Naperville Business Lawyer on How to Handle a Negative Review of Your Company

As a business owner myself, I always want my clients to walk away satisfied with the service they received. Unfortunately, no matter how good a business is, some customers will always be dissatisfied. This is just part of owning a business. Of course, with the growth in popularity of reviewing websites like Yelp and Google Reviews, business owners are more worried about reviews than ever before. It can be tremendously frustrating to create a product or service you stand behind only to have someone write negatively about it online.

Sometimes, negative reviews are a great way to understand and mitigate the weaknesses in your business or staff. Other times, a customer who writes a bad review simply wants something that is not realistic, sensible, or even possible. As a business owner, it is critically important that you handle negative reviews reasonably and professionally.

Do Not Respond Immediately and Do Not Respond Spitefully

As with many things in life, it is best not to immediately react to negative reviews of your company. Understandably, you probably have invested a good deal of emotional energy into your business and are personally invested in the business’s success. Because of this, it can sometimes feel like a personal attack when a customer writes something negative about the business. In order to make sure you do not write something in response that you later regret, take a day or two before responding to negative reviews. In some cases, a customer may rethink their harsh opinion and delete the negative review before you have a chance to respond anyway.

Be Open to Suggestions and Constructive Criticism

Not every negative review that your business receives is unwarranted. While it may be tempting to assume that every negative review is simply the product of an unreasonable customer, this is not always the case. In some situations, it may be a good idea to find out more about what led the customer to write the bad review. It is possible that in doing so, you uncover a part of your company which is not meeting your standards or could otherwise be improved. When reaching out to a customer who has left a one-star review or written something disparaging about your business, make sure to check the tone you use while responding. Writing a response that is professional, humble, and apologetic will ensure that you do not escalate the situation and also gives you the greatest chance of getting to the root of the problem.

Contact a Naperville Business Law Attorney

If you require services from a DuPage County business lawyer, contact the Gierach Law Firm. Call us at 630-228-9413 to schedule an initial consultation today.

Sources:

Entrepreneur

American Express

Forbes