust.

Following this with a quick resolution, proves that your company is not afraid to tackle problems head-on and take corrective action. Besides, responding to reviews puts your customer service skills on display and also shows the reviewer their opinion matters.

Encourage Feedback

Almost every product upgrade or improvement is influenced to a great degree by user feedback. It can also give you valuable insight into your business and its performance. Inviting feedback and reviews from clients, partners or vendors, and then sharing it on social media platforms and the company website can work as a clever strategy.

You are likely to get a mix of negative and positive reviews, and once the plusses outnumber the minuses, you’ll gain an edge. Ask for reviews in promotion mailers, marketing materials, or even your website.

Dealing with Review Sites

Review Sites provide an unbiased third-party platform where people can share their opinion. If you attract too many negative reviews, it will affect your ranking on the consumer review sites.
Reviews are also an important tool in SEO efforts. For example, Google Reviews place a great deal of importance on reviews that can affect searches. There are multitudes of such sites, and each one works to help users with the most reliable information. Understanding how these sites rate you is important for your business.

Most people will appreciate the sincere customer service efforts of companies, and that includes managing negative reviews in a professional and polite manner. You gain trust and strengthen the relationship with customers, both current and future. It’s vital that your reviews supplement the product description.

Another way to help manage your social media is to connect your accounts to your ERP with Commercient’s IoT Pulse. This can help your business and customer support, by allowing a full view of your social media and your sales and customers.

Your company’s sales and customer support can become more efficient by integrating your ERP and CRM using Commercient SYNC. The improved data visibility allows better interaction with past and potential customers, keeping them happy with the way queries and complaints are managed. This means improved customer success, and better possibilities for positive reviews.

To learn more about IoT Pulse and SYNC, please contact Commercient today.

About the Author

Raj Adhi is a professional writer, editor and blogger. She has completed her Graduation in Chemistry and Masters in Journalism from University of Mumbai.