How to Deal with Bad Reviews and Protect Your Online Reputation

In this article, you’ll learn how to deal with bad reviews so that negative feedback doesn’t damage your business’ online reputation.

Online reviews play a critical role in the decision-making process all consumers go through. According to Trustpilot’s report The Value of a Trustworthy Brand Reputation, reviews matter more to customers than pricing and discounts. Plus, customers will pay more for the same item from a company with good reviews versus one with no reviews.

Additionally, positive reviews increase trust in a brand. Trust is an integral part of closing more sales and gaining loyal customers. According to over 95% of responders, the top factor that increases trust in a company is if it has a good online reputation. Also, 90% of online shoppers won’t purchase from a company with a poor reputation.

The truth is, though, that negative reviews are inevitable, even for the most reliable companies with the happiest customers.

However, consider this: BrightLocal’s 2024 Local Consumer Review Survey: Trends, Behaviors, and Platforms Explored found that 88% of consumers would use a business that replies to all reviews, both positive and negative, while only 47% would use a business that doesn’t respond to its reviews. 

That means that even negative reviews give you a chance to impress your audience. Plus, having a mix of reviews — mostly good with a few negative ones, preferably — makes your business appear authentic.

In this article, we’ll provide you with practical strategies for addressing online reviews and learning from the bad ones.

Ultimately, your review management system is one of the keys to protecting and enhancing your brand’s online reputation.

Along with our parent company NetReputation, OnlineReputation.com provides information and services to help you protect your digital presence. Get started with a free online reputation analysis here.

The Impact of Negative Reviews

Negative reviews can discourage potential customers from buying from your brand, and they can even cause current customers to reconsider their loyalty to your company. When those reviews come from trusted platforms like Google or Yelp — or even social media — the effect is even more pronounced.

Almost 62% of online shoppers search for a company online if they’re not familiar with it, and very few of them will make a purchase if negative reviews show up on the search results page.

One negative review that’s left unaddressed can quickly escalate, especially if it spreads like wildfire on a social platform. That one unhappy customer can mean a reputation crisis before you know it if you’re not in tune with what’s happening or proactive about dealing with it.

When poorly managed, negative reviews can damage your brand’s trustworthiness, sales numbers, ratings and equity.

That’s a lot to risk, especially when review management can be streamlined, allowing you to spot negative feedback the moment it appears, respond quickly and control the narrative.

Negative Reviews Provide a Learning Opportunity

Yes, poor reviews can wreak havoc on your online reputation. But they can also provide a starting point for making important changes to your brand.

By closely listening to what your customers are saying, particularly sentiments that are repeated often, you can figure out the products and systems that need improvement. Identifying gaps in your brand is powerful, as you can use that insight to refine whatever elements need it.

Today, online reputation management is more important than ever before. Get started with a free analysis here or explore our services offered through our parent company, NetReputation.

How To Respond To Negative Reviews

Before we discuss how to respond to negative reviews, it’s important that we emphasize that you should respond to them.

When people are saying unflattering things about your business, it’s all-too-tempting to ignore them and carry on.

That’s a big mistake, though. Most consumers expect a review response within 2 to 3 days — no longer than a week, tops. And if you’re using social media to connect with your audience, your review response time has to be even faster. According to Sprout Social’s 2023 Index Report, on social platforms, 30% of consumers expect a same-day response, 23% of consumers want a response within 1 to 2 hours, and 16% of consumers expect to get a response within minutes.

5 Tips for Professionally Responding to Reviews

There are right and wrong ways to deal with a negative review. It’s important to take all customer feedback seriously, even if you don’t agree with what’s being said in the negative review. Here’s how to turn unhappy customers into satisfied customers through your response.

Reply Promptly

As you can see from the stats above, customers want a reply within days, sometimes even faster. The quicker you can address a new review, whether it’s positive or negative, the more you’ll impress the reviewer.

Remain Calm

As a professional, part of your job is staying calm when speaking with even the most irate customer. Try not to get emotional or defensive.

Acknowledge the Customer’s Problem

You may not agree with what the customer is saying. However, it’s still important to acknowledge that they’ve had a bad experience with your brand. By empathizing with them, you validate their experience, and they’ll be more receptive to your solution.

Make It Right

Next, it’s time to offer a solution or a few options for solving the problem. You don’t necessarily need to give in to what the customer is asking for if it’s an unreasonable request, but you can probably offer something, whether it’s a refund, discount, etc.

Move the Conversation Offline

While you want other customers to see that you’ve handled the situation, which means replying publicly to the review, at some point, it’s best to move the conversation offline. Once you get into the nitty-gritty of the situation, like getting the customer’s contact information and asking for more detail about what went wrong, do so offline, like via phone or email.

Customer satisfaction extends beyond making your current customers happy. You also have to think about potential customers. By reading online reviews or paying attention to word-of-mouth marketing, potential customers can be influenced by the experiences of others.

How To Prevent Negative Reviews in the Future

• Manage Customer Expectations: By setting clear expectations with customers from the get-go — like clarifying your shipping times and refund policies — you can avoid complaints caused by misunderstandings.
• Train Your Team: Proper training is necessary so employees know how to effectively handle upset customers. Moreover, empower your team to make bigger decisions to solve problems. For example, if every support member can offer a refund without having to wait for a manager to sign off on it, customers will be made happier faster.
• Encourage Positive Reviews: Whenever one of your employees speaks with a happy customer, they should encourage the customer to leave an online review. Make it easy for them to do this by providing a link or QR code that goes directly to your preferred review site.
• Monitor Your Online Presence: The only way you can quickly respond to new reviews is if you know when they show up online. Listening tools will alert you to new mentions of your brand name, and you may even be able to set advanced filters to be notified immediately when a negative review is posted. 

Wrapping Up: How To Respond To Negative Reviews and Encourage Satisfied Customers

Negative customer reviews and other types of negative feedback can do a lot of damage to your brand, especially if you don’t address customer concerns in a timely manner.

Plus, handling negative reviews is about more than making that one customer happy. Potential customers will see your review responses and determine whether or not they trust your business. And every negative customer review has the ability to provide insight into your brand’s processes and determine if improvement is needed.

When it’s time to handle negative customer reviews, remember to:

• Submit review responses as quickly as possible
• Stay calm and avoid getting defensive
• Acknowledge what the customer has experienced
• Ensure your review response offers a solution
• Take the conversation offline

Then, prevent negative feedback and encourage positive feedback in the future. You can do this by being transparent about your processes and properly training your team in review responses and customer service. 

Your Online Reputation Management Strategy

At OnlineReputation.com, we provide must-know information to individuals and businesses who want to create, grow or repair their digital reputation. Whether you’re prioritizing your personal or professional online reputation, our advice and team of experts can help.

Through our parent company, NetReputation, we offer a range of online reputation management services, including ad management, search engine optimization, review monitoring, content removal and more. Our five-step ORM strategy ensures we cover every base to create a tailored program that’s right for you.  

It’s possible to create a robust, positive online reputation even if you’re starting from zero or rebounding from a PR crisis. Call us at 844-230-3803 for more information.