Media Intelligence: How to Deal with Negative Reviews Online?

The online response is fantastic. It enables us to validate the work we do, to course correct in areas where we can improve, and get an overall sense of how we’re performing in the market. It is direct feedback from our client base that is useful in running and growing our operations.

 The issue is that online commentary isn’t always positive. While useful in the correct context, negative feedback can tarnish a company’s brand, jeopardize public relationships, and be downright unpleasant at times.

Online reviews influence 90 per cent of consumers’ purchasing decisions, according to ZenDesk. Fortunately, there are various ways for businesses to lessen the impact of unfavourable internet reviews, social media comments, or negative stories. It’s even feasible to make the circumstance work in your favour.

Types of Reviews

 Negative feedback does not come in all forms. Some unpleasant remarks are sincere and well-deserved, while others are made to cause harm. Before you go any further, you should learn to distinguish between the many types:

Constructive Criticism and Real-World Issues

Some feedback is intended to call your attention to an issue that a client, patient, or user has discovered with your product or service. While a public comment showing a flaw in your organization isn’t ideal, these reviews and comments can be a genuine opportunity for your business to improve and communicate with the public. 

Some people may even provide potential remedies to the problems. Take this advice with a grain of salt because the general public frequently overlooks vital knowledge about the sector. Still, please pay attention to each suggestion and analyze whether it is feasible.

Attacks that are based on facts

When customers’ experience is less than ideal, they may become enraged and actively assault the company. While the attack may not have been justified, the issue that caused them to become furious in the first place could be pretty legitimate. 

Take the message to heart without taking the criticism personally if there is a problem that can be remedied. Situations like these might go wrong, but they can also help develop goodwill if handled well.

Spam or trolling

“Some folks just want to watch the world burn,” as the saying goes. Some people are irritated for no good reason, but they will attack a company merely to get a kick out of stirring the pot. Trolling is something that 28% of Americans admit to doing.

 In a similar vein, some unscrupulous businesses would publish false negative comments about a competitor to raise public awareness of their product or service as a competitor.

How to React

It’s easier to select the appropriate course of action after determining the type of negative feedback you’re dealing with. Always respond to a critical comment or review if it is justified, but be careful how you do so. 

Always reply in a positive, productive manner rather than in rage. Maintain a courteous tone throughout the conversation, and if the circumstance warrants it, offer to take the topic offline. In this manner, you may dig deeper into the problem without letting it spiral out of control online while protecting the customer’s anonymity.

Keep your reaction brief but personal when responding. Recognize any errors you’ve made in the case of a poor review, and if there’s a practical method to set things right with the customer, do so. While a company should not feel compelled to apologize, a courteous reaction and a willingness to go above and beyond can turn a disgruntled client into a loyal one who may even become an advocate for your company. 

Once the matter has been rectified, leave a remark on the site where the review was written indicating that it has been resolved.

In the instance of trolling, however, the situation is different. A troll usually attempts to provoke you into a fight, which is never good for your reputation.

 They are often unconcerned with fighting fairly or being truthful. Do not engage with a troll once again. Ignore negative criticism and, if necessary and possible, delete negative comments as quickly as possible.

 If the comment or review was posted on a third-party website, contact the site’s proprietors and explain your situation. Just be aware that some websites will refuse to remove content, in which case you should ignore it and go on.

Read more: How to Create a Viable Social Media Advertising Campaign