How to Respond to Negative Feedback About Your Business

Brett Farmiloe
Fri, 15 Nov 2024 14:00:05 +0000
Negative-feedback, Feedback, Online-feedback, Online-reviews, Ratings, Customer-satisfaction, Customer-communication, Customer-feedback, Customer-experience, Negative-reviews

Navigating negative feedback on the internet about your business can feel like walking a tightrope. However, your response to negative reviews online can affect how your business is perceived, so it's important to thoughtfully consider how you will respond. We asked experienced CEOs and other leaders their strategies for handling online criticism, from going above and beyond to acknowledging and resolving issues publicly.

1. Go above and beyond

"Getting negative feedback is the perfect opportunity to go ridiculously above and beyond. Respond publicly and promptly. Apologize for the pain you've caused. Ask them to DM or email you offline. Resolve the situation in a way that a) fully addresses their concern; and b) does something completely surprising and delightful. Public customer complaints can be a gift because you can turn a negative person into one of your biggest fans in short order."
—Sean Johnson, Madison

2. Never delete negative feedback

"The first tip for dealing with negative feedback is never to delete it unless it contains offensive language or the user's comments are off-point. If the user has a genuine complaint, deleting their comment is a huge mistake. It can imply that you don't care about their feelings and have no empathy for what they are experiencing. Instead of deleting the negative feedback, address it head-on for everyone to see.

"We have learned that nine times out of ten, your followers will police your company's social media space, burying the negative feedback with positive responses."
—Dan Ben-Nun, Adspace

3. Listen, reflect, and adapt

"Navigating the tricky landscape of negative feedback on social media is a challenging yet crucial aspect of my role as a travel blogger. Once, I received a comment criticizing a recommendation I made, claiming it was unsuitable for a particular client demographic. Instead of becoming defensive, I publicly thanked the commenter for their insight and privately re-evaluated the post in question. The incident led me to create a more explicit 'travel-suitability' section in my blog posts to cater to diverse travel preferences and abilities.

"My advice to others handling online criticism would be to listen, reflect, and adapt. Think of each piece of negative feedback as an opportunity to refine your work, not as a personal attack. It’s also critical to respond publicly to demonstrate your commitment to improve and build trust with your audience."
—Annelies De Gelas, Travelers & Dreamers

4. Turn criticism into dialogue

"I once received a review that was critical of a feature we'd recently rolled out. Instead of rushing to defend it, I paused and asked myself, 'What can I learn from this?' I reached out to the user privately, thanked them for their feedback, and asked for more specifics. This allowed me to turn the negative feedback into an opportunity to improve the product. My advice: engage with criticism as a dialogue. Show the person they're heard, ask thoughtful follow-up questions, and use the feedback to refine your work. It's not just about resolving the issue; it's about building trust."
—Rasmus Myhrberg, Spark Plugin

5. Be honest and open

"An online reviewer had a negative comment on one of the aspects of the product from the company I was working with at the time. It was a well-known issue, even to the development team. Instead of trying to sugarcoat it, I thanked them and said we were aware of the issue. I even shared my personal frustrations with the issue. The reviewer ended up thanking me for the honest response and accepted the renewal offer after the issue was resolved.

"My recommendation would be to be very honest with yourself and your users. There will always be problems, but instead of sweeping them under the rug, show that you're working on them. It means more to that reviewer and to your new users than to pretend everything is perfect."
—Lana Rafaela Cindric, RevBoss

6. Wait before replying

"I remember looking at an angry comment in an article I wrote about sustainability. My first thought? To reply with a defensive message. But I have learned that quick and angry replies usually don't help at all.

"What did I do instead? I took a deep breath, shut down my laptop, and walked away for an hour. When I came back, I read the comment again, trying to find any truth in the harsh words. And there it was—that guy was right. I had missed some important facts about how recycling works at different temperatures.

"Instead of ignoring or arguing, I replied to the comment: 'Thank you for pointing this out. You are right about the recycling numbers. I fixed the article with the accurate information and added a note about the change. I appreciate your feedback, which helped me make the article better.'

"How did this change things? I changed a possible fight into a helpful chat. The person who criticized me later became one of my best commenters. They often shared smart ideas to make my work better.

"My guidelines for handling online criticism:

Wait before replying (I wait an hour).

