Online reviews have taken the center stage when it comes to connecting with prospects and customers. Before that, brands often rely on internal marketing tactics, including owned and sponsored assets to lure the users into the paying customers’ fold. Today, users are more considerate toward peer-generated content, compared to the past. It is a kind […]
Online reviews have taken the center stage when it comes to connecting with prospects and customers. Before that, brands often rely on internal marketing tactics, including owned and sponsored assets to lure the users into the paying customers’ fold.
Today, users are more considerate toward peer-generated content, compared to the past. It is a kind of “us vs them” mentality where brands are considered foxy and greedy, pushing forward their only agenda of higher sales.
Negative reviews often pop up in the interactive sections, owing to this mentality and other factors. The problem is that the team is often ill-prepared to professionally handle it and even turn it into an advantage for the brand.
This guide will go through the impacts of negative reviews, and the importance of responding to negative reviews, with some examples and samples of responses to push the message through.
Since it has the word negative in it, businesses are aware that there is nothing positive coming out of it. Still, we can work our way around an email response to a client requests to turn our disadvantage into an advantage.
In this section, however, we will take a look at how negative reviews impact a brand and its assets across the internet.
Prospects always go through the reviews and testimonials section of the brand before placing their orders. As studies have shown that more than 85% of modern consumers consider online reviews the same as personal recommendations. In addition to this, over 79% believe that reading positive reviews online makes it easier for them to trust new brands.
With negative reviews at the top, bottom, and center of your brand’s testimonial section, prospects are sure to get scared and leave for good.
A brand’s reputation is the perspective and sentiments of the users surrounding its products and services. It is the driving force behind online chatter that distinguishes a good brand from a great brand. When the perception is positive, more users and current customers would be willing to give business to the brand. If that is negative, they will be reluctant to move forward and abandon the brand.
Apart from human users, online reviews have a lot to say to search engines and their crawlers. Research has shown that customer testimonials are the most affordable marketing tools with exceptional ROIs for brands.
When you receive negative feedback, however, it sends poor signals to the search engine resulting in poor rankings and indexing. In the end, your brand becomes less and less discoverable to online users.
As mentioned in the previous sections, there are some workarounds where brands can turn a negative review into a positive experience for both the user and themselves. In the past, brands used to simply ignore the fact that negative reviews exist. They would simply turn a blind eye to them and let it damage their good name.
Following are some of the reasons that highlight the importance of responding to negative reviews for brands.
With the mentality of brands vs users, it is necessary to show the users that brands are indeed run by humans and they care about their users. When your response is professional and calculated, the first and most important thing that users will notice is that you are concerned about their experience.
Negative reviews can be detrimental. Often, there are no other ways to respond to them except to show gratitude for their time and effort. This could lead to damage control as many users remove the original review for the positive one.
The online world is all about conversations and communication. Even a negative review can lead to positive conversations and allow brands to win the hearts and minds of users. Again, professionalism and politeness are a must in every interaction with the users.
Say you receive an angry email where the user was fuming with anger. Your first reaction to the email was total bewilderment, but you should not stop there. It is necessary to get the reigns of the conversation back to the brand. For that, you need to respond.
This section is dedicated to helping brands how to write negative feedback email samples.
Time is of the essence in these cases. As the maxim goes, justice delayed is justice denied, the same goes for late responses to negative reviews. Maybe you get too late and let the momentum go in the favor of the user.
Brands used to ignore negative feedback altogether. They often end up leaving the unattended review for the rest of the population to see. That’s why ignoring feedback is not an option. Whether you like it or not, you need to respond to the testimonial.
Professionalism goes a long way with customer-brand interactions. Since you have just received a scathing review, your human instincts can be understandably hurt. But it is always best to stay calm and composed and go through the process masking the true emotions.
Whether it is a glowing review or a negative one, it takes time to compose and post one. It would not be an overstatement to say that negative reviews are more personal and heartfelt compared to their positive counterparts. So, it is always best to show gratitude toward them for taking out the time.
Templates are great for large corporations as they have to steer through enormous volumes of customer feedback. However, small businesses should go for custom responses with a complete focus on the specific problem. This could lead to better understanding and even bonding between the business and the user.
As experts have often stressed, there are differences between apologizing and feeling sorry for the customer. Make sure to represent the best values for your brand without stopping low. This could lead to the formation of other ideas in the minds of the users.
This could be spoon-feeding but many brands often get puzzled upon receiving negative criticism. First, they need to have a solid review management tool in place so that they are notified in real-time. TrustAnalytica takes the crown for being the best in business. With the interactive dashboard, push notifications, and multiple locations, you can always be one step ahead of the competition in connecting with users.
Now, let us go through some of the negative email examples and responses with unique scenarios.
In this case, the brand’s representative should introduce himself and thank the reviewer for his time. Then, it is time to show remorse for the poor experience of the user and ensure that the brand is looking further into the matter.
The introduction and connection with the user go the same as the last template but this one requires the brand to make amends. The best ones come in the form of discounts which will give more business to the brand and make the user happy.
In this scenario, brands need to maintain their integrity and show the user that it is indeed a novel situation for the brand itself. Again, keep calm and show professionalism in all aspects of the interaction. The best thing to do if things are not clear is to ask for some time and ensure that all the bases are covered in that time.
Say your brand was not responsible for the inconvenience whatsoever, but the user is adamant that you should make amends. In that case, it is necessary to tap into the options of the discount. Keep in mind that the brand should hold its position of not being responsible for the problem.
In many cases, the review is not clear at all. Instead of promising something off the bat, the professionals should ask for some time and investigate the matter internally. For simple issues, 24 hours is enough. But if the matter concerns multiple departments, it is alright to ask for 3 to 5 business days.
There is no denying that negative reviews have become a headache for many brands. It is because no matter how exceptional their services are, they always stick up like sore digits and scare off prospects and potential customers. In this blog, we have covered multiple bases including the best practices and some cases with templates.
TrustAnalytica is the trusted partner for brands for all online activities surrounding reviews acquisition, management, and marketing. If you need a hassle-free understanding the customer sentiments, this is your best choice!
Negative reviews are often more charged and emotional. No matter the details, brands should make the effort and respond to them to show the users that it cares. Conversation leads to better understanding which eventually leads to the resolution of problems.
There is no other way of responding to negative feedback than to respond positively. Here are some fine points to remember:
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