Negative Customer Reviews: How To Turn Challenges Into Opportunities

Forbes

5 days ago

Resolving poor customer reviews
Customer reviews and ratings play a key role in the customer journey, with as many as 98% relying on them to inform their purchasing decisions. When you know that your products and services are of exceptional quality, you would expect the majority of customer reviews to be positive. And it can be disheartening and frustrating when they aren't. However, negative reviews shouldn't be something to fear. Instead, see them as valuable opportunities to demonstrate your commitment to customer satisfaction and to improve your services.
Dealing with poor customer reviews is a challenge that all entrepreneurs face at some point and something that Matt Little, founder and managing director of lighting company Festoon House, has done many times. The key, he says, is to approach them with a calm, constructive mindset and always be proactive in finding a resolution.
'A customer once posted a review claiming that the outdoor lighting solutions we'd provided weren't as bright as they had hoped, which we knew was something that could be impacted by different installation setups,' he says. 'Instead of taking it personally, I contacted them directly, listened to their concerns, and offered to send a technician out to reassess their setup and offer a solution that better met their needs.'
It's important not to shy away from negative reviews but to address them promptly, offering a clear explanation or an alternative solution. Not all negative reviews are fair, but it is important to be professional and factual in any response.
'Keeping a respectful tone is essential,' adds Little. 'Acknowledge their frustration, offer to make it right, and use it as an opportunity to showcase your commitment to customer satisfaction. I've found that handling negative reviews in this manner often turns dissatisfied customers into loyal ones, and the public sees your professionalism too.'
The key to dealing with bad reviews is not to see them as an attack, but as feedback that wasn't given during the job. Adrian Iorga, founder and president of Boston-based Stairhopper Movers has overseen countless moves and has had some tough reviews.
'One customer said that we 'rushed through' a small apartment move and didn't explain the charges,' he says. 'I called her and asked how she felt about the situation. She opened up right away. We clarified everything, apologized, and followed up with a note and a small gesture. She edited the review and has since referred three friends.'
Iorga also tracks the reviews that have been turned around and shares the data with new employees during training to enable them to understand that following up after a job is equally important as lifting boxes.
'Since we began doing this, our review score has increased by 12% in 18 months,' he adds. 'A poor review doesn't hurt your business but ignoring it does. People want to see how you react when things go wrong. That's when trust starts.'
A growing problem in the online review space is false or fake reviews that misrepresent genuine customer experiences and mislead potential customers. Dealing with disingenuous reviews is a challenge for business owners. Some take the path of least resistance and apologize with offers of freebies in exchange for the removal of the offending review.
Challenging false reviews
Tim Roberts, owner of No. Twenty9, a bar and restaurant in Burnham Market, Norfolk, takes a different approach with his response to false negative reviews. He challenges them.
Opened in 2018, the venue has enjoyed growing popularity among locals and tourists alike, reflected in its predominantly five-star Trip Advisor reviews. Roberts estimates that bad reviews make up less than 1% of the total.
He says: 'We have as many as 1,000 people drinking, eating, or staying with us every week, and the vast majority are delighted with their experience. But when someone leaves a bad review, making claims that aren't true and badmouthing your business, you have to deal with it.'
What unscrupulous reviewers are unaware of is that Roberts' internal CCTV security system allows him to see everything that takes place on the premises.
He says: 'Someone might give us a terrible review, saying they didn't like their meal, but I can see that they cleared their plate, and I will point that out in my response. Others have complained about the service, claiming they had to wait 40 minutes between courses. But I know they didn't. I can tell them exactly how long they waited, to the second.'
When someone does have a genuine complaint, Roberts asks the customer to message him privately to resolve it. 'If we've done something wrong, I'll be the first to admit it and sort it out,' he says. 'However, the customer isn't always right, and I refuse to let people get away with making false allegations in public. I can never understand restaurants that respond to false negative reviews with 'We are so sorry, please reach out to us.' My advice to them is to grow a pair and tell them what they really think.'
As COO of Bates Electric, Andrew Bates has overseen hundreds of projects across the U.S. and experienced every type of review imaginable. He treats every negative review as a field report, providing free information from the ground. '
When a customer complains about something we technically did correctly, I do not dismiss it," he says. "I ask myself, what expectations did we fail to establish? That one mindset shift allowed us to cut follow-up calls on completed jobs in half because the issue was clarity, not quality.'
Staff are also trained to identify patterns in honest complaints. 'When we discovered several reviews mentioning delays, all from jobs scheduled after 2 p.m. we restructured scheduling to prioritize high-touch appointments in the morning," says Bates. "No one tells you this on Yelp, but it's buried in the tone of the reviews if you read them as a builder rather than a marketer. Most of what you need to improve is already written in a frustrated customer's paragraph.'
Every entrepreneur will face a bad review at some point. If you have dropped the ball and the review is genuine, the advice from serial entrepreneur Nigel Botterill is to act fast and over-deliver in your fix.
He says: 'People love grand gestures, so correct whatever is wrong, and then have fun with it. A bouquet with a card, a box of chocolates delivered with a note; that will be what they tell their friends about, not the mistake that started it all.'
Where a review isn't real or is riddled with errors, Botterill says it's important to remember that your reply isn't for the person leaving the review; it's for the countless people who are going to see that review and judge you on your response.
'Reply to those customer reviews swiftly, making it absolutely without doubt that what they're talking about is nonsense,' he says. 'A bad customer review isn't a disaster. It's a test. Pass it, and you emerge stronger, smarter, and more trusted. That's how entrepreneurs win, not by avoiding criticism, but by responding better than anyone else.'