Find good points in the criticism.

Reply in public and be professional.

Be humble and thank them for their valuable feedback.

Fix mistakes if needed.

Most importantly, focus on facts, not feelings."

—Jan Lutz, Sustainability Jobs

7. Use humor and playfulness

"Handling negative feedback can be tricky, but it's also an opportunity. As a business, you don't need to stick to the old 'stay-professional' rule by being stiff or overly formal. People appreciate brands with personality. That said, professionalism still matters, so there's a balance to strike.

"In today's landscape, people love dropping random, outrageous comments. Instead of getting defensive, try using humor or a playful, factual response. This shows you're relatable and not just a faceless corporation. A great example: We ran a sketch ad featuring one person dressed as two characters with a green screen. Some comments accused us of trying to pass the setting off as real. We responded with, 'Wait till you find out the two people are the same person. :exploding_head:' It was factual, playful, and helped defuse the situation. People even jumped in to back us up.

"My advice? Don't be afraid to break the 'professional' mold. Use humor that fits your brand, and your audience will often have your back!"
—Yannick Habraken, Hyred

8. Avoid reasoned responses to unreasonable reviews

"Following Google's guidelines, I responded to a negative review from a client with a reasoned response to the difficult emotions of getting divorced. Such responses get forwarded to the person who posted the review, no matter how unbalanced that person might be. The customer then went on a long rant response, full of lies and calumny, and began a harassment campaign against me. I had to go to court and basically get a no-contact order against that person, which the judge upheld.

"The moral of the story? Don't necessarily follow Google's advice and give rational responses to crazed reviews."
—Julia Rueschemeyer, Attorney Julia Rueschemeyer Divorce Mediation

9. Rewire your mindset

"In the beginning, even though the positive feedback far outweighed the negative, it was easy to fixate on the few negative comments. I started questioning my approach and feared that this feedback would somehow 'expose' my business as flawed.

"I realized that this reaction was more about how we're wired—one negative comment can feel heavier than several positive ones. So, I worked on rewiring my mindset. I intentionally focused on absorbing the positive feedback and gradually built up my confidence and self-esteem. I also reflected on why I post on social media in the first place—mainly for myself, not others.

"With that shift in perspective, I began to see negative feedback differently. I approached it with grace, making an effort to turn it into something constructive. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't, but I always remained respectful, knowing that others were watching my responses. Additionally, I made a point to share and promote positive feedback publicly, to amplify those voices as well and make sure the wider audience knows that there are many people who respect my work."
—Vukasin Ilic, Linkter

10. Engage critics as collaborators

"One approach I've taken when handling negative feedback online is to involve the customer in the solution process. Instead of offering a standard apology or quick fix, I asked the customer for their input on how we could make things right or improve future experiences. For instance, when someone criticized the packaging of one of our products, I invited them to share specific suggestions for improvement, which we later implemented. This made the customer feel heard and demonstrated that we were open to constructive feedback.

"For others in similar situations, I recommend engaging your critics as collaborators. By asking for their suggestions or feedback on how to improve, you not only diffuse the situation but also show that you value their input. This can turn a negative interaction into a productive one, helping both your business and the relationship with the customer."
—Shu Saito, All Filters

11. Offer a solution or compensation

"We've had instances where a client expressed frustration online, and the key to handling it ethically was addressing the issue quickly and directly. In one case, a client felt that the process was taking longer than expected and posted a negative comment on social media. I immediately reached out to them, publicly acknowledging their concern and inviting them to discuss the issue privately. After understanding the specifics of the delay, we offered a partial refund for the inconvenience, along with a detailed explanation of the steps we were taking to resolve their case more efficiently.

"What I recommend to others in similar situations is to always take ownership of the problem first. Acknowledge the feedback, empathize with the customer, and then offer a meaningful solution. Compensation, whether it's a refund, a discount, or another form of goodwill, can go a long way in rebuilding trust. The important thing is to remain transparent and proactive, showing that you're genuinely invested in making things right."
—Russ Johnson, Linx Legal

About the Author

Post by: Brett Farmiloe

Brett Farmiloe is the founder and CEO of Featured, a platform where business leaders can answer questions related to their expertise and get published in articles featuring their insights.

Company: Featured
Website: www.featured.com