7 ways to protect your business from negative reviews

99 out of 100 good deeds and yet people will always remember that one mistake you have made. Similarly, the building effect of nine positive reviews can be marred by one negative testimonial on your website. Negative reviews can have a fatal impact on your business and can make all your marketing efforts go down the drain. Before content marketing, advertising and SEO were put to use, the age-old trick that helped businesses grow as a brand was word of mouth. With ecommerce taking over conventional businesses, reviews and testimonials are just the cooler siblings of the word-of-the-mouth policies.

1. Do not ignore negative reviews

Most companies tend to ignore a negative review, hoping that the less it is stretched, the better. However, this isn't the case. Quite contrary to this belief, you must address the reason for the dissatisfaction of the customer as soon as you can. As the marketing manager of one of the best essay writing service, the one lesson that I have learnt is that nothing can replace patience and politeness. You can salvage the situation and convert a leaving customer to a loyal one by treating the situation with care and tact.

2. Be personal

An unsatisfied customer must feel that you are genuinely apologetic and asking for a second chance. You must make them feel important and give them the topmost priority. They should understand that their complaint is your first concern and that you are ready to do everything in your power to make things right. Go by the first name basis in the reply you post to make them feel connected.

3. Give them a contact number

Source: myassignmenthelp.com

If you want to nip the dilemma in the bud, then I recommend that you provide proper contact details on your website to maintain transparency. Moreover, when a customer finds the phone number or email address on the site, their first instinct would be to contact you directly so that someone in the company can help them immediately.

4. Focus on resolving the issue

If required, go overboard to fix the problem that one of your customers has faced. This would mean that you would have to go out of way breaking a few company policies, but I can assure you that it would be worth every penny you spend. “We have seen customers withdrawing their complaints and deleting their negative reviews once the company has solved their issues," says Emma Lynnette, an online reviewer and blogger associated with Trustedessayreviews.

5. Ask for suggestions

An old customer is equal to ten new customers, and therefore it becomes imperative that you go beyond your ambit to retain a former customer, says Ronald Brown, marketing head of Essaycritics. If the consumer is not happy with the solution you are willing to provide, then you can put the ball in his/her court and ask them what you can do to resolve the issue. This will make them feel valued and help them realise that you are ready to go any length to assure their satisfaction.

6. Do not defend aggressively

I have seen many brands defending the problem that a customer has faced, and they get quite aggressive in the process. What they do not understand is that a visitor on their website may take note of such behaviour from the end of the company and leave it immediately. So, do not take the complaints personally. “Even if you feel that it is a fake review, take the customer’s side and start working on it to make things right,” says the PR manager of Trustpilot.com.

7. Respond coolly and amiably

In this age of competition, contenders often post fake reviews to bring the reputation of a brand down. You might get angry and lose your calm after reading a false review. Instead of attacking the customer about the fake testimonial, keep your calm and take the higher road. There are other ways to verify whether the review posted is a fake one. For example, at MyAssignmenthelp, the academic site automatically asks for the assignment order ID to verify the issue.

One negative review could mean the loss of several loyal customers. However, if you can deal with the crisis with a cool head, you will gain loyal customers instead. The next time you get a poor review on your website, use it as a learning experience and counter it with the help of the 7 tips listed above.

Do you have other tips to help aspiring entrepreneurs like you? Share how you dealt with negative reviews in the comments section below.