Trolls and Negative Reviews

If you have been willing to put yourself and your business on social media, it is likely you have dealt with an upset customer, social media troll or received a negative review. In the heat of the moment, it can be hard to decide how to handle these situations. However, there is a right way to do it and following the appropriate steps can save your company’s reputation.

Here are the 4 must do tips for dealing with negative comments/ reviews:

1. RESPOND. Many times business owners feel that if they ignore a nasty comment, it will simply go away. The reality is that you will only anger the customer more which will very likely result in more negative comments and feedback.
2. Be timely. Just like everything else on the internet and social media, timing is everything. The sooner you can address and diffuse the situation the better. A good rule of thumb is to respond within an hour, but I would aim to respond within 15-30 minutes.
3. Remain calm and be kind. This may seem like a no brainer, but it is better to stay calm and approach them with kindness than anger and disdain. Here is how I would structure your response:
   1. Thank them for their feedback.
   2. Apologize for any inconvenience (even if you secretly do not mean it at the time).
   3. Encourage a continued conversation to rectify the situation via a private message. (Do not do email, it can take to long and get lost only making matters worse.)
4. Leave the comment or review. It can be tempting to remove a bad comment or review from your page. However, this can actually cause suspicion about your brand if you only have positive reviews. It is normal and completely acceptable to have a few bad reviews. As long as you have more good than bad, you will be fine. Your customers are smart enough to determine for themselves what reviews to trust.

If you can follow these steps, you will always come out on top. Take these responses as an opportunity to showcase your brand’s customer service. Every interaction you have with people, even online, plays into your reputation, so take it seriously.