The virtual world that we have created has its rules and regulations. Businesses see it as a goldmine of marketing and approach because more than 5 billion active users are on a handful of social media platforms. Much of the content from users that is targeted toward brands comes in the form of reviews and […]
The virtual world that we have created has its rules and regulations. Businesses see it as a goldmine of marketing and approach because more than 5 billion active users are on a handful of social media platforms.
Much of the content from users that is targeted toward brands comes in the form of reviews and testimonials. Users buy a product or hire a service and then share their thoughts about them. When they are direct and clear, brands must respond to them. Still, many small businesses do not know how to handle situations like these.
In this blog post, we will take a look at responses to negative reviews, how to make the best of the adversity, and how to post responses to 3-star reviews and other neutral testimonials.
Brands jump through fences to respond when they get positive reviews. It is exciting to see that users are acknowledging the efforts and hard work of the team behind developing a product or a service. However, all gets quiet on the marketing front when they spot a negative review.
As we have often mentioned, negative reviews often pop up when brands are least expecting them. Also, there is nothing to do with the quality or delivery of the product or service because they are usually immune to these.
In the past, the most common response to negative reviews from brands was no response at all. They used to sit in the comments section with no follow-up or stirrups at all. Things are different today because people are now more concerned about brands and the quality of feedback they receive.
Even at the cost of oversimplification, we can say that responses to good reviews are easier because they need to show gratitude and may add some value by informing the reviewer about a new line of products and services.
However, negative reviews and testimonials are charged and emotional. That’s why brands need to show discretion while handling them. Before we move on to cover the responses to neutral reviews, often with 3-star ratings, let us take a look at their types.
For the convenience of marketers, we have categorized the neutral reviews into three different types, based on the intent of the reviewer and their impact. On a side note, if you are having trouble with collecting and consolidating customer reviews and comments, TrustAnalytica provides a reliable tool to let you stay on top of the developments.
Now, let’s get to the categories of impartial reviews.
As the name indicates, this review balanced the good and the bad about the review. The reviewer would mention something good for almost everything bad about the product or service. For instance, if the delivery was late, the food was still excellent. There is frustration or disappointment but it is not for the core item.
True neutral reviews follow the middle ground. For the users who post true neutral reviews, there is nothing extraordinary about the brand. For instance, they would say that everything was alright, or they would differentiate it with something truly exceptional or awful, such as not bad not great.
This is happening a lot these days with both small businesses and large corporations. These unrelated neutral reviews have nothing to do with the business in question. For example, the scam comments and reviews on platforms where they pretend to be a legitimate user and con other users to register for the lucky draw or something.
Whoever the reviewers are, they have nothing to do with the business or its products and services.
The balanced neutral reviews have both good and bad aspects of the brand. While responding to these reviews, professionals need to strike a balance between showing gratitude for the good and acknowledgment of the bad, with a promise to improve it in the future.
In this section, we will break down conventional responses to these reviews in four simple steps.
This is the opener for the response, so make it as warm and enticing as possible. The best way to proceed is to personally connect with the user, such as by using his first name and casually approaching him with gratitude and appreciation.
Merely showing gratitude is not enough, you need to show the user that his reviews will make a positive impact on the business. This includes highlighting the nuances of the product, services, staff, and so on. Again, make sure that the narrative does not lead to condescension because it would hurt the sentiments of the user which bodes ill for the brand.
There is a clear difference between being apologetic and being sorry. When it comes to the former, brands need to apologize for the poor experience while admitting that it was their fault. On the other side, feeling sorry is something else as it implies that it was not the responsibility of the brand but another reason for a subpar experience.
There is nothing better than a follow-up to conclude your response. Since there is always some issue or problem with the user, brands need to invite them to connect with the relevant department or office and help them resolve their issue. They can stress the satisfaction of the user to ensure that they mean business.
Now that we have covered the bases for balanced neutral reviews, it is time to tackle the response issues with true neutral ones.
This step is the same as that of the balanced neutral reviews.
Since there is nothing worse or poor described in the review, brands do not need to apologize for anything. Still, they need to encourage the user to share more with the brand and help them understand the issue better. This could lead to resolving the problem for that user and many others.
While signing off, brands need to place calls to action for users so that they can further connect with them. This step is almost the same as that of the previous section. Instead of leaving them for good, invite them to contact customer support and have their issue resolved.
We have described a well-rounded template for anything less than a 5-star review reply example in the previous section. It is time to put that theory into action with examples. We have titled the examples with their key focal points so that professionals can easily find them and use them if they want to.
Dear (Customer Name), we are sorry that you had to endure a poor experience with our (product or service). Kindly reach out to us by (email, or phone) and we will make things right for you.
Dear (customer name), thank you for bringing this issue to light for us. It is not alright for our esteemed customers to go through such issues. Please connect with us and we will make the necessary amends for you.
Hi (customer name), my name is (name of the employee) and I am a (role name). I can understand your frustration and am here with you until things go your way. Kindly contact me on this (email) and I will walk you through the process of getting a discount or anything else.
Hi (customer name), thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We are honored that you took the time to write this detailed account of what is wrong with the (product or service). On a lighter note, would you be willing to give us a second chance?
Dear (Customer Name), your review has enlightened us regarding our products and services. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and ask you to connect with our team at (phone, email). We promise to make it up to you.
Replying to negative reviews takes more than just experience. Professionals need to be aware of the case and ensure they are not offending the users further. This has already happened where light jokes would get lost in the translation.
In this post, we have covered different aspects of the process for brands using examples and templates. We hope that businesses of all sizes will find the post helpful in tackling issues related to negative and neutral reviews.
3-star reviews with no comments are often vague with no clear direction or focus. That’s why professionals need to be careful in dealing with these reviews. They are not as passionate and charged as 1-star reviews, but still, they should be ready.
It is hard to understand the user’s mindset when there is no detailed comment in the review. The best way to respond to this is to ask them to share more information.
Professionals should ask for additional information before responding to the feedback. Otherwise, it could lead to disastrous interactions with more negative sentiment spilled across the block.
In such cases, professionals should always push the conversation further. They can ask the managers to fill in the voids and ensure that all the bases are covered. Then, based on valid information, they can post a well-balanced response.
