A Business Owner’s Guide to Responding to Negative Customer Reviews

Reviews are essential to many consumers. 70% of online shoppers read between one and six reviews before deciding to buy something. Less than one of 10 don’t include reviews in their research. 

How can your home services business use this trend to its advantage? First, you should get happy customers to provide feedback on local and industry review platforms. Then, you need to look at negative review response examples to learn how to deal with poor feedback. 

In this article, we will look at how to deal with negative reviews. You’ll see how poor feedback can hurt your business and why you need to respond to them. We’ll discuss strategies for these responses and provide examples you can use. Finally, you’ll learn actionable tips that can help you put a positive spin on negative reviews. 

Understanding the Impact of Negative Reviews 

Negative reviews can be especially damaging for home service businesses. Why? 98% of consumers occasionally read online reviews before hiring local businesses. 76% of people always use reviews when researching service providers. 

As a local business, you have a finite number of potential customers. If three-fourths of them are reading reviews before hiring you, you need mostly positive feedback. A few negative write-ups could harm your reputation and limit your chances of getting new business. 

A survey by MOZ supports the importance of local reviews. 86% of people said reviews were one of the most important factors in their decision to use a business. 

Reviews can also affect brand reputation. Even a few bad reviews or low ratings can cause doubt for potential customers. Even existing clients might see a bad review and worry that your service is inconsistent. 

Negative reviews can harm your reputation, and they can also make customer retention more difficult. You also need to think about the other impacts of bad feedback online. 

• Lower Google rankings: Google considers reviews when ranking sites for its search engine. Bad reviews on your Google Business Profile can lower your ranking. This means you will not appear on the first page when someone searches for your keywords. 

• Cheaper prices: Damage to your reputation may force you to compete in other ways. For instance, you could lower prices to get more customers. This step could help you get more customers, but it will hurt your profit margins. 

• More expensive marketing: Positive reviews serve as free marketing for your company. If you do not get customers because of negative reviews, you need to find other ways to advertise. Paid marketing can help you reach customers, but it will cost you money, lowering your overall profits.  

As you can see, negative reviews can cause serious harm. The good news is that you can fix the problem. 

Why You Need to Respond to Negative Reviews 

The MOZ survey revealed that responding to negative reviews is vital. 62% of people surveyed would give a company another chance if they solved the complaint. Meanwhile, 63% would change a negative review or low ratings if the business fixed the problem. 

Why do most customers react positively to responses from companies? Let’s take a closer look at what such interactions do for your company. 

• Change the narrative: A bad review casts your company in a negative light. However, if you try to fix the problem, it changes this perception. Review readers may see you as proactive and committed to satisfying your customers. In other words, you change the narrative from negative to positive. 

• Show professionalism: A constructive response can help you show professionalism. Avoid arguing or making excuses. Instead, you can propose to fix the issue. Or offer a reasonable solution if the complaint or request is unreasonable. 

• Explain misunderstandings: Some negative reviews may be due to customers not understanding your service. You can clarify the issue in your response. The explanation might also help review readers know what to expect from you. 

• Display empathy: A good response can show that you understand the customer’s view of the issue. You can take their side in trying to solve the problem in a reasonable way instead of defending yourself or offering excuses. 

• Learn from mistakes: Negative reviews could reveal mistakes you didn’t realize you were making. You can use these situations as a chance to correct the problems. Fixing the issue should lower the number of negative reviews in the future. 

• Control the damage: Your response to a negative review can keep the problem from getting worse. The unhappy customer might write reviews on other platforms if they don’t get an answer from you quickly. If you do respond, they can engage with you instead of complaining openly on the internet. 

Always write responses with your audience in mind. You want to solve the problem that caused the negative review. But you also want to show the qualities we just mentioned to review readers. Explain the issue clearly. This will help readers who aren’t familiar with the situation understand your solution and response. 

How to Respond to Negative Reviews 

Good responses are essential for dealing with negative reviews. Unfortunately, you only have one chance to get it right. You need to be careful about what you say and when you say it. 

Here are the best practices for getting the results you want from each review response. 

Respond Quickly 

Timely responses are important. A quick response shows you are concerned about customer satisfaction. It also keeps the situation from getting worse. Unhappy customers might go to other platforms to leave more negative reviews.  

This magnifies the problem and gives more review readers a negative impression of your company. 

How can you keep track of new reviews? Create and track a Google Business Profile. This lets you see reviews left through the search engine or Google Maps.  

You don’t need to solve the issue right away. But a quick response lets the customer know you are working on it. Importantly, it also keeps the problem from getting worse. 

Take the Customer’s Side 

Acknowledge the customer’s frustration. You may think their complaint isn’t valid or the expectations aren’t realistic. However, you should still take the opportunity to show empathy for them. 

This type of response changes the dynamic of the interaction. Instead of arguing about the problem, you are now working together to solve it. 

There is a second benefit to this step. It shows that you are making a reasonable effort to work with the customer. Some customers may remain unreasonable. But, because your customer-friendly response is public, other review readers will see it.  

They may notice your good-faith efforts and understand that the customer is being irrational. This could limit the damage caused by the negative review. 

