Looking to learn how to respond to negative reviews in your business? Want to turn those negative reviews into something positive? This article is here to help.

👋 In this guide, we’ll share practical tips on responding effectively to negative online reviews. We’ll also share formal, casual, and restaurant response templates that can help you compose effective responses to your negative reviews.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• Why responding to negative reviews is important.
• How do you respond to negative reviews?
• Some formal examples of negative review responses.

So, how do you respond properly to negative online reviews? Before we can handle this, let’s begin with why it is important to respond to negative reviews.

Why responding to negative reviews is important

📈 According to a study, 52% of consumers would do business with you if you responded to negative reviews. Another 57% won’t use your business if it’s your habit to ignore customer reviews.

Because of this, ignoring bad reviews shouldn’t be on your to-do list. Even worse, deleting them will only worsen the relationship between you and the unhappy customer who sent them.

Instead, you should strive to respond to bad reviews. Even if the reviews are hurtful, brutal, harsh, or sometimes false. The following are some of the benefits of responding to negative reviews.

It shows that you care about your customers

A customer will share their bad experience with you, hoping to catch your attention, receive an apology, etc. They want you to listen and do (or say) something about it. If you respond, it proves you care and value their opinion. 

Your response isn’t just to one specific reviewer. You’re talking to every person who reads the review, including future potential customers. When they see how you take customer concerns seriously and actively work to resolve issues. It reassures them of your commitment to quality and excellent customer satisfaction. 

Answering unhappy customers encourages loyalty

Responding to a review is also an opportunity to rectify any issues and regain a customer’s trust. If a dissatisfied customer complained to you in person, wouldn’t you try to resolve the issue?

Even though an online review is less personal, you should try to solve the customers’ problems and win back their confidence.

It is part of your online reputation management

Review sites like Yelp and Google Review are places where users express their opinions of your brand. Did they like your service/product? Would they recommend it?

A bad review can ruin your image or brand reputation. Taking time to respond can help you redeem your image, defend your brand, and minimize any harm caused.

📈 An extra star rating on reliable review sites like Yelp can translate into a 5% to 9% revenue growth. So, never leave a bad review unanswered because ratings matter for your bottom line.

It helps you control the narrative

Responding to a review also allows you to present your side of the story of what really happened. It allows you to prove your innocence, especially when a review is simply untrue. It lets you clarify any misunderstandings or conversations surrounding a negative experience.

That way, other customers who come across your page and see negative reviews can read your account of the story and judge for themselves. It’ll become like a testimonial of what your business is. 

If you articulate the facts and show off the benefits of your business at the same time, you can turn a negative situation and spin it into a positive one.

Enhances credibility and transparency

📈 A recent study by BrightLocal discovered that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation.

So, by reading your reviews and responses, people can easily determine your trustworthiness and authenticity. Responding to negative feedback demonstrates transparency, your human side, and your willingness to learn and improve. This can help you build trust with customers out of a bad experience.

📈 In addition, 96% of consumers specifically look for negative reviews from a local business. 

Why?

Customers read bad reviews to understand the worst things that could happen. It helps them see how much those problems might affect them and how you would solve them.

As a business owner, as long as you encourage customers to leave feedback, you will inevitably receive some bad reviews. The only question is. How do you respond to them?

We’ll tackle this in the next section.

How to respond to negative reviews

The way you handle negative reviews will tell much about your business. For this reason, simply responding to a bad review isn’t enough. What you say, how you say it, and when you post your response matters.

In this section, we’ll give you some tips and techniques for learning how to respond to negative reviews.

1. Respond in a timely manner

Customers expect you to answer their reviews as quickly as possible. 

So, try to answer a negative review right away. Preferably within 24 to 48 hours so customers don’t feel ignored.

An early reply doesn’t just calm the situation. It demonstrates that you value customer feedback. It also shows customers your eagerness and dedication to address and resolve the issues or concerns they raise as quickly as you can.

📈 In fact, data from Harvard Business Review shows that if you respond to customer complaints in less than five minutes, those customers will be willing to spend more in the future.

