When you own a business, your reputation is everything. A good reputation helps you encourage customers to come back, as well as help attract new customers. You work hard to keep your customers happy, so what happens when you receive a negative view online?

Negative reviews can be tough to take, but they don’t have to signal a crisis for your business. Take a look at some great tips for helping you deal with negative online reviews.

Don’t react (or overreact!) too quickly

It’s easy to bite when someone leaves you a negative review. But if you react too quickly and go on the defensive, you risk things blowing up more than they need to. It’s a classic business mistake that can grow out of control, but one that can easily be avoided with the right strategy.

When dealing with a negative comment or review, take some time to think about an appropriate response. You might need to find further information to help deal with your query, so a holding response can help buy you some time until you can respond in full.

Assess whether the review is genuine

Believe it or not, not all online reviews are genuine. Some people like to leave these types of reviews for fun, or they are out to sabotage a company. There’s also a chance that the review could have been left by a bot. Luckily, it’s quite easy to spot a fake online review. Assess whether a review is genuine before you engage in responding, you don’t want to waste time that could be better spent engaging with others. 

Respond and try to address the issue

If a customer is unhappy with a product or service they’ve received, try to make it better. A negative review will usually detail what has made them upset, and if you can, try to resolve it. Not all queries are easily resolved, but providing a goodwill gesture or outlining the steps you’ve taken to try and resolve the issue can appease disgruntled customers and even get them to change their minds. 

Sometimes, you need to own up to your mistakes too. If something has gone wrong on your part, admit the mistake, apologize and vow to do better.

Learn how to maintain a positive online reputation

Maintaining a positive online reputation can help you combat the negative reviews you receive. Using a reputation defender can save you the hassle of managing your online reviews, helping your most positive testimonials to shine. The right approach will help the positive outweigh the negative, helping you build trust with new and existing customers.

Nobody wants to receive a negative review, so it’s important to provide the best service possible to your customers. While the odd negative review can creep in, it doesn’t have to mean the end of the world. Learn how to tackle negative reviews the right way so your business can fight to live another day.