First, let me tell you that there is no need to worry because in any project there will inevitably be mistakes, and there will certainly be negative reviews, comments and messages from your customers no matter how good your product and service is.
On the other hand, these opinions are very important for any business and help it grow and get to know its customers and the problems they may face.
In this article, we will provide you with a way to deal with negative customer opinions, and how to find out the reasons why they say such opinions about your service or product.
Why are negative customer reviews so important to any business?
Negative customer reviews can sometimes be a concern for companies, but they are a good opportunity to improve their customers’ experience in dealing with them, and are important because they:
- Help companies improve and develop their performance and the product they provide, and reduce the gap between the company and customers.
- Negative or positive customer reviews show you how customers perceive your brand and help you improve it for the better.
- You will learn how to deal with such problems and customer opinions, and even avoid the causes that lead to them in the future, to prevent losing customers and getting these negative opinions.
Before we get into how to respond to negative customer reviews, you should be aware of the reasons why they might say a bad review or review on your brand. It certainly didn’t happen in a vacuum.
Reasons behind negative customer reviews
If you’re interested in knowing how to handle negative customer reviews and non-positive feedback, you should first know why they said it in the first place.
There are several reasons for negative customer reviews that you should be aware of, and avoid in order not to lose your customer.
And on top of those reasons that cause customer anger:
1. The mistreatment or service you provide, which is the failure to respond quickly or the presence of problems and complications encountered by the client when obtaining the service, which the client immediately translates into poor service.
2. Brand, website, or purchase policies are not well known to customers.
3. The customer did not get what he expected. This may result from the fact that the advertisement includes fake services or discounts that the customer did not get in the end, or he may expect speed in obtaining the service or expect interest or respect from you that he does not find when presenting his problem.
4. Not listening or responding to the customer’s words from the first time, or interrupting him in a rude manner, and here he feels a feeling of lack of interest and begins to take actions against you and say negative opinions.
All of these reasons cause customers to be misunderstood, weary of you and make them comment negatively.
But do not worry, we will provide you with some strategies and methods to help you deal with angry customers and solve their problems.
Strategies for dealing with negative customer reviews
Negative customer opinions affect the achievement of sales goals and the conversion rate of potential customers, so it is important to deal with them professionally.
That is why we will explain some methods to help you deal with these opinions:
Method 1: Reply as soon as possible
Your attempt to respond quickly to customers reduces their tantrums, negative motivation against you, and helps you change the bad impression that the customer has about your company.
You should also take into account the impression of customers who read the comments and did not find a quick response from you to this comment.
As they will take a stand against you by not dealing with you because there are negative criticisms and not quickly resolved.
On the contrary, if they find a quick response from you, they will have a positive character about you and that you seek to satisfy your customers quickly.
The second method: absorb customer anger
There are two things you should do to absorb your customers’ anger, and they are:
First: apology and explanation
Apologize and calmly explain to the client that you understand his point of view and that the problems he encountered will be dealt with in the best way, and that you need to communicate with them directly to understand the details of the problem.
Two: empathy
Empathize with your customer and tell him that if you are in the same situation, you will feel the same way and make him feel that you want his comfort and satisfaction, and take serious steps towards solving his problem.
Method 3: Allocate a complaint number or an email for opinions
One of the best practices in dealing with customers is to allocate a complaint number or an email through which you communicate with customers, listen to their opinions and solve their problems away from social media platforms and the website.
You can seriously take and improve every problem you encounter with your customers without much fuss, and make sure that your customers are completely happy.
After solving the problem, you can ask customers for positive comments about the service, whether on the website or social media pages.
Method 4: Avoid deleting negative comments
In order not to lose your credibility and make customers take a bad impression of you, whether they leave their opinions or those who read these comments, and you appear to them that you are deceptive and that you really have shortcomings in the service or product, do not delete their opinions.
The best practice is to respond to the comment as soon as possible and tell the owner that you will contact him directly to solve the problem.
And when you’re done solving it and making sure the customer is satisfied, you reply back that the problem has been resolved, and don’t ask the customer to delete the comment but ask him to comment positively.
Method 5: Use positive phrases
In order for the customer to turn from an angry customer to a happy customer and is ready to buy your product or service again, you must use some positive phrases that make him feel that you care about his affairs.
Whatever the client’s approach to you, you will need to use these phrases to take ownership and manage the situation in your favour.
Among these phrases:
- Please explain to me the problem and anything related to it.
- Tell him that you will feel the same way if this happens to you.
- Thank him for bringing this to your attention.
- Tell him steps you will take to solve the problem.
- Empathize with him and tell him some statements in support of him such as sure and indeed and yes.
Types of customers when submitting a complaint
Understanding the types of clients that give their opinions helps you deal with each client in the appropriate manner that enables you to make a good impression with each client.
