Questions about negative reviews come up more and more frequently. In today’s market, anyone and everyone can offer feedback – which is great – but it also means that people can publicly declare how your business has upset them…

Here’s one of the exact questions I’ve received:

QUESTION: Charlie, how do you handle negative reviews on social media?

Great question!

The best way to handle negative reviews on social media is:

1) Restate the complaint (so they know you understand them) – “I’m sorry you feel screwed.”

2) Don’t make excuses.

3) Restate your commitment to an exceptional experience with proof – “For 10 years, we’ve worked with thousands of clients with a 98% satisfaction level – but we want every interaction with us to be positive. Here’s how I can help…”

4) Ask them to contact you to resolve the problem (even if it costs you – most of the time, a poor experience is a misunderstanding or honest mistake). When you turn a negative customer experience into a happy one, they often become your best source of referrals and repeat business!

5) Make it a habit to ask your best customers to post a positive review (so more people see the positive results).

Here’s some swipe to help!

Example Response to Negative Review

[Customer Name],
Thank you for your comments. I’m very sorry to hear about your experience. This is definitely not the standard of service our customers have come to expect from us, [share what normally happens]. Please contact me, as I would like to make up for your disappointment. [Name, Job Title, Email Address and/or Phone Number].

Hope this helps!

With gratitude,

Charlie