We all want positive feedback, but sometimes we don’t get it. Receiving negative feedback isn’t necessarily a bad thing since only 1 out of 26 unhappy customers complain and the rest churn. So, it’s certainly better to receive negative feedback than have an unhappy customer go to a competitor without telling you there’s a problem. Knowing about the problem or issue provides the opportunity to rectify the situation and retain the customer.
Don’t Avoid Negative Feedback
Ask for all sorts of feedback—it’s the only way you can improve. Plus, it’s what your customers want–to form a partnership with you that creates value for them. The best way to stay on top of continuously changing customer requirements is to communicate and request feedback during each interaction. Conducting Voice of Customer (VOC) surveys on a routine basis is critical as well to ensure you’re receiving feedback from all stakeholders, providing a more complete picture of the overall health of your accounts.
Make sure you Understand
When presented with feedback, especially negative feedback, pay close attention to word choices, tone of voice, and body language. Read between the lines to discern what’s being said and not said. Rephrase what you heard to confirm understanding. Then dig deeper by asking open-ended clarifying questions to get details and a better grasp on the situation. Find out what’s behind the negative feedback such as changes within your client’s business or their goals. The more you know, the better equipped you’ll be to address the issue and continue providing value to the customer.
Identify with your Customer
Once you have a greater understanding of the feedback and its background, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and show empathy. Be sensitive to how they must feel and how their negative experience may have impacted them. Feeling that you not only understand what they have told you, but how they feel, will be reassuring to them while making them feel valued.
Take Responsibility and Take Action
Don’t pass the buck by playing the blame game. Take responsibility for the issue and commit to resolving it by making a plan. Once you have a strategy in place, communicate it across your entire team to ensure you’re all on the same page. This allows all team members to adjust accordingly and provide a consistent customer experience during future interactions while preventing a recurrence of the problem.
Follow up
Once you have a plan in place, be sure to share your corrective action plan with the customer. Then, follow up routinely to keep them abreast of your progress and to gather updated feedback. Make any necessary adjustments to your plan based on continuous feedback from the customer until they confirm the problem has been resolved to their satisfaction.
Document Changes
Always update your account plan in Kapta, capturing changes you’re making based on feedback received from your key accounts. This is essential so you can continue to track your progress within each account while making sure nobody drops the ball. This also facilitates input from and communication with your entire team making it possible to provide the best customer experience and results.
Repeat Frequently
Request feedback from your customers on a routine basis during every interaction and through VOC surveys. All feedback is a gift enabling you to continually strengthen your partnership with your key accounts and provide the value they desire.
Need help gathering and addressing feedback from your key accounts? Kapta includes tools like VOC surveys and facilitates internal communication with your team, simplifying the process. Schedule a demo today.
FAQs
The best way to respond to a negative review is to apologize, take responsibility, and offer a solution. It's also important to be personable and show the customer that you're a real person who genuinely wants to make things right.
How do you respond to negative feedback answer? ›
Here's a step-by-step guide on how to do so, complete with illustrative examples.
- Step 1: Keep your composure. ...
- Step 2: Clarify the feedback. ...
- Step 3: Accept and take accountability. ...
- Step 4: Offer a solution or seek advice. ...
- Step 5: Express your gratitude. ...
- Step 7: Follow up. ...
- Step 3: Seek a second opinion.
The best way to respond to a negative review is to apologize, take responsibility, and offer a solution. It's also important to be personable and show the customer that you're a real person who genuinely wants to make things right.
How do you handle negative feedback from customers sample? ›
Thank you for your customer feedback. We understand how you feel and would like to apologize for the inconvenience you experienced. Please contact us at ___________ so we can discuss this further and make things right. Again, thank you for your feedback, and we apologize for your negative experience.
How would you handle a negative customer review or comment? ›
Answer quickly with a personalized response
“The first thing you should do when responding to a negative review is to acknowledge the problem. Let the customer know that the experience they had is unacceptable according to your standards and you are sorry.” said social media marketing agency owner Ann Brennan.
