[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ padding_mobile=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0px|||” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”1080%” custom_margin=”||0px||false|false” text_font_size_last_edited=”off|desktop” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
A<\/span> negative review often feels like a personal attack, but handled strategically, it is actually one of your greatest opportunities<\/strong>. Statistically, 45% of consumers<\/b> are more likely to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews. While receiving critical feedback can be frustrating, dealing with the situation smartly ensures your online reputation remains intact\u2014and can even strengthen it.<\/p>\n Because unsatisfied customers are naturally more likely to leave a review than satisfied ones, this feedback heavily influences the decisions of future guests. Most review platforms allow businesses to respond, and this is a chance that should never be missed. So, how do you respond to a negative review in a way that turns a critic into a fan?<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”620px” custom_padding=”50px|||” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_divider color=”#aeaeac” _builder_version=”4.16″ hide_on_mobile=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”32″ text_line_height=”1.3em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”900px” custom_margin=”16px||30px|” text_font_size_tablet=”” text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n \u201cDon’t Ignore, Respond<\/em><\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_divider color=”#aeaeac” _builder_version=”4.16″ hide_on_mobile=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”40px||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”40px||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n We recommend beginning every response by thanking the customer for their feedback and apologizing for not meeting their expectations. Your tone should be professional and friendly from beginning to end, demonstrating that you value every guest and are committed to resolving their concerns. Assure them that their feedback is noted and will be used to improve future experiences.<\/p>\n Emotions aside, show an objective view of the situation. No product or service can please everyone, that\u2019s natural. What is important is that future customers who check online reviews get the full picture.<\/strong> If you have done everything in your power to provide a high-quality service, explain your process calmly so that others can understand your side of the story.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_4,3_4″ use_custom_gutter=”on” gutter_width=”2″ padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” custom_padding_last_edited=”on|tablet” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”50px|||” custom_padding_tablet=”17px|||” custom_padding_phone=”” custom_width_px=”830px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_divider color=”#aeaeac” _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_css_main_element=”width:130px;” hide_on_mobile=”off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Serif||on||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”16″ text_line_height=”1em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”130px” custom_margin=”20px||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Negative reviews are not bad per se. They can be a valuable source of information on how you can improve your service or product.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Thumb_blue.jpg.png” show_bottom_space=”off” align_tablet=”center” align_phone=”center” align_last_edited=”on|desktop” _builder_version=”4.16″ animation_style=”fade” animation_duration=”500ms” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” animation=”fade_in” sticky=”on” always_center_on_mobile=”on” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”on” column_padding_mobile=”on” admin_label=”row” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_padding=”0px|||” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”620px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”40px||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Sometimes it is not clear from a review what exactly went wrong. Ask the customer for more detailed feedback<\/strong>. It may help to take the communication on a private ground, for example, provide an email address or a phone number so that a customer can reach you and you can solve the problem together. The good news is that online reviews can be updated by the reviewers. It is another reason to respond to a negative review.<\/p>\n Most review platforms have strict policies regarding content. Reviews must be based on personal experience and cannot contain hate speech, confidential information, or unlawful content. If you receive a review that violates these terms or is clearly fraudulent, do not hesitate to report it to the website and request its removal.<\/p>\n For a deeper look at how to identify these, read our specialized article on [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”40px||0px|” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Negative reviews are not bad per se. They can be a valuable source of information<\/strong> on how you can improve your service or product. Besides, people tend to distrust businesses that only have high ratings, a few bad reviews make the picture more realistic. By responding to negative reviews you can build trust with your customers and increase engagement.<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ text_text_color=”#000000″ text_font_size=”17px” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”40px||0px|” hover_enabled=”0″ border_style=”solid” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n Do you want some actionable insights?<\/strong> In our Ultimate Guide to Online Reviews<\/a> you can find lots of templates to respond to negative and positive reviews. Or, let re:spondelligent’s [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row padding_mobile=”off” column_padding_mobile=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” max_width=”780px” use_custom_width=”on” custom_width_px=”780px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ custom_padding=”|||” global_colors_info=”{}” custom_padding__hover=”|||” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.16″ text_font=”PT Serif||||” text_text_color=”#363636″ text_font_size=”36″ text_line_height=”1.4em” background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” text_orientation=”center” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”||70px|” text_font_size_tablet=”26″ text_font_size_phone=”” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|tablet” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]Want new articles before they get published? Natalia is a Co-Founder of\u00a0re:spondelligent<\/strong>. She is passionate about helping businesses manage and respond to their customer reviews and loves sharing her industry and marketing knowledge to help brands succeed.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_blurb][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Receiving a negative review can be very frustrating, but dealing with the situation smartly will increase the chance that your online reputation is not damaged.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":25353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25452","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-review-management"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Respond to Negative Reviews for Your Restaurant or Hotel<\/h3>\n
1. Be polite and forthcoming<\/strong><\/h4>\n
2. Explain the situation<\/strong><\/h4>\n
3. Engage in dialogue <\/strong><\/h4>\n
4. Deal with fake reviews<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Summary<\/h4>\n
\nSubscribe to our Awesome Newsletter.
\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_contact_form captcha=”off” email=”newsletter@respondelligent.com” custom_message=”Negative Customer Review: how to handle it?||et_pb_line_break_holder||%%E-mail_Address%%||et_pb_line_break_holder||%%First_Name%%” use_redirect=”off” success_message=”Thank you for subscribing” module_id=”et_pb_contact_form_1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _unique_id=”c789198a-1cae-4e69-8383-ef72094d54bf” custom_button=”on” button_text_color=”#ffffff” button_bg_color=”#00b0dc” button_border_width=”8″ button_border_color=”#00b0dc” button_border_radius=”4″ border_radii=”on|0px|0px|0px|0px” border_style=”solid” input_border_radius=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_contact_field field_id=”E-mail_Address” field_title=”E-mail Address” fullwidth_field=”on” _builder_version=”4.16″ form_field_background_color=”rgba(0,0,0,0)” form_field_text_color=”#adadab” form_field_font=”PT Sans||||” form_field_font_size=”20″ form_field_line_height=”1.4em” 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theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n