Resist the urge to bury, hide or delete negative reviews. Bad reviews can actually help your business grow and thrive. How, you ask? The majority of consumers go online when looking for goods or services. And believe it or not, they’re more likely to trust a company who does not have a perfect 5-star rating. A perfect rating is almost too good to be true and no one’s perfect. What the consumer really wants to see is how you handled the issue covered in the review. Consumers want to know: Was the issue handled in a timely manner? Was it resolved to the satisfaction of the reviewer? These things help gain the trust of the consumer.

Another benefit (yes, benefit) of the negative review is it brings attention to issues within your organization, product offerings and/or service. You can’t do anything about the defective product or mistakes already made. But, by grasping the not-so-positive review by the horns and taking steps to set things right goes along way. Start (re)gaining the trust of customers by resolving issues brought to your attention through negative reviews.

How to turn those frowns upside down:

1. Be proactive in addressing negative reviews.
2. Listen to the reviewer to understand their concerns.
3. Consult with your team to gather information as well as asking their opinions on how to resolve the issues.
4. Take responsibility.
5. Ask how you can make it right.
6. Fix the problem, replace the product, or redo the work.
7. Follow up
8. Research, discuss, and determine where things went wrong. Make the necessary improvements or changes to ensure the issue doesn’t happen again.

Use the negative reviews to make improvements and changes in the way you do business. Your company will benefit through better business practices and customers who trust you.