When it comes to negative comments from customers and prospects, it is a norm rather than an anomaly. A brand with thousands of clients across the globe should expect that many things did not work out for them the way they thought they would. The silver lining in all of this is that the way […]
When it comes to negative comments from customers and prospects, it is a norm rather than an anomaly. A brand with thousands of clients across the globe should expect that many things did not work out for them the way they thought they would.
The silver lining in all of this is that the way negative feedback is handled by the brands counts more than the contents of the comments or the reviews themselves. It is up to a company and its professionals to handle the situation, whether it is a misunderstanding or a truly dissatisfied customer from the services provided.
In this post, we will take a look at 9 things that brands should know about negative comments, especially about their handling and tackling in the virtual world.
Before we move on to the tips and hacks section, it is important to understand the prospect of facing a negative section. It can be appalling to see a negative review of a great service or a product, sticking out like a sore thumb. Among all the five-star reviews and testimonials, it is giving a bitter aftertaste and second thoughts to a potential customer. In this scenario, it is perfectly understandable for brands to tread forward harshly. They may lose their cool and calm and approach the review and reviewer with their emotions right up their sleeves.
This is humane, no doubt, but it is extremely harmful to the brand. Instead, the act of accepting feedback as a true indicator of the quality of products and services is the best course forward.
Not all bad reviews and comments are inherently evil. Some are well-founded as they shed light on fatal flaws or glaring misgivings of the brand’s representatives on the ground. Again, it is painful to receive negative comments in public settings, but brands can rise to the occasion in many ways. Apart from accepting the feedback, the internal management can and should identify constructive feedback in a poor review.
Many experts believe that feedback can be the best quality check for a brand since it can help them find out issues with different aspects of business, from the product to the delivery channels and beyond.
Now that we have understood the importance of accepting feedback from customers and then finding meaningful bits in the messages, it is time to shed some light on the tips that can help brands handle certain situations. It is often the case that they find it hard to connect with the grieving party. They are either too late or too rash to respond resulting in situations getting out of control. Instead, they should professionally approach the situation, paving way for that users and many more to come aboard the ship.
Not too long ago, brands were used to turning a blind eye to negative comments. They would hail positive comments and then showcase them on other platforms. But there was no strategy at all to deal with negative comments. As it turned out, ignoring negative feedback is one of the worst things a brand can do. When a user posts a comment, he would want to get a reply from the brand, or at least another user. When this never comes, it triggers a severe negative response in the user where they even forget the original issue and take up the apathy of the brand toward their customers.
As the old maxim goes “the customer is always right”, brands should be prepared to apologize right off the bat. In the face of a negative comment, brands should treat it as a conflict of interest. Since both parties prosper when the interests are aligned, it is best to resolve the issue by being respectful and apologetic professionally. This is especially necessary when the brand is involved in high-level media scandals or controversies. In the past, we have seen many brands taking this route to ensure they are not outlawed by individuals and concerned groups.
All brands, whether small or large, thrive on making promises and then delivering on those promises through their products or services. In the case of a negative comment, many brands rush to make a promise they know they cannot keep in the first place. This is deception, plain and simple, that leads to further mistrust and wariness from the brand. Before offering a refund or a gift card, make sure the matter is thoroughly investigated ab facts have come to light.
The internet is a wild place with almost no policing on the ground. There are libels and cyber security laws but they are still in their formative phase and mainly apply to brands and notable persons. This leaves the majority of internet users free to post and write, however they please. The free-handedness results in poor reviews in bursts often through bots and automated attacks. Whatever the case, a brand should always remain polite and vigilant. There is no need for confrontation, especially in a section where everyone else can see the brawl.
The moment a poor review or a comment is posted in the comment section, it starts to undermine the value of other positive comments. Many users to reward a brand with positive reviews end up remembering the misgivings and positing lackluster feedback. In these cases, brands should take the conversation away from the public section and politely ask the grieving parties to connect with customer service directly. It can be a company email, phone, and so on. As long as it is one on one and away from the spotlight, it is fine.
Mega brands with hundreds of thousands of comments each day cannot compose custom replies to all. But with the help of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, they can personalize responses to poor reviews. They should be timely and address the issue for the customer by explaining the company’s side. There were many cases in the past when templates were used by brands resulting in more ridicule and bad publicity. It is best to hire trained professionals and then train them further in modern techniques of conflict resolution and customer handling to see amiable results.
What is more important is customer relations, apology or explanation? If the brand and customer relations were driven by sheer emotions, then the apology would have been the right answer. Fortunately, that is not the case. Many times, customers want to know the truth, especially when they are not clear about who is right and who is wrong. Instead of withholding information, businesses should be forthcoming in explaining the situation as professionally as possible. This will not only resolve the issue for the customer but even persuade them to change the original comment with a new and positive one. Keep in mind that the brand should be cordial and calm, no matter who was wrong in a transaction.
Like justice delayed is justice denied, the reply to customer feedback should be timely and on point. Many brands have multiple social and online channels to collect feedback and connect with customers. But they forget to oversee the development taking place on these outlets resulting in customers waiting for a long time to receive feedback or not at all. Brands should be vigilant in monitoring and replying to customer feedback, positive or negative, to ensure the damage is minimized. TrustAnalytica is a leading brand for review monitoring and sending responses. It has thousands of brands as happy customers because their customers are happy with quick and customized responses.
Rough patches are part of the deal in the online world. Brands slip up in their interaction with customers and online reviewers resulting in clashes and futile debates. If your brand has not done it yet, it is a sign that you are on the right track. If it did, there is nothing serious to be worried about since you can redeem the value after losing it in the past. In terms of replying to negative comments, the best thing is to keep on learning and growing with the customers. Other successful brands with strong customer support records can lend insightful knowledge.
When we sum up the whole process of receiving poor reviews and then connecting with the reviewers to respond to their issues, there is one thing that is more important than anything else – asking the right questions. If your brand receives a poor review, make sure to ask relevant questions and delve deeper into the matter before promising something or claiming anything. The best thing is to assess the situation calmly and without rushing.
It is inevitable for a brand with an online presence to receive negative comments. When that happens, brands should try to deflate the situation by assessing the issue and providing relevant answers.
Negative comments are true indicators of the brands’ services and products provided to the clients. If a brand can identify the true positive criticism in a poor review, it will be able to connect the dots to improve its services and products in the future.
Examples of negative comments include criticism of the whole customer experience or a single aspect of the whole experience. For instance, if a customer gets a product after a long delay, it is possible to understand the frustration but also point out the exact problem with the issue.
Negative comments are not all bad. They provide customer insights regarding the products or services of the brand. A brand can understand the true value of its products and services that customers are getting by critically studying and understanding negative comments.
It is impossible to ignore comments of negative people in the virtual world because they are visible in public sections. Also, both the reviewers and the potential customers expect the brand to react to the ideas put forward in the feedback.
According to experts, it takes around 27 to 30 positive comments to psychologically mask the value of a single poor review. It is because customers and prospects look for these in a brand before placing their order.
Nowadays, brands are scrambling to master the customer feedback game. Clearly, some are winning while others are not. It takes a lot of work to connect with prospects, get them to leave a positive review, and then get to showcase it on other platforms. Along the way, brands face negative comments that can undermine the authority and fruits of the positive feedback. They are not bad through and through as brands can learn a lot from the feedback they receive.
TrustAnalytica offers the right tool to brands for monitoring and responding to both positive and negative reviews. It makes sure that the brand is the first one to know about the developments and handle them accordingly. Learn more about our products and services!
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