Responding to Negative Reviews on Social Media

Nowadays, it’s extremely easy for consumers to look up a business on social media to see what their ratings are and what the quality of their customer reviews are. Prospective customers will read these reviews to determine how your company handles customer service issues.

Word-of-mouth marketing is incredibly effective, so these social media reviews could make or break your ability to attract potential consumers. Therefore, having great customer service online is of the utmost importance, augmenting your social media presence.

From time to time, it’s possible a negative review may show up on your page. Maintain the integrity of your business by reacting appropriately to the negative comment. Follow these five tips to learn how to respond to a bad review on your social media.

Tip No. 1: Respond to the comment.

Always respond to the negative review, as other customers can see how you react and may judge your company’s customer service based on that interaction. This transparency will allow others to see that you do pay attention to how your consumers feel, and that you are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure they leave with a positive experience.

By discussing the situation on the online thread, your audience can see your attempts to correct any mistake or wrongdoing, and that you truly care about building a relationship with your customers.

Tip No. 2: Contact the user in a private chat.

We recommend responding both on the public comment thread and in a private message, so you will be able to get more in-depth information from the commenter in a direct chat.

If you end up resolving their problem, you can ask them to re-review your business on your social media to counteract the negative review.

Tip No. 3: Don’t make excuses.

Instead of making excuses regarding why the customer’s situation may have happened (e.g., we were short-staffed, our computers were down, etc.), make it a point to tell them that the occurrence is unusual for your business and that you would like a chance to make it up to them.

Earn back their trust and business by explaining how important customer satisfaction is to your company, and then take whatever steps are in your power to resolve the dilemma.

Tip No. 4: Give them your contact information.

Provide your direct contact information, so they know who they are talking to and are guaranteed a response. By getting on a more personal level with them, the customer will know they are talking to a person, not simply a profile picture of your business on social media.

Tip No. 5: Take their feedback into consideration.

Their feedback may highlight a weak spot in your company that you weren’t aware of. See if there are further actions you can take to prevent this problem (and another negative review) from happening again.

Responding to negative reviews isn’t always a fun task, but it’s crucial for you to get to the bottom of the problem so future consumers won’t have the bad impression of your business that can be relayed in a single comment on social media.

Our platform specifically notifies you whenever a new review appears on your page, so you can immediately take action if it happens to be an unfavorable opinion.

By reacting in a positive and friendly manner, you’ll demonstrate that your business’ No. 1 concern is your customer’s happiness, which will earn you a stronger audience and devoted consumers over the long run.