Hi there! Great question!

With so many review sites and opportunities that customers can utilize to post their experience or opinion of a business it's absolutely crucial for business owners to stay in-the-know with their individual online visibility rating(s).

If you are a business owner or someone who is in charge of communications for a business, you will find our quickly that you can't please everyone. There will always be someone who is not a fan of your service, product, food or location. When you come across a low star rating or negative review it's important to respond in a professional and positive manner. One way of doing this would be to formulate a personalized reply to each low star rating or negative review, encouraging a more positive outcome or perhaps, updated review/response.

I went ahead and created a step-by-step list to help you respond to a negative comment or review.

1. Write a short-positive (non-confrontational) reply showing that you have acknowledged and understood the issue(s) or concerns.

2. Thank the customer/client for their visit and for taking the time out to provide feedback.

3. Be sure to show sympathy if they've had a terrible experience.

4. Assure them how you plan to resolve the issue.  

5.Sincerely apologize and offer to make things right with the customer (perhaps a discount or free service/entree/product to welcome them back).

• NOTE: When responding to a negative review or low star rating online, you want to avoid including your business name in the reply because if you do - the negative review is more likely to populate and be found/recognized in search engines.

Here's an example response I've put together for a negative review.

Hello [Customer Name],
Thank you for taking the time out to share your feedback. I am very sorry to hear about your recent experience as this is absolutely not the standard of service we strive to give our customers. We appreciate our customers/clients and work to maintain a high level of customer service, quality and trust each and every day. [Customer Name], I would like to make up for your disappointment. Please feel free to contact me directly. [Name, Job Title, Email Address and/or Phone Number]. I look forward to hearing from you.

[Your Name]

I hope you found this response helpful. If I can be of any assistance with regards to social media content, strategy, video production or other creative services, please don't hesitate to reach out.  

Wishing you all the best with you business!  

Sheena L.A. | Founder, Online Social Maven