Respond To Bad Reviews
This framework is a tool you can freely use to help respond to negative feedback. To get started, first notice a series of questions (Framework) followed by color corresponding example answers (Examples). Study the correlation between the color-coded questions & answers before using the same questions yourself next time you respond to a bad review. The ultimate goal is to see the commonalities in empathy used to communicate so that you can gradually rely on this tool less and less.
Respond To Negative Feedback
Framework
Answer the following questions to use as an outline before constructing your response to a negative online review.
How is the reviewer right?
What are some points or ideas that you and the reviewer seem to agree on?
For what are you sorry?
What are you sorry about that the customer had to experience, instead of what you or your company did? Empathize with what happened to them, regardless of whose fault it was.
How do you feel personally responsible for this outcome?
What issues did you or your business play a role in causing or failing to prevent? How could you have had a system to prevent it from happening?
What could we all be doing more of?
How can this situation be taken out of a business context and viewed from a simple human interaction perspective?
What do you believe? What don’t you believe?
What values do you uphold in how you run your business? What do you believe about how businesses should treat customers? What business practices don’t you believe in (i.e. cutting corners)?
How has this inspired change?
Specifically based on what the reviewer said, how are you going to operate your business differently? Show that their feedback had an impact.
What would be the benefit of the reviewer giving your product a second chance?
Or how can you close the situation having offered help and putting at ease any potential customers reading the review?