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5 Tips for Responding to a Negative Review

negative reviews

Negative reviews about your business can be painful, both emotionally and financially, but every business faces them at some point. You may feel as though your online reputation is doomed, but it isn’t. Homeowners are looking at your response to criticism online and looking to see if your business can remain level-headed and is a strong indicator of your customer service skills. Your response is also a clear indicator of what they can expect by hiring your renovation, home repair, or other home service business. To prevent a negative review from impacting your bottom line and deterring potential clients from hiring your business, think about these 5 tips when faced with negative feedback online.

1. Keep it Professional, Always

Whether the homeowner is entirely out of line or the review is factual, it’s your job not to take it personally. The homeowner could be a bully, having a bad day, or deeply frustrated with the job at hand. Either way, it’s essential to generate a response in a good state of mind and take some time to process the feedback.

Once you’ve taken some time to process and have collected your thoughts, you can then respond to the review professionally and constructively. When crafting a response the tone of voice is critical; a defensive or hostile response is enough reason for future customers to run the other way, right to your competition, so keep it polite and professional.

2. Thank Them for Their Feedback and Time

This may feel strange, but it is vital. Reviews are the very thing that can help a business improve, and thanking a homeowner for sharing their experience, good or bad, shows your dedication to improving. At some point the homeowner thought highly of your business; they did after all hire you, but their expectations were not met. Thanking the homeowner for bringing their concerns to your attention shows your gratitude.

3. Show Empathy and Be Understanding

Just as thanking a homeowner is important, so is showing your empathy and understanding towards their disappointments. Try your best to put yourself in the reviewer’s shoes and truly process why they’re upset and leaving this negative review. Not only can empathizing with the reviewer humanize your business, but it can help you process the underlying issues with a clearer mindset.

4. Contact the Homeowner Directly to Rectify Issues

In some cases, pros are blindsided by negative reviews. They were under the impression that a homeowner was satisfied and was not aware of the concerns at hand. If that is the case, it’s crucial that you reach out to the homeowner directly to rectify the issue.

If they’re unresponsive be sure to take it a step further in your reply response. Provide your business’s contact details and ask them to contact you to discuss further. Do not pressure them or bully them once in touch to remove the review, but rather see if you can rectify the issue.

5. Drown Out Negative Reviews with Good Ones!

Rather than feeling discouraged by negative reviews be resilient, craft a solid response and then begin collecting more reviews from happy customers. The more reviews you collect, the lower the negative review will fall, and the less weight it will carry.

To sum it up, stay positive and respectful when handling negative reviews. Thank them for their feedback, see if you can rectify the issue, and always post contact details informing the homeowner that you would like to take this offline to discuss further. These steps will show a potential prospect that you’re professional but willing to do what it takes to turn an angry customer into a happy one!

Questions? Contact your dedicated account manager, today, or call 1-800-701-9265.

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