Whether you run an e-commerce business or a brick-and-mortar store, customer feedback will always find its way online thanks to the modern Internet. Social media pages, comment sections, rating systems, and other feedback mechanisms allow customers to voice out their opinions about your business, both good and bad, easily.
While good feedback is always appreciated, bad feedback can be challenging to handle. However, that doesn’t make it any less important than positive feedback. To handle negative feedback in the most effective and efficient way, here are some tips that reputable SEO marketing experts in Utah and other states swear by:
1. Control your emotions
The worst thing you can do when handling bad feedback is letting your emotions get in the way. Yes, the customer may be saying something bad about your business, but how you react can make or break the situation.
Whenever you see bad feedback on your page, take a step back and keep yourself calm. It’s natural to have a reaction to anything negative said about you or your business, but letting your emotions take over your next actions can have dire consequences.
2. Be a good listener
What is the customer really saying? If a customer gives you negative feedback, always make sure to listen carefully. It’s the only way you can find out where they are coming from, and ultimately how you can help them from there onward.
3. Know when to ignore feedback
Analyze the feedback and determine if it’s legitimate or not. If it seems that the person is just trolling your business, ignore the comment or consider deleting it.
4. Maintain good online manners
Remain polite even if the customer is chewing your business up and spitting it out via online review. Maintain a professional tone without seeming sarcastic. Even if you want to shoot back at that customer, remember that your responses are also seen by the public. And even if you talk in private, there’s always a chance that the customer screenshots your conversation and posts it on a public forum.
Moreover, a displeased customer will likely calm down more if they are shown respect. After their negative emotions are defused, you can start winning them back again.
5. Don’t be defensive
The typical first impulse to negative feedback is to defend one’s self. However, that’s not always advisable when it comes to businesses.
When a customer posts a scathing review, don’t try to defend yourself or make excuses, at least not outright. Listen to their problem, analyze the complaint, and find out what caused the issue in the first place. If it’s a fault on your end, apologize and offer them something to make up for the inconvenience. Otherwise, explain that it was out of your control, but without putting the blame on them.
Handling negative feedback is a challenge for almost all businesses. However, it is a necessary part of improving your business and maintaining good customer relations. Keep in mind that even though negative feedback seems like a cold, hard piece of coal, it can turn into a precious diamond when used in the right way.
