8 tips to get the most out of negative customer reviews

We all know it: mistakes or misunderstandings happen during the customer journey and negative reviews from disappointed customers inevitably appear in various rating portals. Don’t panic now and keep a cool head, because negative reviews can also bring important benefits to companies if they are used correctly.

Proactive and effective review management has a significant impact on a company’s online reputation, improves customer experience and ultimately increases sales.

Even if it’s the most natural and easiest reaction: Don’t ignore negative reviews! They don’t go away by themselves and, in the worst case, can scare off new customers. Also, an impulsive and hasty response to the review is not recommended.

Rather, we should look at it from a different perspective: Dissatisfied customers have taken the time to express criticism and thus create space for communication – we should use this to clarify misunderstandings directly and alleviate anger. Above all, it is a valuable opportunity to show that we care about our customers.

The fact is that it is easier and more fun to respond to positive customer feedback. But it is also a fact that quick feedback on negative reviews can do even more. Many complaints stem from a small oversight and can be resolved with a quick and professional response. Brands get the chance to turn things around again and possibly win back customers.

At the same time, an unanswered, negative review can give potential customers a false impression of the company, which can be avoided with appropriate review management. As soon as a solution has been found, many users decide to delete or improve their rating.

A promising strategy here can be to prioritize according to “star ratings”: 1-star and 2-star ratings are answered within 24 hours, 3-star ratings within 48 hours and everything above within 72 hours. The following applies: Negative reviews should always have priority!

In most cases, consumers who leave negative reviews online are ultimately hoping for a resolution to their concerns – our proactive support is a valuable way to show them we genuinely care.

From an apology to a freebie or a store visit voucher, the solution can vary greatly depending on the complaint. However, it is important that customers feel understood and valued.

Standardized templates for responding to reviews in a consistent way come in handy for planning responses and saving time. Especially in the case of negative reviews, however, the goal should always be a personal and well-considered answer.

By responding to reviews on a case-by-case basis and individually, companies also promote more effective communication with other (potential) customers. Because many consumers make purchasing decisions based on ratings. A goal-oriented response to negative feedback should always address customers directly by name, offer an apology, and be empathetic, honest, and responsible. It should offer a satisfactory solution and ideally end with a positive, humane sentence. This is how we show people that we take their feedback seriously and that a solution can be created together.

It’s also extremely relevant to rank high in search engine results. The algorithms of Google, Bing and Co take into account the individual and balanced digital interaction with customers. However, if you only respond to negative reviews, they are more likely to appear before the more recent, positive reviews. To prevent this, it is best to respond to all feedback.

Even when responding to a negative review, the brand image should not be forgotten. After all, it was the values ​​and identity of this brand that made customers decide to buy. When answering, we should emphasize the brand values ​​again and thus also convince potential new customers.

Review management should therefore also be a fixed, strategic part of brand management at the local level. The be-all and end-all for the success of the strategy are uniform brand guidelines, the agreement of a corresponding message and a consistent tone when responding to all evaluations.

While no one likes to admit defeat, sometimes there is no solution to a negative customer experience. It is important to recognize and accept this in advance.

If the conversation continues anyway, further communication should be shifted from the public platform to an offline channel (such as a private message or a phone call). In some cases, however, additional responses from the company can only fuel more resentment. In any case, the team should assess the situation and decide whether further discussion can lead to a solution or whether it is better not to.

In order to be able to react effectively to negative reviews, all employees involved in the review process should always know their tasks and responsibilities and have suitable solutions ready.

In particular, if several people are responsible for answering customer reviews (e.g. in very large companies), it makes sense to introduce specific workflows. In this way, the review management process of the various locations and the associated compliance with the brand strategy remain under control.

Ultimately, negative customer reviews (rather than positive reviews!) offer valuable insights to improve the customer experience – be it at a single location or across the entire business.

For example, a particular store may receive more negative reviews than other stores. Location-related problems can thus be identified directly and concrete measures can be derived from the information from the evaluations in order to optimize the customer journey at this location.

Reviews also provide helpful insights into consumer trends and behavior. They can be observed over the long term and used to make informed decisions or anticipate future patterns.

All in all, these eight steps emphasize one thing above all: It is absolutely necessary to clearly show customers that we hear them and that we care about them. Proactive review management is an essential part of the successful hybrid customer journey and should therefore be firmly integrated into a company’s brand strategy.

Thanks to negative reviews, we receive a lot of valuable information for improvement and at the same time the opportunity to enter into dialogue with our customers.