How can you respond to a 1-star review on Google?

Imagine this - you've worked hard to assemble a team and created a successful business.

You receive outstanding customer ratings and shining client testimonials.

Everything is going better than planned and you're just enjoying yourself.

However, one day you open up your team chat and hear the words - "A customer has posted a 1-star review on Google."

At first, you might think that this isn't a big deal, especially when you have so many positive reviews, but just hear us out - one negative review can hurt your entire business.

If you didn't already know, google reviews are public - meaning that everyone will be able to see them.

So, if you don't respond to the first 1-star review, then you might get more.

This can shake the basis of your team's work, turn away new customers, and even brand deals.

But, you might ask - "how can I properly respond to a bad review on Google?"

Well, this article guide will tell you everything that you need to know!

STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE: How to Respond to 1-Star Google Reviews

How can you properly respond to a bad review on Google?! Well, this video will cover 5 steps you can take to respond professionally!

First, chill out...

Once you've seen the review, you should first step away from your computer for at least 30 minutes.

This will help you to cool off, especially if the review is particularly negative.

During this time, you can also do some research to see why the negative review actually occurred in the first place:

• What did the customer write in the review?
• Has anyone from your team got in contact with them?
• When did the customer primarily interact with your corporation?

Once you successfully figure out the reason for the negative review, you can begin to craft and write a nice response.

Here are a few indispensable tips that can help you:

1. Acknowledge the Customer
2. Customize the Response
3. Apologize
4. Solve the Problem
5. Contact Them Personally

1. Acknowledge the Customer

Even though you probably aren't in the mood to say "thank you" to the person that left a bad review for your business, it is so important for you to do so.

Here's why.

First, remember that a negative statement takes as much time to write as a positive comment.

Even if you aren't delighted with how the feedback looks, you still need to acknowledge the individual’s comment.

Second, by thanking the individual that left the negative review, you're showing professionalism and courtesy.

2. Customize The Response

Don't just refer to the person that left the statement as "customer" or "client."

This is extremely generic, impersonal, and sounds pretty dull.

Generally, you will be able to see their initials somewhere on the Google review.

But, if not, then you can also view the analytics of your website and see whether they registered on your platform or not.

Trust us - they will certainly be surprised when they see that you refer to them by name, but also will make them feel heard!

3. Apologize to Them

This is unquestionably the hardest but most important step you need to master.

If you apologize frequently throughout your response, then you might look unprofessional.

On the flip side, if the apology isn't seen or received as sincere, then customers might think that you don't actually value them or their opinion.

So what's the best way to proceed?

The safest approach for this is to keep your statements concise while still providing strong empathy and understanding.

For instance, you could write something like this:

"We're truly sorry to hear that you aren't pleased with our (service/product - name of the individual). We definitely understand your frustration with (the issue) and want to reassure you that our team/technicians are taking actions to resolve the issue."

As you can see, the apology is followed by an action - this is a critical detail that we will talk about in the next step.

4. Solve The Problem

Don't make empty promises - since you stated that your team is working on the issue, make sure to reinforce your commitment by trying to solve their problem as fast as you possibly can.

For instance, if the customer wasn't satisfied with the communication of the customer support, then you can go ahead and add features like live chat, text alerts, or anything else that's suitable for the situation.

5. Contact Them Personally

After you've acknowledged the reviewer, firmly apologized, and proposed a workable solution, the best way to wrap up the review is to remind the individual that you're a human just like them!

Offer to discuss the issue personally.

Not only will this allow you to have better communication with the customer, but it will also help you reach a satisfactory agreement.

You will be able to use a comment like:

"Please go ahead and contact me privately through email or phone if you'd like to examine the entire issue in more detail."

Just be sure to include your name, title, and contact information.

This way, the customer can easily find you.

However, please remember - you should never try to ask the customer to change the feedback - this might result in a worse outcome!

Simply focus on solving the problem!

Conclusion

Online reviews are extremely crucial for building a successful brand.

If you take a deep look at the numbers

• Over 89% of the shoppers trust reviews as much as personal suggestions
• Around 92% of the individuals read reviews before visiting a business

So, if you want to get on track and manage all of your customer reviews, then you should certainly look for a reliable third-party review app like Fera.