What is an example of a negative feedback response? ›
Another example of negative feedback is the regulation of the blood calcium level. The parathyroid glands secrete parathyroid hormone, which regulates the level of calcium in the blood. If calcium decreases, the parathyroid glands sense the decrease and secrete more parathyroid hormone.
How do you handle negative feedback interview question sample answer? ›
Keep the focus professional and avoid defensive tones. Briefly explain your initial emotional response while emphasizing a quick shift to a constructive mindset. Describe specific actions you took to address the feedback, such as seeking additional training, mentoring, or altering your work approach.
How do you respond to a disappointing review? ›
Everyone likes to feel heard. Acknowledge the issue and apologize, even if you think the review isn't necessarily warranted. Show the reviewer (and anyone else reading your response!) that you understand their frustration and that their opinion is valid. Focus your response on the problem and offer a solution.
How do you respond to unpleasant comments? ›
Let's discuss these strategies in detail.
- Respond to the comment as soon as possible. Don't delay. ...
- Be apologetic. ...
- Discuss the problem privately. ...
- Appreciate their feedback. ...
- Ask them how you can help, and help. ...
- Don't delete all negative comments. ...
- Pick your battles.
How to Address Neutral Reviews with Examples. "Hi [Customer Name], we appreciate your honest feedback. We're glad you had a satisfactory experience. If there's anything we can do to improve, please let us know."
Effective customer replies should: Show Regret and Empathy:Your response should demonstrate a genuine interest in helping.No assigning blame. No getting defensive or argumentative. Showing a sincere effort in solving the problem makes the customer feel that you're on their side.
How to respond to a 5 star review without comments? ›
Generic 5-Star Reviews
“We are incredibly grateful that you took the time out to leave us a 5-Star review.” "Thank you so much for this 5-star review. We really appreciate you being a customer and helping to share the word about us. We're here for you anytime.”
How do you ask a customer to remove negative feedback? ›
Here are a few tips on how to ask your customers to change their review:
- Thank them for their feedback. ...
- Acknowledge their concerns. ...
- Explain why you disagree with the review. ...
- Request a revision of the review. ...
- Follow up after the revision is made. ...
- Why Reviews Are Important for Your Online Reputation.
How to respond to negative feedback?
- Apologize. ...
- Use the customer's name in your response. ...
- Sympathize with the problem. ...
- Say you're solving the problem. ...
- Try to resolve the issue. ...
- Offer a gift. ...
- Accept negative reviews.
How To Respond To Negative Feedback At Work
- Stay calm, and listen actively.
- Acknowledge the person or the negative review or feedback.
- Take responsibility.
- Seek clarifications and specifics.
- Reflect and analyze.
- Express your perspective.
- Outline your improvement plan.
- Ask for guidance.
- Don't get defensive. Approach the situation with empathy instead of taking critical feedback personally. ...
- Apologize. Remember, an apology is not necessarily an admission of wrongdoing. ...
- Be brief. You don't need to address every point in the review. ...
- Follow up. ...
- Invite the customer to return.
When it comes to receiving negative feedback, the most common reaction is to be defensive or in denial. This can show up in many ways, like dismissing the feedback as irrelevant, becoming argumentative, or even becoming aggressive towards the person or customer leaving the feedback.
How do you react to negative comments about you? ›
Here are a few tips:
- Don't take it personally. It's easy to get defensive when someone says something negative about you or your work. ...
- Respond promptly, if necessary. The sooner you respond to a negative comment, the better. ...
- Be respectful. ...
- Apologize if necessary. ...
- Report abuse.
Try to cover five things: Thank them for being open to listening, and then state your intention in sharing feedback (keep this productive and positive), what you want to see change, why you want to see it change, and any negative impacts you've observed as a result of their actions or behavior.
How to reply negatively to how are you? ›
Suitable responses to a “How are you?” when you're not OK. We all have bad days, and it's completely normal that we can't feel good all the time. So, if someone asks “How are you?” and you're not feeling OK, you can say something like this: “I'm not going to lie, I don't feel very good.”
