How to eliminate a negative review and preserve the reputation of your business
This is a situation in which most businesses have found themselves at some point or another, and even if the complaint is legitimate or invented, it has an impact on the company's assessments and reputation.
A negative review is a blow to a business, because after all, great efforts are made to provide the best services to the company's customers, and a review not only devalues it, but also questions the effectiveness of the business vis-a-vis other potential new consumers.
How a business responds to these criticisms has a direct impact on reputation and dictates, in the consumer's opinion, the professionalism of the company and the entrepreneur. It is for this reason that it is important to respond assertively and with interest in solving the problem.
In this article we are going to teach you how to respond to negative criticism and how to eliminate them
How to remove a negative Google review
Google reviews are intended to be unbiased and honest to help potential consumers make decisions about buying a product or service. Although they are intended to be beneficial, not everyone uses them correctly and writes an honest review. What could be a powerful tool for attracting new consumers becomes a tool that repels them.
While constructive criticism is always good to help the entrepreneur design new strategies or make positive changes to their product or service, there are cases where we encounter destructive criticisms that do more harm than good to the integrity of the business.
Unfortunately, removing a negative review is not so simple, but you have two options to consider:
- You can report them to Google.
- You can try to talk to the user and persuade them to change or delete their review.
The choice depends on the type of criticism you have received.
If the review goes against Google's review policy, you should report it.
This includes reviews that are considered to be:
- Spam or invented/fake content
- Reviews not related to your business
- Inappropriate reviews or containing offensive language or explicit content
- Reviews that endanger personal safety, such as threats of violence or harassment.
- Conflicts of interest, such as reviews from former employees or competitors.
Google will review any post reported for violating its policy. The review may take between 24 hours and three weeks to be removed.
On the other hand, if the review does not contravene Google's review policy, it is important to determine if it was written by a real person who has used your products or services. To do this, follow these steps:
- Access their review profile to determine if it is legitimate or if it is a fake profile created solely to leave negative comments. Do they have a profile picture? Is the person's full name there?
- Next, you can confirm if they are in your company's customer records. Can you find their name in your business's CRM?
- Make sure the review is about your business and that the user did not mistake it for another company. Do they mention your services or location? Does the review make sense and fit your product or service?
- Speak with your employees to see if anyone remembers the customer or the incident mentioned in their review. Has anyone had a call or received emails from this customer? Can any employee recall the incident?
If after performing these steps you determine that the review was written by a real customer and does not violate Google's review policy, your only alternative is to respond as appropriately as possible.
How to report a negative Google review
You must report and notify any Google review that violates Google's review policy. You can do this from the Google desktop or through Google Maps.
Report negative Google reviews from the desktop
To report a Google Review on the desktop, follow these steps:
- Log in to Google on your business account.
- Go to the reviews tab and look for the review you believe needs to be reported.
- Click on the three vertical dots next to the review to show a menu.
- Click on "report review."
- Select the rule that violates Google's review policy.
Report bad Google reviews on Google Maps
To report a Google review on Google Maps, follow these steps:
- Open Google Maps
- Go to your company's profile on Google
- Find the review you want to flag
- Click on the three vertical dots next to the review to show a menu
- Select "Report review"
- Finally, select the rule that violates Google's review policy.
How to respond to a negative review professionally
If a negative review does not violate Google's review policy, your best option is to respond. The goal of this action is to encourage the client to edit or delete their review, so it is essential to be courteous, professional, and positive.
To achieve the above, here are the steps to get started:
- Review the complaint and talk to any employees involved. Get a clear picture of the issue or complaint and determine who (if anyone) is at fault.
If you are unsure why the customer is not satisfied, you can always ask for more information.
- Find out how the problem can be resolved. For example, are you willing to offer a discount on their next service or work with them to reschedule a canceled appointment?
- Before sending a response, create a draft. Remember that how you handle the situation is an important part of your customer service, visible to everyone. Be polite and stay calm, even if the customer is at fault.
In cases where the customer refuses to edit or delete a review, how you handle the situation can significantly improve your online reputation. Those who find your reviews in search results will respect you more for providing customer service despite negative reviews
Craft your responses carefully and keep potential future customers in mind.
To reply to a negative review, it is best to use assertiveness. Stay objective, listen to their criticism, and try to reach an agreement.
How to eliminate inappropriate responses to negative Google reviews
Now that you have read this guide, you may realize that some of your responses to negative reviews have not been the most appropriate, but don't worry! Everything has a solution.
Here is how to delete old responses to these reviews so you can update them to better ones.
If you want to eliminate a response to a review that you wrote or provide instructions to a customer, follow these steps:
- Log in to Google Maps.
- Select the menu icon
- Go to "Your contributions" and click on Reviews
- Find the review in question and click on the three vertical dots next to it.
- Edit or delete the review and click "Submit."
Examples of assertive responses to negative reviews:
Bad reviews can provide little information. You can use this to your advantage and respond in a way that shows that user and potential customers that you are open to listening and resolving the situation.
“Hello [username], we are very sorry to hear that you are not satisfied with our service. We take customer satisfaction very seriously and want to know what we can do to improve their experience. Feel free to contact our office at [phone number] or [email address] so we can provide you with some options!”
When you have already solved the problem
Use this response once you have successfully contacted the customer to discuss the problem and the negative review of your business.
"Hello [customer's name], we recently communicated to resolve this issue and [what you did to resolve the problem]. If you are satisfied with the results, would you be willing to update your review? As a local business, your support means a lot to us. Thank you in advance!"
When the review is not accurate
When the review is inaccurate or contains elements that you consider not in line with reality, you may need to explain your version of the story courteously and professionally.
For example, if you are an appliance repair company and a customer leaves a review about not repairing a scratch on their dishwasher, which was leaking water, your response may look like this:
"Hello [customer's name], we are very sorry that you are not satisfied with our service. We take customer satisfaction very seriously and strive to provide a positive customer experience.
Our records show that you hired our services to fix a functional problem with your dishwasher, which was leaking water, including a filter change. Unfortunately, the repair of aesthetic issues not related to the functional breakdown incurs an additional cost due to the additional time and supplies needed.
Since you did not purchase the complete package, which would include aesthetic repairs, you were not charged.
We will be happy to offer you a discount on the next appliance repair to compensate for the confusion. Feel free to contact us at [phone number] or [email address] to discuss this in more detail."
When the review is a mistake
Sometimes, a review can be written in a business forum by mistake, instead of posting it in the appropriate business forum. When you believe a negative review was a mistake, you can respond with something like this:
"Hello [customer's name]. It seems that we cannot find any details about [you, this issue, this job] in our files. If this review was a mistake, would you be willing to remove it? If you intended to leave it, would you be willing to provide more details so we can work to improve your experience? Thank you in advance!"
How to improve your reputation if you can't delete a bad review
If you cannot report or remove a Google review and the customer refuses to update it, you are unable to remedy the situation. However, there are ways to maintain your reputation and combat negative comments.
You can:
- Encourage satisfied customers to leave positive reviews
- Respond promptly, with polite and professional responses.
- Ensure that your services, policies, and prices are clear and straightforward
- Address potential customer problems before they become a negative review
- Gather constructive feedback or criticism from customers and company staff regularly
- And don't forget to respond to any positive comments you receive as well!
Showing your appreciation and gratitude for satisfied customers is also part of excellent customer service.
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