If you constantly strive for perfection or feel you’ve conquered your customer satisfaction levels within your company, still, bad reviews are inevitable. There will always be people out there who can’t help but bring others down. Maybe it makes them feel in control, or as if they hold the power; whatever the reason, understanding how to properly deal with the trolls can be extremely beneficial to you and your brand. In this blog, we discuss the best ways to respond to online reviews so that problems are addressed and disgruntled customers are properly handled with, all in a professional manner. 

Calm, cool, and collected. Even if you make it your #1 priority to reach client satisfaction, sometimes things out of your control can go wrong. The way you handle it speaks more about your brand than the mishap itself, so focus your energy into your response. A great approach is to not respond with feelings. As much as you may want to, keep it calm, cool, and collected. If you come across a negative review, something along the lines of “We are disappointed to learn your experience did not reach the level of quality we strive for. Thank you for leaving a review, and feel free to email us at [insert email] if we can remedy this in any way.” This response is strictly professional and portrays a level-headed individual behind the keyboard, and behind the company. 

Assign someone else to respond. When the agenda of trolls is simply to roast you or your company for no good reason, and you can’t find the strength to keep your cool, leave the response up to another. Select a member of your staff to write a response, for they will likely be able to leave all emotions at the door. It may even be beneficial to assign this task to another for all reviews. This ensures all egos will be set aside when dealing with tough reviews.  

Is a response necessary? You don’t always need to respond to negative reviews. As mentioned before, sometimes people just can’t fight the urge to spread negativity online. If there’s no valid concern to be addressed, it may be best to leave it be. 

Address the positive comments too! Make sure to take the time to respond to the positive reviews. This shows that you are grateful for your customers and care about your public impression. A simple, “Thank you so much for your kind words. We are thankful for you and appreciate you sharing your thoughts with us!” goes a long way.  

No room for lies. If you stumble upon negative reviews that are false, reach out to the platform directly to see if it can be removed. This shouldn’t be tolerated and needs to be taken care of for the sake of your brand and your name. Often times, different platforms will comply if your claim is valid and foul play is detected.