9 tips for responding to a negative comment
Get great feedback from customers, it’s fun! It makes you smile, a reward for your efforts, puts you in good mood! But from time to time, it may happen that a negative comment is left by a dissatisfied customer on Yelp, Google or Facebook.
Imagine that you had a pleasant day in the store, that you took the time to help each of your customers to find the product that suited them, everything went perfectly well. But now you receive a notification that a customer has left you a negative comment with an evaluation of only one star! How could this happen? Nobody complained!
Before going headlong writing an answer that you may regret on the stroke of frustration, here are 9 tips for responding to negative comments:
1. Take a break 
First, do not stress. The idea is to take a break and not rush to answer. Take a deep breath and give yourself a few minutes to think. By giving yourself a little time, your answer will be much more measured. 2. Leave the comment Do not delete the comment, this could lead to even more criticism. Do not try to censor it either. Leave it and answer simply yet respectfully. 3. Write your answer in a timely manner 
After your break, do not wait too long to answer. Do not ignore the criticism either in the hope that it “disappears”. If the customer takes the time to write a comment, you must take the time to answer it as well. A quick response shows that you take the concerns of your customers seriously and that you want to solve the problem.
4. Ask for more details
The more details you ask for, the easier it will be to make sure this problem does not happen again. Was it a problem with the service? Or a product? Do not hesitate to ask for a follow-up and write a phone number or an email address where the customer can reach you to discuss in private.
5. Reply from a professional account
It is always better to answer from a company account rather than your personal account, as this gives more weight to your answer.
6. See what can be improved
When you receive negative feedback from a customer, take the opportunity to think about it and see if it can be resolved to prevent it from happening again. Be sure to also thank the customer for their comment.
7. Do not be defensive
When a customer writes a negative comment, the first reflex is to adopt a defensive position. Let’s be honest, being on the defence will not help you. If you want to explain yourself, do it professionally and honestly. The more sincere you are with your customer, the more likely you are to win them back.
8. Apologize
Even if you do not think you were wrong, an apology is usually the first step toward reconciliation with an unhappy customer.
9. Get the chance to redeem yourself
Ask your client to return the defective item and receive a refund or exchange and/or offer a discount on their next purchase. You are showing your customer that you are determined to solve the problem and keep their business.
With these tips, you now have all the tools in hand to best respond to a negative comment! Good luck!
About Techni-Connection
Techni-Connection is a reseller of 3 POS softwares in Canada (Yourcegid Retail, VisualTouch, Retail Management Hero), addressing today’s evolutions and needs. New features are constantly added to the systems (Clienteling, eCommerce, Click & Collect, SaaS, Mobile-POS) to match omni-channel strategies and personalizing the customers shopping experience.
Techni-Connection delivers cost-effective IT solutions to companies of all sizes. With its 24/7/365 helpdesk support system, TCI responds quickly and efficiently to customers problems and provides on-site support. TCI’s strong in-house technical team is also complimented by a network of 150+ certified IT experts across North America.