Why negative feedback hurts:
Let’s start with the emotional reaction to why negative feedback hurts.
Generally, people associate ‘feedback’ with ‘criticism’. “Criticism is a gift” I hear from people, when I tell them what I do, but the thing is, I know that most of us fear it and certainly no one looks forward to receiving it!
‘Criticism’ is almost always a complaint about our character or worth or work and it’s a challenge to see exactly how one can embrace it with any joy!
Can a negative review be a gift?
An unwanted gift, however, is still a gift so let’s look at it from this perspective…
If someone gives you, in your opinion, a hideous vase, do you:
- Re-decorate / re-furnish your entire lounge to match
- Put it away in a cupboard and bring it back out again when they come round
- Chuck / give it away because it’s taking up valuable cupboard space
- Tell the person that gifted it to you that it is hideous and berate their poor taste.
If your answer is A then I applaud your immense wealth and creatively, if it is C or D I would say you are probably quite normal and if you answered D you might feel your angst is justified but of, of course, you risk the termination of that relationship.
Basically, ‘Criticism’ or a negative review in this instance is usually received the same way as an unwanted gift. It’s largely ignored and, more often than not thrown, away after a short period of disappointment.
However, when it is delivered in a professional capacity, be that by an employer or by a customer, ignoring it can be detrimental.
If it is within your power to make changes in response to a negative review that is both fair and reasonable, it makes sense to do so, no matter how uncomfortable it feels.
Now lets looks at answers A B and C and D in the scenario of a customer leaving a negative review.
A. Suggesting that you will completely restructure your entire business model around one review is disingenuous.
B and C. It might be something you can use, accept it graciously and see what can be done with it.
D. Telling your customers to shove it up the proverbial, publicly, on an online platform, may feel like getting even, but it is in fact far more damaging than the review itself. You not only risk the loss of that customer and their friends but potentially many more thousands of pounds.
How to turn a negative review into a great PR opportunity!
When customers go online to check out the reviews of a restaurant before they decide to go or not, they tend to take an overview.
This is why you should try and get as many reviews as possible. However, many will filter to the negative reviews to see if there are similar tales they need to be wary off.
If, on every negative review, the response from the manager/owner is defensive, vitriolic and angry, this is the impression you are giving of your character and your values.
This has more influence and power than the negative review itself because it is telling the customers that if they have a problem while they are there, no matter how minor, this is how you are likely to react. A risk not worth taking in many customers opinions.
Don’t let annoyance come across as arrogance.
Be the grown-up. Respond to the review by asking them to contact you off-line so you can better understand what happened and so it can be resolved.
Chances are, once they feel heard, they will take the review down. Even if they were truly horrible people (some just are) if you can rise above it and take the moral high ground with a dispassionate response you will not only impress and win the respect from potential customers reading it, but it will disarm the person who left the review.
Do you need help with managing your customer reviews and online reputation?
Silent Customer has a super platform that does just this and it comes with a consultative service of many years of experience in understanding human behaviours.
Contact us today to make an enquiry.