There are 4 types of angry customers who express their negative opinions, and we will show you the most appropriate ways to deal with each of them:
1. The customer who exaggerates his complaint: This customer not only said a negative opinion, but exaggerated his opinion and described the problem.
The best solution you can do with this type is to empathize, show that you understand him, and suggest solutions that fit his problem.
2. The right customer: This customer already has a real problem, so you should calm down in your dealings with him and accept the idea of mistakes on your part and that it is normal.
Thank him for this complaint, convey your understanding of it, give him the appropriate quick solutions, apologize for it, and ask him to change the comment after the problem is resolved.
3. The sharp-tongued customer: This customer insults and throws swearing words to harass you. Try to calm him down and do not take his words personally. I apologize to him and tell him that he needs to calm down to understand his problem.
Tell him that you understand his feelings and will do your best to solve his problem, and tell him that you cannot continue the dialogue with him in his way, and if he continues, you are forced to end the dialogue in vain.
4. Threatened customer: This customer is aiming to tarnish the reputation of the brand. Do not pay attention to his threats, and tell him that you will take quick steps to solve his problem.
Important tips to turn your angry customer into a fully satisfied customer
1. Train employees well to respond to customers, deal with their complaints seriously, and resolve them, and ensure that they have all sufficient information about the products and services you provide and about the vision, goal and policies of your brand.
2. Make sure to know the customers’ opinions and impressions about your brand by using the customer service questionnaire and service evaluation, and follow them up on a permanent basis.
3. Provide after-sales service that will help you understand customers and get their satisfaction and positive feedback. You can use techniques like emails or direct calling so that your customers feel special and that you want to please them.
4. Ensuring that all the advantages and benefits mentioned in the advertisement are available in the service or product that you provide so as not to miss the expectations of customers and appear as a scammer and lose your customers forever.
5. Always make sure your customers are happy and satisfied, as statistics indicate that a satisfied customer tells 4 to 6 people about his happy experience, which increases your sales and enhances the reputation of your project.
6. Provide compensation, even a small one, for the customer’s complaint, and tell the customer that in the event of a purchase again, he can contact you personally to make sure that the matter does not happen again, and to ensure that he has a happy experience the second time.
7. Encouraging customers to leave their comments and opinions and not to be afraid of any negative opinions, and to deal with them professionally, to get to know their perceptions of you.
8. Show your interest and respond to each comment individually so that the customer feels that he is special to you.
9. Apologize to your customers immediately, as statistics indicate that 40% of customers who say their negative opinions only want to apologize to them.
10. Stay up-to-date with your online reputation, and what customers say about you on different platforms.
Mistakes to avoid when dealing with negative customer reviews
1. Taking matters personally: Do not deal with the customer as criticizing or objecting to you personally, and accordingly do not take a motive position in front of him and defend your person or the company and become an equal to him, but rather listen to him well and try to calmly help him solve his problem.
2. Neglecting customer comments: Neglecting for a long time will lose you a large number of customers, because the customer becomes dissatisfied and then tells everyone he knows about his bad experience with your company or brand, which robs you of a large number of customers.
3. Arguing and lying: One of the worst behaviors that you can do is to lie… For example, to tell the customer that his problem will be solved without taking any actual steps towards the solution or arguing with the customer’s opinion, which angers the customer and makes him take a bad impression about the company or the brand .
In addition to this, I recommend that you read an article titled Customer Dealing Mistakes, which will help you a lot in knowing the mistakes that you avoid when dealing with your customers.
Frequently asked questions about how to deal with negative customer reviews
1. What are the reasons for customers to say negative reviews?
- Poor service, such as not responding quickly or listening well to customer problems and opinions.
- Poor product, or unclear company policies to customers.
- The customer does not get what he expects, or there are ads that include fake offers.
2. What are the strategies for dealing with negative customer reviews?
- reply as soon as possible.
- Absorb customers’ anger.
- Allocate a complaint number or email.
- Avoid deleting negative comments.
- Use positive phrases.
3. What are the types of customers when submitting a complaint?
- A customer who exaggerates and overstates his complaint: Empathize with him, show him that you understand him, and suggest appropriate solutions to solve his problem.
- Right Customer: React to their complaint and thank them for bringing this issue to your attention and tell them that you will take care of it immediately and they will resolve it.
- A sharp- tongued customer: The one who insults and slanders vitriolic words, do not take his words personally so as not to exacerbate the problem. Tell him that you understand his feeling and will solve the problem immediately. Tell him that you cannot continue talking in this manner.
- Threatened customer: This customer does not care about his threat and take real and quick steps to solve his problem.
4. What mistakes should you avoid when dealing with negative customer reviews?
- Taking things personally and that the customer criticizes you for yourself
- Ignoring the comments, you will lose a large number of customers, whether they left their opinions or those who read them and did not find a quick response from you.
- Arguing, lying, and telling the customer that you will resolve the complaint without taking any action.
