Ways how negative reviews can help your business

Customer reviews are the online equivalent of word-of-mouth advertising. They play a crucial part not only in the supplier-consumer relationship but in the lifecycle of the product as well. However, just how there are positive reviews, there are also negative ones. If we know that positive reviews help your business, that means that the negative ones harm it. Or do they? In this article, MoversTech explores how negative reviews can help your business, perhaps even more than positive ones. It may seem that having someone not liking what you offer actually helps your business. But, let’s see why that is correct.

Negative reviews make positive reviews more believable

We all know that creating fake positive reviews is a thing. A lot of businesses fabricate customer testimonials in hopes of creating a sense of security for their future clients. While this is a valid strategy, clients often don’t believe a company that only has good reviews. The statistics show us that, no matter how good your product is, it is not possible to satisfy everyone’s needs.

However, if you also have negative reviews, that’s a whole other story. People often compare bad reviews to good ones, and it just makes everything more believable. Furthermore, it is a common situation that there are more positive reviews than negative ones, and those bad testimonials only make the good ones look even better. If there are a hundred customers and only five didn’t like the product, what you are offering must be really good.

Negative reviews help in measuring customer satisfaction

Measuring customer satisfaction is one of the most important elements of any business. It’s what helps you understand where you stand, and what the next step of the evolution of your business is. As a business owner, you need to know who the unsatisfied customers are. Furthermore, you need to know what is the cause of bad reviews.

Bad reviews help future customers to make better decisions

Receiving a bad review does not mean that your product is not good. The client could point out a different issue:

• a problem with the transaction;
• the lack of understanding of the product;
• the product did not meet their expectations because they were expecting something else;

There is a number of reasons why a customer might show dissatisfaction. However, when the next client comes and reads the review, they will have more knowledge thanks to it. This one bad review might prevent more bad reviews. Future customers will understand the product more, and see if that is what they need.

Responding to bad reviews engages customers

Once you receive a bad review, the worst thing you can do is to disregard it. You need to immediately respond to it and speak with the client. This is a good way to keep your customers engaged with your brand. They will understand that you care about the bad review, and you want to do something about it.

This also shows that there is someone monitoring the reviews, and it is not just a false testimonials system.

Learn from your mistakes and do a better job next time

Every mistake is a mistake only if you don’t learn from it. You should look at negative reviews as opportunities to grow your business and improve your products or services. The lifecycle of every product has ups and downs. It requires constant improvement.

Furthermore, through negative reviews, you might discover other issues in your business. Maybe there is a procedure that needs improvement, or communication issues. Maybe there is a glitch on your website and something does not work as intended.

This whole experience might be just what you need to push your business to the next level.

Work on building trust

Building a connection with clients based on trust is what every business should strive to do. One way to do it is to offer complete transparency in terms of communication. If you leave negative reviews on your testimonials page, your clients will know that you have nothing to hide.

You are not hiding behind your mistakes, everything is completely transparent. This sends a clear message to your clients. Yes, there are some flaws in how we do business, but we are standing behind our mistakes. We will do everything in our power to make it right, and improve ourselves.

Show that you are not here only to make a profit

A company that will only try to make a profit will not be concerned about a bad review. They will simply move on to the next client. However, if you wish to create a great post-conversion experience and show how there is more to come, you need to pay attention to the negative reviews.

By addressing the issue, you are stating that you do care about what happens after you make a profit. You want to lead your clients even after providing service, to make sure you are satisfied with what they got. If they send a bad review, find a way to compensate them. Offer a discount or a free service in hopes of keeping them with you.

Negative reviews can lead to more purchases

This almost seems impossible. However, it is true. For example, let’s say a customer buys a jacket thinking it is warm enough for the winter. However, it is a light jacket and it does not serve that purpose. They write a bad review saying that the jacket is not warm enough, and they were not satisfied with the purchase.

Now, the next customer comes and sees the bad review. However, they are not looking for a warm jacket. They need something light for the spring or summer. In their eyes, this jacket is just what they need.

That’s how negative reviews can help your business

Hopefully, now you know how negative reviews can help your business. Understand that this is an opportunity to learn and become better at what you do. Embrace your negative reviews, they will push your business to the next level! When that happens, say thanks to your clients and let them know how their negative reviews impacted your entire company and made it better.