The Christmas shopping season may be behind us now, but it’s after-effects are still being keenly felt. From Black Friday to New Year and beyond, retailers are in for an intense and financially crucial ride.
Under the increased strain, retailers are bound to make mistakes, but the season is stressful for shoppers who have to balance increased purchasing with their own work deadlines. If transactions do not run smoothly over the high-pressure festive period, then problems can quickly escalate.
At Trustpilot we see a lot of these kinds of problems and how people respond when something doesn’t go according to plan. 61 per cent of people say they always check online reviews before making a purchase online, so a negative review can be a big worry for retailers. Of course, the best way to deal with a bad review is to avoid getting one in the first place, but that’s not always possible.
Our research has found that the most common cause of negative reviews is bad customer service, with 65 per cent of people saying they’ll leave a negative review if they don’t feel they’ve had a good customer service experience. Other causes for complaint include damaged goods, prompting 62 per cent to leave a bad review, while late delivery prompts 53 per cent to talk about their experience online.
Faced with these sorts of issues, it’s understandable that customers vent their frustrations online when something doesn’t go according to plan. Of course, bad customer service is never going to leave shoppers with a great impression, but our research demonstrates that way in which retailers react to a negative online reviews matters in the long run. Here at Trustpilot we often provide advice to our clients to help them react to a negative review in a way that will help them repair and maintain a good relationship with their customers.
The vast majority, 84 per cent, said they would use a retailer again if the retailer responded to a negative review addressing their concerns and listed the top ways retailers could do this. 70 per cent said retailers could win them back with an offer of a refund, discount or freebie, 55 per cent would be happy with an apology, while a sizeable 46 per cent simply want the retailer to respond to their review.
Here are five key ways in which retailers can respond to negative reviews:
Respect criticism and handle it well
It can be difficult to read criticism of your brand, product or service online, but it’s important to understand that criticism has its place and to take it in your stride. Use it as an opportunity to show your responsiveness and commitment to customer service
Take criticism as an early warning system
Online criticism can play a crucial role in helping retailers to deal with problems before they get out of control. A stitch in time saves nine, as the saying goes, and sometimes the thing being criticised could prove much more widespread than it first appears. By dealing with negative reviews you could be solving issues that impact many more customers.
Don’t cover up mistakes
Nothing leaves a bad taste like a cover up and customers are very quick to smell a rat. It’s important to own up to and be positive about mistakes when they’ve been made. Being open and honest comes across very well, and snatching victory from the jaws of defeat shows you’re a determined business.
Let criticism drive development
While you sometimes need a thick skin, criticism can be an extremely useful tool in improving a product or service. When it comes to product development, it’s important to ask yourself what’s more valuable – a thousand reviews saying everything is perfect or a few suggesting improvements that could be made?
Measure resolution rate
Making a mistake is unavoidable, human and, at the end of the day, understandable. Failing to sort it out, however, is not. It’s important not to get bogged down with the number of complaints or negative reviews you’re getting. Insteadfocus on how many you’re resolving and how you handle them.
As much as we can strive for perfection, it’s remains an ideal. Mistakes will happen, but it’s how retailers deal with them that really counts. Customers are for life, not just for Christmas. If retailers respond in the right way when they get a negative review, they can not only win customers back, but improve their business and service as a result.
By James Westlake, UK country head of Trustpilot
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