Ways to Deal with Negative Customer Reviews [ Characteristics, Importance ]

One way to ensure the quality of the business products and services is providing customer feedback or reviews to random people. In this method, the company will be able to know the opinions and insights of the customers or consumers basing on their individual point of views. With these, the small business progress will be refined. Though, the different perceptions of random customers are distinguishable to either positive or negative, these would still be a great help for the company in determining what they need to enhance and develop in satisfying the needs and wants of their clients.

Characteristics When Dealing with Reviews

In administering a short business, it is normal that you encounter different kinds of challenges and circumstances. For that reason, you have to know how to act and react with regards to these different situations. You also have to strengthen up and endure, because these are just temporary when you know how to counteract with each of them. The list below are further characteristics that you should maintain within yourself, for these will help you attain success. Take note of each as your reference in administering your business consent and your employees.

Impartiality

When handling customer bad reviews, you should not be biased. Instead, be fair and just. Do not take sides when there are some situations such as misunderstanding between your employees and customers regarding customer services.

Self Awareness

By the means of being aware of one’s self is not just knowing your strengths and weaknesses, but also being conscious of your mistakes when you made them (either intentionally, or accidentally).

People Oriented

By being people oriented, it will be easier to handle different kinds of personalities of the customer information. Thus, this helps you interact with them effortlessly

Decisiveness

This characteristic is one of the traits that business leaders should possess. There will be a lot of situations wherein you are tested in decision making. By the means of this, you should be able to make a wise decision in a timely manner.

Preparedness

This is one of the most important traits that you should have since in business management, there are lots of surprises that test your patience and thinking capacity.

Open Mindedness

Being open minded means you are open to all employee suggestion and propositions or ideas that are imparted to you by your employees and your customers.

Enthusiasm

This means you have to be positive and enjoy whatever circumstance, because with all the different situations, you will learn in return.

Being Proactive

By the means of formulating solutions in response to the situations, you are being proactive instead of reactive.

Consideration

Though you have an authoritative power, you should be considerate of how customers and employees feel with the way you handle performance and customer reviews. You still need to hear the individual customer feedback.

These are just few of the characteristics that you, as a business leader should possess. The most important thing here is that despite the challenges which require you to give more, you still managed to handle them even if there is no guarantee that you will get something in return.

The Importance of Customer Reviews

The reasons why customer reviews are mandatory when you implement your business products are as follows:

• A relationship is built with customers with the use of these customer reviews or feedback forms.
• These will let you know if the purposes of implementing your products or services are being achieved or met accordingly.
• You will be able to know what are the needs and wants of your target market.
• You will be aware of the different opinions; how other people see your business operations as you gather and collect them.
• You could implement corrective action procedures in response to the negative reviews.
• These reviews are one of the main factors which will challenge you in managing your business and your people.
• You will be able to learn and understand further more about the latent issues that your business encounters.
• These will help you improve in terms of decision making and planning.
• You could formulate techniques and strategies to gain customer trust.
• Documenting these reviews will help you not to make the same mistakes for the second time.
• You will also be able to develop the communication between you and your workforce with the use of monthly reviews for meetings and discussions regarding customer reviews.
• You will further understand  the meaning of customer service by discovering the different perspective of every customer.
• You will be able to develop the characteristics that a business leader should possess.
• Different situations could help you increase your experience level in handling different business circumstances.
• These reviews are a great help in terms of business development.
• You will be able to identify what business factors or aspects are in need of more focus and concentration.

Take the time to reflect on these reasons why allocating time for customer reviews is important. You could apply these to have a successful execution of your business plans for different operations.

Ways to Deal with Negative Customer Reviews

Reviews are tough, especially the ones that you least expect to receive. These could either brighten up your day, or the other way around. Furthermore, here are the different ways that you could refer to when you encounter negative customer internal reviews.

• You should be ready for the different kinds of reviews that you will be receiving from your customers. They determine if your business is either propitious, or inauspicious. Either of the two, these reviews are still helpful because it improves your business with regards to its development.
• You need to be open-minded in terms of the suggestions, recommendations, and violent reactions from other people, particularly the ones coming from your customers or clients. Also take note of your employee suggestions for these could help you solve the matter as a team.
• You should be able to respond promptly at the agreed proper time and avoid delays. By doing this, you make your customers feel that you value them and their concerns.
• Use the negative customer reviews or feedback form as your motivation to improve, and not to deteriorate. See the positive side in each of them.
• Make sure that you understand the subject matter or the customer’s point of view. One thing that you could do is by putting yourself in the situation that your customers have experienced.
• Respond to customer reviews sincerely, respectfully, seriously and professionally by apologizing or empathizing to the customers who felt unsatisfied or troubled with the customer services or quality products and by offering a solution to improve performance.
• Customers are not always right. There’s still a need for them to be corrected sometimes. You still have to defend yourself, your employees and your business company against their criticisms or complaints but only if you are certainly right, and you have all the statement forms or documents to prove that you really are. Just make sure that you explain yourself in the most favorable way.
• Handle your customer’s personal negative reviews privately, because other people does not have to know about these. Plus, these kinds of reviews does not have anything to do with the business company anymore.
• It is better that you will discuss these negative reviews by conducting a meeting with your employees or workforce in order for them to be aware on how to improve their performances. You could conduct a performance evaluation in doing so, since this will help the employees reflect on how they are doing in terms of providing customer service.
• Do not forget to thank your customers for allocating a little amount of their time in providing their reviews. Though they have given you strong criticisms, still show some appreciation for the effort that they have provided.
• Make sure that you know how to handle some circumstances that are likely to result from these negative reviews. The impact from the strong opinions of your customers would affect your business reputation.
• Always remember that customers give their feedback, because they are concerned with your business company. Otherwise, they will not make an effort in commenting their feedback. Use this opportunity to improve your services.
• Do not be contented with a few observational feedback. Instead, seek for more and strive even harder to get more positive reviews from random customers.
• Remind yourself that receiving negative reviews do not necessarily mean that you are running the business in a wrong way.
• Do not cling to these bad reviews. If you do, this would definitely lessen your confidence in managing the business.
• Negative reviews may cause harm to the business, but it is somehow beneficial to other clients since they could make better decisions and gain insights. They also prefer to see realistic reviews than impractical ones.
• If in any case, the customers are still not convinced with the solution that you have offered to them, have an alternate plan or action. You could do this using action forms.

These are just few of the several ways on how you are to deal with different kinds of negative reviews from your customers. The most important way in dealing these negativity professionally. Being professional feedback is that you should never lose your temper when you handle an unreasonable customer. Take your time in scrutinizing each tip, and try to apply it in your business.