The almighty negative review: the one thing you, as a business owner, strive to avoid receiving at all costs. Yet, regardless of the service you provide to your customers, you’re bound to fall victim to a 1-star review sooner or later. Though it’s often thought of to be ultimate doom and failure if you receive one—or multiple—negative reviews, there is a light at the end of this review tunnel. Just because a review is negative doesn’t mean it’s lasting impression on your business is going to be a negative one. Actually, receiving a negative review should be seen as a golden opportunity for various reasons.

1. You can show off your high-level customer support

   By receiving negative reviews, you open the door for opportunity and possibility. When a customer leaves a negative review, your first instinct may be to ignore it, hide it from your site and/or get angry. All of the above choices are actually what you should avoid doing after receiving a less-than-admirable review. Though it may seem counterintuitive, this is where your chance to shine and make amends comes into play.

The nature of the review also has validity here, too. Say someone left a negative review that includes ignorance towards company regulations or policy — information often overlooked on your business’s FAQ and About pages; this allows you to clear the air, explain to the customer why those regulations are in place, while simultaneously informing other consumers of the reasoning behind certain policies.

Then again, there are valid negative reviews that need to be taken seriously and handled respectfully from the business’s side of things. If a customer has a negative experience with your business or the services you provide and leaves a negative review on any review platform; keep calm. This is not the end of the world or the end of your business. Again, it’s a space of sweet and sincere opportunity to right the valid wrongs pointed out by the customer.

If and when you receive one of these reviews, remember the opportunity that lies within your hands, and utilize it. Simply respond by saying, “we’re sorry you had this experience, and we’d love to hear more about it to further address and pinpoint just went went wrong so that it doesn’t occur again. Could you email us at (enter company email address) with more information? We’d greatly appreciate it and your time!”

By saying something of this stature, you admit fault, and openly accept responsibility for the actions of your business, and strive to correct this move. This shows consumers that you take the customer’s experience seriously, and strive for greatness. You’re also putting out the fire and containing how far the flames spread. Word of mouth travels quickly in the digital age, but as long as you’re showing up in the conversation revolving around the flames, you’ll be in good standing.

2. They Validate Your Business

Despite what you may think, the prestigious honor of having a 5-star rating across multiple platforms may not be as beneficial as you may have previously assumed. There are numerous fake reviews surfacing upon various review platforms around the web, often done by employees of friends of the business owners. To consumers, a 5-star rating often signals a red flag of false advertisement, sending them on their way to a competitor’s site.

We don’t want you to lose out on valuable customers due such a small yet detrimental factor of your online reviews. Thus being why we say you should welcome the negative reviews, as they verify what a realistic experience with your business looks like from various uses and aspects. In fact, Harvard Business Journal found that the majority of consumers trust reviews more when there’s a mixture of both good and bad reviews.

The existence of negative reviews also allows consumers to humanize your business; taking away the corporate shadow and formulating your business into a real entity with emotion. Also, by displaying your negative reviews, you can show other consumers your gracious and endearing responses to them; showcasing that a.) you’re a reputable business and b.) you take consumer needs seriously.

3. Negative Reviews Boost Conversion Rates

According to SiteJabber, businesses with 10-30% negative reviews receive more than 10 times the leads than businesses with a 5-star rating. Consumers want to experience and understand the worst-case scenarios of other consumers before committing to spending their money on your business. If they feel they can tolerate the worst case for someone else, they’ll be likely to invest in whatever service your business provides.

These days, the ability to buy likes and reviews deters consumers opinions and faith in a business. Yet the existence of negative reviews can validate a human experience, giving the business credibility; thus allowing the consumer to have faith and trust in the company, increasing the likelihood of their future investment in said product or service. Savvy consumers know that 5-star ratings are unlikely and easily write them off as fake.

As a business, you should never underestimate the knowledge and know-how of consumers in the marketplace. The majority of consumers understand that not all negative reviews equate to a negative experience, and not all negative reviews are legitimate. Giving consumers the benefit of the doubt allows them to feel a sense of freedom and pride by selecting your business over anothers.

At the end of the day, consumers trust brands that have great customer service, so a negative review isn’t a shot in the foot; it’s your golden ticket to convert a potential nay-sayer into a valued customer. Though it can be difficult to monitor your business’s online presence on the daily, our platform can ensure no review goes unseen. pWho knows: one specific negative review could be the reason your sales skyrocket — all thanks to word of mouth.

Lee McNiel