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The most valuable reviews are negative ones

Just like in real life, most people who complain online just want to be heard. It's reviews like these that give businesses the most useful information: where we're underperforming, what we're overlooking, what's irritating.

So when you see a negative review - exhale. Imagine that it's not a random hater who's swearing, but your regular customer. Or a friend. Everything changes at once, doesn't it?

If there are no negative reviews on a shopping site, 30% of consumers think everything written is a fake. Respond to negative reviews calmly. Don't make excuses, don't argue or take a defensive stance. If the claims are valid - acknowledge and apologise. If not at fault, express your sympathy and thank you for the signal.

TON OP Bulgaria experts describe 3 short checklists: how to respond to negativity, what you should definitely not do and what to do if a review appears somewhere on the Internet - on a site, in social networks or even on a forum.

Checklist. Negative feedback: what you need to do

Place a simple feedback form on your website/internet shop. In it, the customer can quickly describe the problem, specify the date of purchase and attach a receipt or photo. The easier it will be for him to do this, the less likely he will go to social networks or forums to complain.
Use multiple channels. Some people don't like to call, others find it more convenient to write. Give a choice: e-mail, chat, phone, social networks or messenger.
Autoresponse to a complaint. The customer should immediately understand: his message has been delivered and it will be taken care of. Auto-response ‘Thank you, we have received your request and will contact you within 24 hours’, will lower the degree of anxiety and partially relieves tension.
Classify complaints by type. Divide complaints into categories: product quality, delivery, service, etc. This will help you find the root of the problems faster. Delivery, quality, packaging, support work, courier behaviour - you need to keep track.
Prioritise complaints. Not all problems are equally critical. Damaged goods are urgent. Prioritisation makes the job easier. Depending on the situation and urgency of the complaint, assign it a status - high, medium or low.
Analyse the reasons for returning goods. Often the problem is not you, but the supplier or logistics or something you could not have known and predicted in advance. Find the weak link. Sort it out and fix it if you can.
Response Templates and Scripts. Not all situations are unique. Prepare polite and understandable responses to common requests. Instead of, ‘we apologise for the inconvenience,’ it's better to apologise and write, ‘we'll sort it out right away and refund your money.’
Give the customer a choice. If the problem is real - offer several solutions: refund, exchange, discount on the next order. This is how you give the customer back control over the situation, TON OP company managers advise.
Regularly analyse complaint statistics. Repeated complaints are a red flag. One negative feedback may be an accident, but 10 is a trend and a systemic failure.
Take the dialogue offline. Don't argue in comments. Politely offer to discuss the situation in person - ‘write to us in direct mail/email’. This way you will show that you are ready to urgently solve the problem, not to argue in public.

Don't delete negative reviews without explanation. When you delete a complaint, you create the appearance of a perfect shop or service. But customers and clients sense falseness. People begin to suspect that you're hiding problems. ‘Sterility’ is discouraged.
Delete only those comments that violate the rules (foul language, rudeness, threats, etc.) - and be sure to indicate the reason for deletion. Arguing and making excuses. Even if the customer is wrong. Never write: ‘It's your own fault’ or ‘You misunderstood’. This always looks infantile. Readers won't remember who's right. They will remember that you are getting into conflicts.

3. Don't argue in comments. Even if the customer is wrong, you don't need to change their mind publicly. It always looks infantile. Arguments like ‘you misunderstood’ or ‘it's your own fault’ are always a way to nowhere. Readers will remember the conflict itself, not the cause and who was right.
4. Don't blame the client. Client made a mistake? It happens. Be tactful. Calmly find out what happened. Do not look for someone to blame, but offer options to solve the problem.
5. Don't leave a complaint unanswered for longer than 24 hours. You should have a rule: no more than 24 hours for an initial response. Even if ou are not ready to resolve the problem immediately, let them know you have seen it and are working on a solution.

Checklist. Negative reviews: what not to do

Checklist. Negative reviews on third-party platforms

Don't ignore. Even if the site seems sparsely visited - your customer could be anywhere. Even one angry review on an old forum can ruin your reputation in search.
Register as a company representative. Most review sites allow you to create an official brand profile.
Respond politely and don't argue. Even if a review is unfair one knowledgeable response can completely change the impression of a company/site/store.
Monitor other platforms regularly. Use review monitoring services: Google Alerts (free), Brand24, Mention, YouScan. The TONOP programme combines product data from different systems (CRM, ERP, GED) and shows in real time how sales are going, which products bring in more revenue, and which customers return more often.
Ask satisfied customers to leave honest reviews. You can't remove someone else's opinion - but you can outdo it with quantity. If one bad review is diluted with five honest positive ones - users will draw the right conclusion.
Complain if a review violates the rules. Platforms remove what violates their rules - insults, lies, hidden advertising of competitors - all this can and should be appealed. File a complaint and attach evidence (screenshots, tracking, correspondence).

The Golden Rule: Be on the customer's side

Listen. Analyse. Correct. Mistakes are inevitable. Any company can get into an embarrassing situation. But it's how you react to it and correct it that determines customer attitudes. That's how trust is built. And that's how loyalty is built.

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Address: 8 BORBA STR., PLOVDIV, BULGARIA, 4021
Mail: info@tonop.bg