It’s a fact of life that no one takes kindly to criticism. But this is especially true when said criticism is unforeseen and could have negative consequences for the business you’ve worked so hard to build from the ground up.
It may even feel like a personal attack.
In reality, though, bad reviews are pretty much par for the course if you’re offering a service of any kind to paying customers. People will be people. That’s not to suggest that all negative feedback is unwarranted, of course, and you’ll want to be on the lookout for ways to improve your business and how it operates.
Still, bad reviews which come up with a quick Google search don’t help when you’re trying to make the best possible first impression and build customer loyalty, and so you’ll no doubt be left wondering if there’s anything you can do to improve the situation.
Let’s look at exactly how bad reviews affect your business – and what you can do to keep them at bay.
Do bad reviews matter?
Well… yes. They discourage potential customers by informing them about bad experiences, ultimately influencing their purchasing decisions.
According to a survey conducted by Bright Local, 77% of people look at reviews when browsing for local businesses online, and only 3% of respondents said they would be willing to use a business with a 2* rating or below.
This demonstrates the power of customer reviews over consumer decisions, to say nothing of the impact word of mouth can have.
When do bad reviews become a problem?
While bad reviews are obviously never a good thing, they can be particularly bad in certain circumstances. A business with a long list of not-so-nice reviews is likely to find this scares off prospective customers, who will doubt the quality of service offered.
On the flipside, though, an overabundance of positive reviews can come off as inauthentic, and you run the risk of not being believed.
It’s a careful balancing act, with between 4 and 4.9* being the Goldilocks range in terms of appealing to potential customers while still seeming genuine. Basically, you want a healthy mix of good and bad reviews, as this signals that you’re open to constructive feedback and have nothing to hide.
What if my bad reviews are fake?
First of all, if you suspect a review might not be real, you should do your best to verify that this is the case. Check your records and try to get in touch with the user who left the review. If you still believe the review to be fake, you can flag it with the platform and request it be taken down.
Alternatively, you could opt to use a closed-review platform, which can convert bad reviews from slants against the business into opportunities for improvement, while also allowing businesses to respond directly and engage the consumer.
You should aim to treat ‘fake’ reviews as professionally as possible, no matter how or where they appear. Respond to them even if you have your doubts about their validity (or know for a fact they aren’t real), as this demonstrates an active interest in the experience of your customers, which obviously looks good.
There’s currently no precedent for a business successfully suing over a fake review, but there’s a first time for everything!
How to fix bad reviews
Responding to negative reviews is an essential part of online engagement. Apologising, offering explanations for what happened, and attempting to make further contact can all help.
It’s important to bear in mind that, when doing this, you’re not just writing to the unhappy customer in question (who you’re unlikely to hear back from anyway), but also to all future and existing customers, who will form judgments based on your response.
In general, though, don’t just write off bad reviews. Some of them may actually have a point or two, providing valuable insights that can be used to make improvements to your business and defend against such reviews in the future.
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