How to Handle Negative Feedback Professionally

bad review

It happens to the best of us. No matter how hard you try to offer great products, amazing services, and excellent customer care some people will not be satisfied. In turn, you will end up with an angry email or, worse, a bad review or social media comment that the entire world can see. It may seem terrible, but it’s not the end of the world. Especially if you know how to handle negative feedback like a pro.

  1. Don’t Panic

Your first negative feedback may instantly send you into a state of panic. If you feel that rush coming, don’t respond immediately. Take some time to analyze the situation before hasting into answering. Yes, quick answers are important, but not if they are the wrong ones.

  1. Ask Questions

Don’t rush to promise that you will exchange the faulty product, offer a discount, or give something for free before you know the full picture. This is the number one rule of how to handle negative feedback like a professional.

Start by asking about the usage conditions, what exactly happened and try to do some troubleshooting with the angry client. Only after you got all the details you needed, think about offering some incentive.

  1. Always Be Polite

It might be your first time dealing with this and you may not know how to handle negative feedback, but this is no excuse to forget your manners. Even if the customer loses his temper and starts using curse words, you should never do that. No, not even if the customer is also wrong (which, despite the old adage, happens sometimes).

  1. Say You’re Sorry

…even if you don’t admit to your mistake. Words like “I’m sorry this happened to you. Let’s see how we can fix it” can go a long way into calming your customer.

  1. Use Negative Feedback as an Opportunity to Shine

Excellent customer service has a greater value now than it ever had. If you talk politely and go above and beyond to solve the customer’s problem in a record time, no one will hold a grudge. Well, that customer might, but if others can see your replies, they will know that you value your customers’ opinions.

  1. Take the Discussion Offline

If the discussion degenerates, offer to call the customer or sort this out via email. It’s advisable to keep this away from public websites and social networks if you feel like the customer simply wants to vent, gain attention, or destroy your online reputation.

  1. Admit Your Mistakes (if Any)

No, saying you made a mistake and offering to fix it is not wrong. Everyone makes mistakes; how you handle negative feedback is what truly sets you apart. Explain the situation as honestly as possible: “we have a technical problem that’s now been fixed”, “it was an oversight that will not happen again”, “we made a mistake in the user guide that we’ll rectify right now”. All these are great ways of showing your customer that you’re taking his problem seriously.

  1. Offer an Incentive

If it really was your fault, offering a discount, replacing the product or giving away free services or vouchers should appease the angry customer. If possible, ask them what they would prefer. Again, this goes to show that you value their business and their opinion.

Need more tips on how to handle negative feedback professionally? We’d love to assist you!

 

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Adriana Tica is an expert marketer and copywriter, with 10 years in the field, most of which were spent marketing tech companies. She is the Owner and Founder of Idunn. In October 2019, she also launched Copywritech, a digital marketing agency that provides copywriting, SEO content writing, and strategy services to companies in the tech industry.