Online reviews are critical for all kinds of businesses. Customers spread the news about their shopping experiences to family, friends, colleagues, and strangers through their online reviews and ratings of your business. Word of mouth is more powerful than ever due to the increasing popularity of online reviews and social media. Because of its popularity, an increasing number of businesses have started offering online word-of-mouth services that including Amazon.com. And also major television networks such as ABC, CBS, and NBC sponsor Usenet newsgroups to elicit viewers to talk about their programs and shows.

This is because; people judge a business by its reviews. According to recent research, it is studied that, “Nearly 9 in 10 consumers have read online reviews to determine the quality of a business, and 39% do so on a regular basis.” And the worst part is that 67% of consumers confirmed that they read up to 6 reviews, 85% of consumers said they read up to 10 reviews and 7% of consumers said they read 20+ reviews.

There’s more:

Worried? No need to be… Bad reviews can be converted into a good one if you plan accordingly. According to a study by Lee Resource International, “For every customer who complains, 26 others remain silent.”

That means a bad review from a certified and good customer is a munificent gift that can alert you to make great changes making those 26 angry customers happy. On the other side, handled correctly, a negative comment is a great opportunity to draw attention to your business’s many positive qualities. Turn the negative into a positive by highlighting your strengths. Sometimes something as simple as an apology can go a long way: “We are sorry you had a bad experience. We’ve been in business for a long time, we serve thousands of customers a week, and we strive to create the best possible experience for everyone.” A genuine response is the first step in tackling a bad review and appeasing the jilted customer.

This is one of the tactics to handle bad reviews, what else can you do? More consumers are interested in “good value” while fewer are concerned about the “expertise” of a business.

How to deal with Bad Reviews

When a business gets negative reviews, its first course of action is to try to remove the review. This is a terrible approach. A bad review is not the problem, but it is the result of a problem. So don’t focus on the result, focus on the problem.

• Stay Calm – Most business owners get upset or angry when they come across negative reviews. Responding at this time may lead you to serious problems. So, it is vital not to respond to a review until you cool down.
• Respond with Tack – If a negative review comes from genuine customers, concerns raised by high-profile customers, or negative reviews on popular sites, keep your response professional. Passive-aggressive or sarcastic comments will only fuel the flames. So try to respond calmly which helps demonstrate to other customers that you are addressing the problem and your valuable feedback.
• Learn and Move on – This might be a little bit tough, though it is the best strategy. Being irritated with a negative review can affect your workflow. Successful people learn from mistakes and take this as a new chance to improve their business. Try to use such reviews to learn something new.
• Diagnose – Once the negative review is resolved, you should get to the bottom of why the mistake occurred without blaming both the customers and your staff. Focus on fixing the process so that it doesn’t happen in future orders.

With a consistent response policy, you can turn a bad online review into a positive outlook for your business. For more tips on online marketing, visit Digital Evolutions, one of the well-known digital marketing agency in dubai.