About a year ago, I had an interaction with a potential customer who was less than professional, and it was clear from our first phone call it wasn’t going to be a good match. After letting the customer know I wasn’t interested in working on his project, a few minutes after hanging up the phone, I had a 1 star google review, and threats of physical violence over text!
While getting my first bad review hurt like hell, I was short with the person on the phone, and should have dealt with this person with “kid gloves” vs. matching their energy. Rather than focusing on the bad review, which I couldn’t control, I proceeded by working to get more good reviews from happy (actual) customers.
Stay Calm and Don’t Respond Emotionally
Take a deep breath and try to relax. While it may sting, a less than flattering review is just one review, hopefully among many good ones.
We have long advocated for building good reviews from happy customers as much as possible. When you wrap a project and know someone is ecstatic, ride the momentum! Give them a heads up, and send them a nice email with a link that automatically opens the review form on Google.
Not only do good reviews help validate you to new potential customers and help generate calls and website visits from google, they also insulate you from bad reviews to keep your star count as high as possible.
While replying may seem like a good idea, a defensive or angry reply will only make things worse. Even if the review is unfair or misleading, your response is public and reflects on your business. If you feel the relationship can be salvaged, reaching out directly to find out what will make it right, and perhaps an updated review might be a good idea.
Evaluate the Review Honestly
Bad reviews hurt, and no, there is no way to delete legit reviews from unhappy customers. But if the review is not legitimate, there are pathways that allow you to potentially get the review removed.
- Is it from a real customer? If not, or if it’s spam or violates Google’s policies, flag it for removal.
- Is it misleading or factually incorrect? You can still respond, but keep it professional and factual.
If the review is:
- Fake
- Contains hate speech or profanity
- Not related to your business
Then go to the review, click the three dots, and “Flag as inappropriate.” You can also report it via Google’s support page.
If the review is real, a little self-reflection without getting overly defensive, may be necessary. Everyone makes mistakes, and customer feedback is vital to your continued success. Don’t get your feelings hurt, fix the mistake. Dealing with difficult customers is sometimes part of doing business, and often makes your company better, but you can often sniff out bad customers before you take on a new project. “You never regret the patient you don’t operate on” or in this circumstance, the project with the difficult customer you don’t take on.
Respond Professionally and Don’t Argue Publicly
Google reviews give you the option to reply, and if you choose to do so, it is important to remain professionally, and without arguing with the customer.
Even if you know it’s a “bad apple,” your response should show potential customers that you’re reasonable and care about the feedback. Even if they never follow up, this shows others you’re proactive and respectful.
If replying would only make things worse and stir up more negative energy, don’t reply. Feel out the situation and decide if replying is worth it. Avoid calling out the bad reviewer, or accusing them of lying—even if they are.
The Bigger Picture
Multiple bad reviews and lots of unhappy customers usually means something with customer service is off. Not, every bad review is from a “bad apple,” and by being honest with yourself, you can hopefully identify and fix the problem. Once it is fixed, continue to network with happy customers to build good reviews to drown out the bad ones. With enough focus on customer service and product quality, it is possible to turn your bad review profile around!
Each situation is unique, and by maintaining professionalism and actively working to resolve issues, your business will grow for the better.