Here are a few tips on how to respond promptly and effectively to a review

• Get to the bottom of the issue first. Take the time to verify what the reviewer says. For instance, you can start by conducting a quick investigation with your staff to understand what happened. This can help you avoid reacting poorly to a review without taking the time to think it through.
• Try as much as possible to answer every customer review you receive. This might be feasible for small businesses or those starting. For larger businesses, having a customer support team to manage negative and positive reviews could be a good strategy.

2. Personalize your response

When writing a reply, address the reviewer by their customer name if possible. Don’t forget your salutations. And, if possible, avoid the generic “Dear guest,” or “Dear customer” at all costs.

Additionally, pick out the specific issues, concerns, or problems reviewers raise in their review. For example, let’s assume the reviewer complained your restaurant is loud, has slow wait staff, plays inappropriate television shows, seats people close together, etc. 

All of these are reasonable comments that you can reference in your response. Instead of justifying these instances or making excuses, reassure the reviewer you’ll be making adjustments moving forward.

Tip: It’s also a good idea to highlight positive things the customer did enjoy about their experience in your reply. 

By doing this, you show reviewers that you’ve read their comments, understood their concerns, and actually listened to them.

3. Show genuine empathy and apologize

Sometimes, disappointed customers only want a simple apology and acknowledgment of their complaint. 

So, don’t be afraid to apologize for any inconvenience customers may have faced. Show understanding and empathy towards their customer experience. When you respond to reviews with an honest apology, your customers will know that you truly care.

📈 Surprisingly, research by the Nottingham School of Economics found that 45% of customers are willing to withdraw a negative review of a business if they apologize. 

Almost half of customers responded well to “I’m sorry.”

📈 As a business owner, you may think offering something would be an effective solution. However, only 23% of customers changed their reviews after receiving compensation.

A simple apology can go a long way. Only make sure to follow through with a promise to resolve a complaint.

4. Take the conversation offline or out of the public domain

These days, customers take their customer complaints to social media. Or review sites like Yelp, Google Review, Tripadvisor, etc., where everybody can see.

In some cases, the most efficient thing you can do is reach out to dissatisfied customers privately. For example, let’s assume a customer was disrespected or a serious altercation arose. It is more appropriate to call the customer directly or send them a private message to apologize and try to make up for their bad experience. 

This gesture can go a long way and show your commitment to helping your customers.

If you feel like an issue is escalating on social media, take the conversation privately rather than commenting back and forth.

Have your customer support ask the reviewer to talk via direct message (DM). You can also provide the reviewer with an email or phone number so they can reach you to discuss their concerns further and quickly resolve the issue.

Asking them to DM can be helpful if you don’t have their contact information.

5. Offer a solution

Another way to respond to a review is to provide concrete solutions or actions you’ll take to address customers’ concerns.

• If they had an issue with your product, email them a discount/coupon, a refund, a freebie, a replacement, or other forms of compensation. 
• If several customers are pointing out the same problem or product/service flaw, take action and solve that problem.
• If you don’t have their contact information, create an account for customer service and ask them to send you their info.  It’s a great way to open up a more private line of communication with the customer.

In your response, show them you’re willing to solve their problems directly and even encourage them to give your business a second shot. 

6. Maintain professionalism

Online reviews can be mean and brutal.

And someone taking the time out of their day to bash your business on the internet isn’t an easy pill to swallow. It can be tough to hear a bad review because of their tone and attitude. It can be easy to lose your cool when you see a negative review talking poorly about your business. 

However, you must remain professional in your reply.

• Compose yourself and don’t take a bad comment personally. Take a minute to calm yourself down and see if the reviewer has a point, despite their rude tone.
• Avoid getting defensive or engaging in argument. Sometimes, the reviews will be unfair and even false. Remember to stay respectful and factual.
• Keep your reply civil, polite, concise, and focused on resolving issues.

📈 According to research, 85% of people are willing to stick with your brand if you’re transparent and professional.

They’ll give you a second chance after a bad experience. Just ensure you take responsibility when mistakes happen.

7. Thank the customers for their feedback

Just as you would appreciate a customer’s positive feedback, remember to thank them for bringing an issue to your attention. 

Always express gratitude for the customer’s time and effort in providing their review. This demonstrates that you value their opinion.

