Think back to when you got your first bad review… takes you right back to that cringey feeling, doesn’t it? Bad reviews happen to everyone and even the best products out there have their critics. As much as people love the iPhone, there are still things about it that seriously bug! Like why the heck did they get rid of the universal headphone jack??? So annoying! But did it stop me from upgrading my phone? No! Because there’s still plenty about it that I love.
While you may not have the brand recognition and credibility of Apple, you are definitely don’t need to stress over a bad review. The important thing is that you are listening to your customers, providing excellent customer service, and righting any wrongs that have occurred. While positive reviews are always the goal, let’s talk about what to do if you get a bad review.
- Don’t PANIC! Take a deep breath and look at bad reviews as an opportunity. Look at what the review is telling you. Does the review bring a product defect to your attention? Does the review complain about the certain product features or lack thereof? Or is the review a personal opinion that is limited to their life experience and desire to troll and engage via the internet? Start by categorizing the review as helpful/relevant and make note of the ways these types of product experiences can be avoided in the future, or if it’s a personal issue that is more reflective of the reviewer than the product, you have my permission to let it roll off your back!
- Once you categorize the nature of the review here’s our advice in either case:
- Make sure to comment publicly back to the customer. Make sure whoever responds to reviews has excellent grammar and responds tactfully in every situation.
- Provide sufficient customer service information for the customer so they know that there’s a way to solve their problem since Amazon does not allow you to give external contact information we suggest you keep it vague and let them know to reach out to you. Once they reach out, make sure your customer service is on point, depending on the severity of the issue provide them with a new product, a refund, or more education to help solve their problem.
- Read back the customer service answer you provided as if you were a new customer. Would it seem friendly and helpful? Does it seem like a company that is willing to serve their customers well and go above and beyond for them? There will be potential customers reading these review comments, and this aspect of customer service can make or break whether a purchase is made. You are writing these responses not just for the person who wrote the review, but for any potential customer deciding to buy your product.
Even if a customer is not completely satisfied with their initial experience, great customer service can go a long way and can even result in a positive review in the end. So, make sure you have systems in place to monitor reviews, address negative (and positive for that matter) reviews, and provide solutions for the issues these reviews raise. When you have a plan in place, these types of hiccups won’t throw you off your game. You’ll view it as an opportunity to serve your customers and demonstrate a little humanity behind your brand.