Focus on the Solution 

You should offer an apology, but don’t overdo it. A single “sorry for your frustration” is often enough. After that, focus on the solution. 

Your solution should have specific qualities. First, it should be clear. Don’t offer vague promises to fix the issue. Second, your suggestion should be actionable. It needs to be a realistic step you or your client can take to solve the problem quickly.  

For example, you could offer to send a repair person to look at the issue. Or you could suggest a discount on future services. 

Negotiate in Good Faith 

The reviewer may not accept your first offer. You can continue to negotiate to find a reasonable solution. For instance, you might provide a free checkup in the future. 

It is all right to proceed in small steps. You can offer a little bit more during each contact with the customer. You should continue thinking that the customer is reasonable and wants to solve the problem.  

However, you should be aware that they may try to take advantage of the situation to get free services. You should decide before starting the response what your limits are. If your stepped-up offers do not satisfy them, you can stop the process. They can decide to take your last offer or get nothing. 

Often, it’s better to handle longer negotiations via email or phone. Review readers might not follow a long back-and-forth thread. Also, other customers may expect the exact same solution, even if their problem is different. 

Always Remain Calm 

Customers may be frustrated and emotional when writing their bad reviews. You might be tempted to match their tone. An angry response could be especially irresistible if their review is unreasonable or not based on facts. 

Instead, you need to remain professional. Say you’re sorry for their frustration and offer a solution. If they have the facts of the situation wrong, you can politely attempt to explain the misunderstanding.  

However, don’t assign blame when doing this. Keep the post positive and focused on solutions rather than defending yourself or blaming them. 

Follow Up with Customers 

Maintain contact with customers after you solve the initial problem. There are three reasons for doing this. 

First, you want to ensure they are satisfied, which is important for getting repeat business from them. Second, it gives you a reason to create a connection with the customer. This may make it more likely that they will contact you the next time they need home services. 

Finally, you can use the follow-up email or call to request a review update. Remember, 63% of customers are willing to change their reviews if the company fixes the issue. Most review platforms will let you edit or post updates on the review.  

Review readers will see the update and know that you delivered on your promise to deal with the issue. 

Have a Plan for Extreme Cases 

You should respond professionally to negative reviews. But there are a few exceptions. Some reviewers may be obviously irrational. For instance, they may be obviously unfair or profane. The reviewer may make broad generalizations without mentioning a specific problem. 

Some people may simply be attempting to troll you. They may not even be a customer. In these extreme cases, it is all right to avoid responding. If the platform has the option, you can even report the review as spam. 

In the most extreme cases, you may even consider legal action. You might take this step if the review contains realistic physical threats. Or you can contact a lawyer if the reviewer is clearly trying to defame your business. 

Make sure you have a plan in place to confirm whether the reviewer is an actual customer. For instance, ask them to contact you privately to provide an invoice number or billing details. 

Negative Review Response Examples 

Every review response will be a bit different. You need to address the details of each complaint directly. However, all your answers will have a similar tone and follow the same basic framework. 

Here are some examples that show the tone and general approach to negative review responses. 

Complaints about Scheduling 

Home services contractors may sometimes arrive late. This could lead to complaints like the following: 

Customer review: “The technician was supposed to arrive at 10 in the morning. He didn’t get here until 2 p.m. I needed the issue fixed, so I had to wait. But I wasted my whole morning and missed an important appointment.” 

Example response: “I am sorry for the delay. I know how frustrating it can be to be without an important fixture in your home and to have to wait when someone doesn’t arrive on time. We clearly let you down by being late and not letting you know beforehand. To make up for your lost time, we will waive the service charges on your next appointment. Contact me soon so we can work out the details for this deal.” 

Unsatisfactory Results 

Sometimes, repairs or installations don’t work as expected. This can lead to a negative review: 

Customer review: “The technician claimed to fix my air conditioner. But, it broke down again a week later. Now, I am without A.C. on the hottest days of the year. Very disappointing.” 

Example response: “I’m sorry that your air conditioner didn’t work as expected. I know that at this time of year, it is an important piece of equipment. We guarantee our work, so if there is an issue with the repairs, we can fix it at no additional cost. The repair is obviously urgent, so call or email us right away. We will send the first available technician to check your system at no added cost. We will cover any repairs under our guarantee and make any other fixes you need to get your A.C. unit running again.” 

Issues with Appearance or Quality 

Some customers are unhappy with how the finished work looks. This type of review can be challenging because appearance can be subjective. 

Customer review: “I hired the company for a bathroom remodeling project. The fixtures work fine, but the finishing touches look messy. There are a few paint drops on the tiles and the shower head is dripping. The workers left dust in the corner and the mirror was mounted crooked. For the length of time and price, I expected better results.” 

Example response: “We are sorry you aren’t happy with the results. Our team should have done a walk-through with you to find any issues. It’s unacceptable that we failed to do that. We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality, so we will take every reasonable step to give you the best possible results. We will send someone to review the work with you. You can point out these problems, and we will fix anything covered under the original contract. Please call us as soon as you can to set up the walk-through.”