You can also encourage them to leave positive reviews next time when they’re satisfied with your service.  Let them know their feedback is helping you improve your products or services. 

Note: Sometimes customers are mad or rude, and you can do little to make them happy. If ignoring them isn’t an option, simply thank them and move on. 

Use this strategy whenever a review is inaccurate, and you cannot correct the problem. If it’s abusive, there are tools on many platforms that help you report abusive reviews. Abuse isn’t something you should accept, but it is worth reporting rather than replying.

8. Monitor and follow up with your customers

After you send your initial reply, be ready to have an in-depth follow-up conversation with the customer. 

📈 According to studies, over 90% of businesses don’t follow up with customers after they’ve resolved their issues or complaints. This is where you can really set yourself apart from the competition. 

So, keep an eye on the review platform to address any follow-up comments from customers that show up. You can also follow up with customers by phone or message to see if their concern was addressed. In addition, if you run a big business, you can have your customer service team follow up. 

By doing this, you improve your customer satisfaction levels.

📈 According to online review statistics, 88% of all reviews come from Google, Yelp, Facebook, and TripAdvisor.

So make sure you’re signed in. Sign in to claim your Google My Business profile first to receive Google Reviews. Doing this can also help you improve your search engine (SEO) rankings.

👋 Want in-depth tips on setting up and getting more Google reviews? Read our Google Restaurant Review Tips guide.

Let’s look at some of the negative review response templates next.

Negative review response examples

You can be formal, casual, or somewhere in the middle, depending on your brand’s personality. Making this choice is important before you begin responding.

To help you get started, we’ve created templates to guide you in crafting great responses, even for restaurants. 

Here are three templates you can use and customize to respond to negative reviews in a formal, casual, or restaurant setting.

Formal negative review response

“Hi [Reviewer’s Name],

We’re truly sorry to hear about your experience and any inconvenience it may have caused you. Your satisfaction is our top priority, and we appreciate you bringing this issue to our attention.

Please accept our sincere apologies for falling short of your expectations. We’d like to make things right. Could you please contact us directly at [contact information]? We’d love the opportunity to discuss your experience further and find a suitable solution.

Thank you for your feedback, and we hope to have the chance to regain your trust.

Best regards, [Your Name/Company Name] [Your Position/Company]”

Casual negative review responses

“Hey [Reviewer’s Name],

Sorry things didn’t go smoothly. We’re here to help! Can you shoot us a message at [contact information]? We’d like to chat more about what happened and how we can improve.

Cheers, [Your Name]”

“Hi [Reviewer’s Name],

We’re sorry for the trouble you’ve had. Your happiness means a lot to us, and we want to fix this. Can you please reach out to us at [contact information]? We’d love to make things right.

Thanks, [Your Name]”

Restaurant negative review responses

“Hey [Reviewer’s Name],

Sorry about your experience. Let’s fix this! Can you reach out to us at [contact information]? We want to make things right.

Thanks, [Your Name]”

“Hi [Reviewer’s Name],

Sorry, your visit was a letdown. Let’s make it up to you! How about [specific compensation, e.g., a free dessert, discount on your next meal]? Drop us a line at [contact information], and we’ll sort it out.

Thanks, [Your Name]”

Note: How you respond to negative reviews will vary from situation to situation. The above review response templates only serve as a useful starting point that anyone can use and customize.

However, it’s critical to remember that you should personalize your responses each time. This will help you avoid coming off as insincere or indifferent to your customers. Customers can easily recognize repeat and generic responses and consider them as not caring.

Learn how to respond to negative reviews today

If you’re operating an online business, receiving negative reviews is inevitable. Instead of deleting bad reviews to save your brand reputation, learn to respond to them. Deleting (or ignoring) bad reviews will only exacerbate the situation. 

Responding to negative feedback, on the other hand, is a gold mine of opportunity.  It can help you build trust with potential customers, enhance their satisfaction with your business, and win their loyalty. 

In this guide, we’ve covered tips on how to respond correctly to your customer reviews. For instance, address the reviewer, say thank you, empathize and apologize, be professional, offer a solution, and much more.

Use this guide to understand how to respond to bad reviews as a big part of your review management strategy.