Our blog

(This is a continuation of last week's post, on the benefits of showcasing customer reviews.  If you missed part I, catch up on it here!  Web tip: add customer reviews for customer satisfaction...)

In the last post we talked about the benefits of adding customer reviews to your website, or opening the floor to customers on your various social media platforms. Open discussion can be a great thing; however, allowing for open commentary means just that – you’re allowing customers to speak openly, regardless of whether or not you like their opinion. You can hope for the best (“[X] product never leaves my side!” “I can’t live without my [X]!”), but as the adage goes, you must always be prepared for the worst.

 How to make it happen

So, what do you do if a customer leaves a negative review on your site? Whether you’re responding to complaints about poor service, shoddy product design, or even just fending off a customer who is clearly having a bad day, your reaction should include some very basic elements:

1. “Respond” to complaints; cover the specific issues that have been raised.
2. No canned responses!
3. Whatever you do, please do not delete unfavorable comments without a reason. No one likes feeling ignored, and if you’re already on a customer’s bad side, this kind of mistreatment can ignite a PR firestorm.
4. Show that you’re doing something about their complaint, no matter how small.

The elements in action For example, if you get the disheartening “[x] product was awful and broke as soon as I opened it”, you don’t want to respond with“[X] Company strives to make only the best products. We’re sorry you felt this way and hope that you will continue to patronize us in the future”. Think about that last statement as a consumer. You’d be incredibly annoyed, wouldn’t you? Not only have you had a poor experience with a product, but now no solution has been offered, and no indication has been given that this was even read at an individual level.

As bad as that generic response may sound, providing no response at all may be even worse.  After all, these are human customers, and you want to remind them that you are also human.  What it comes down to is holding yourself accountable and holding your customers in high esteem.

In cases of PR disaster, transparency can often be the make-or-break factor. One of the more recent examples of a mishandled response to negative reviews was the Netflix price hike that occurred last month. Users angrily complained on Twitter and Facebook about the changes while the company remained silent for a full day before beginning to respond to comments. A brief – and disingenuous – statement about the ‘customer’s best interest’ did nothing to calm the uproar. The final blow was a series of patronizing remarks made by the Netflix spokesman, who stated “we knew there would be some people who would be upset. To most people, [the price difference is] a latte or two.” And the fall-out hasn’t finished; recent data has shown Netflix falling from the highest customer perception (vs. its competitors) to the lowest in a matter of 2 weeks.

This was an incredible bungling of a customer complaint situation, but it’s not one you need to repeat. Other companies have responded in a much better fashion. Demonstrate to your customers that you’re taking their complaints seriously and responding to them; keep in contact and follow-up on complaints (Southwest Airlines has been vigilant in checking in on customers a few days after complaints, to make sure they’re satisfied with the resolution); and, if necessary, consider offering a monetary or material solution as an apology (Comcast, for example, has been known to credit account fees back to customers who are deeply unhappy with their service and make it known on the web).  Heck, even the actor Tom Hanks recently volunteered to reimburse the cost of the movie tickets for a couple who said they loved him, but hated a recent film! We’re not saying to bribe your customers, but a little thoughtfulness can go a long way.

Do you agree with these recommendations? How has your company dealt with negative reviews in the past?