"A negative review from a Yelp user can certainly touch your business, but if you ready yourself and answer well to it, y'all can become past a bad review, unscathed."

Even if you take the perfect business with outstanding customer service, you will run into less-than-complimentary reviews from time to time. Sometimes yous deserve the negative feedback; other times, you don't. The fact is that some people just desire to complain. There is no reason why you lot cannot maintain a good attitude, while saving face at the same time—even in the face of a bad review. The key is to handle it productively and constructively.

Since its inception in 2004, Yelp has grown from a elementary platform—non unlike the Yellow Pages we used to see in former-school, ink-and-paper phone books—to i of the top websites of all time, said to have the ability to "make or break" a small business organization. A negative review from a Yelp user can certainly impact your concern, just if you prepare yourself and respond well to information technology, you can get past a bad review, unscathed. Here are some rules-of-thumb on how to deal with it, learn from information technology, and motion by it.

 

1. Don't be Argumentative

When someone writes a negative review well-nigh your business organization, your get-go instinct may be to retaliate. Resist this temptation. Let's exist honest; if you are a small business owner, then your business organisation is your infant. Information technology is natural to experience injure, angry, and even defeated (if you're the real sensitive type) when somebody writes bad things virtually your business concern. Do not respond to negativity, with negativity—this will mar your image even farther considering, for 1 thing, you will come up beyond as trivial and unstable. You have to remain professional and higher up any negativity that your potential customers may run into in online reviews, as well every bit in the larger media, press, or actually any content that concerns your business, on the spider web or otherwise.

Then if beingness argumentative is the thing to avoid, then how should you lot respond? Stay calm, and one time again, be professional. If one of your customers came into your shop or office, in person, and began yelling and raving most how bad your service is, would you lot yell correct back at them and showtime hurling insults? Probably not; that is not how a professional business handles unsatisfied customers. You are not in a street fight with these people—they are your customers, proficient Americans like yourself—and there is a good chance that you may even be able to turn them back into your favor, not to mention conveying a positive image to future customers.

 

2. Listen and Larn

Like any other outlet that provides you with feedback from customers, Yelp reviews (especially negative ones) can reveal how you can amend or adapt your business. Was a Yelp user dissatisfied with a production they bought from yous? That is a signal that you may need to accept another wait at your product quality considering odds are, more customers whom you have not heard from are having the same experience. A Yelp user giving a bad review is not the enemy; but you lot can become your ain worst enemy if y'all fail to heed the concerns of your customers.

  content_search

3. Redeem Yourself past Responding Publicly

Yelp gives y'all the pick to respond to a user either publicly, or privately. Later a bad review, it is probably not the best class of activeness to take none at all, and information technology behooves you to respond. Ideally, information technology is a practiced thought to respond publicly, as well as sending a individual message. A personal greeting which thank you this user for their business and apologizes for their negative experience tin constructively supplement a thoughtful public response for everyone else to see. You won't be able to win over every disgruntled customer, but y'all tin minimize the fallout from a bad review by calmly and considerately making an endeavour to show goodwill toward them. Again, negative reviews are unavoidable, no matter how advisedly you lot run your concern; however, your public epitome will be preserved if yous consistently respond to the concerns of your customers.

 

4. Do Amend Business organisation and The Public Volition Discover

Negative reviews may be unavoidable—I do not know of any business who did not receive at least a little negative feedback—only the bottom line is that if you make the effort to improve all aspects of your business, and so your customers will not have anything to mutter about (equally mentioned previously, some people just have to complain). Taking quality seriously is the mark of a truly earth-class business organisation. Accept the time to advisedly consider every particular of your business, over again and again, as yous perpetually strive to exist the best you possibly can be, and people will discover. Your customers are no fools—when y'all run everything conscientiously, with attending to quality in every element of your business concern, they can tell the difference.

It is an undeniable fact the Yelp has the peculiar chapters to sway the opinion of the online community toward your business, but don't lose heart when you get a negative review. The key to surviving bad reviews is simply to remain at-home, pay attention to your customers, learn from their feedback, and but exist professional. Every business has to deal with negative feedback eventually; sometimes it'due south just your turn.



Here is another article on dealing with tough customers:
How to Handle Difficult Customers: Know When to Hang Up

Greetings from the Talkroute Content Team!

Want to make it bear upon? Email Us


Stephanie

Stephanie is the Marketing Managing director at Talkroute and has been featured in Forbes, Inc, and Entrepreneur as a leading authority on business and telecommunications.

Stephanie is also the master editor and contributing writer for the Talkroute blog helping more than 100k entrepreneurs to start, run, and grow their businesses.