Our age is the age where customers are empowered to not only contribute to all types of businesses but also have their voices heard.

And yes, this isn’t reduced to just good reviews – we’re talking about negative reviews.

It is natural for all businesses to have their ups and downs; in fact, bad reviews are a painful reminder of your past slip-ups and potential problems. While it may be possible to avoid all kinds of criticisms in an ideal world, having critiques is a great start to transforming your business.

But to be able to accept logical judgments, you should first know how to handle negative reviews. Well, we’ve got some tips for you:

Don’t Leave Them Hanging

When a customer leaves a negative review about your business, the last thing you want to do is simply ignore them – that will always exasperate problems!

Make it your company’s policy to reply promptly and humbly to all and any negative review or feedback you get; if it’s about a bad experience they had at your premises, make it a note to apologize to them. If there was a misunderstanding, explain the situation and promise that you won’t repeat the slip up again. Just make sure that your tone is simple, to-the-point and 100% honest. Never pander to them, or make promises you can’t keep. Just make sure that you work on giving a good experience 24/7.

Take The Open Chance

Sometimes, the only reason why the customer is compelled to type out and send a bad review is because of a simple miscommunication.

If that’s the case, then you should always try to settle things out, instead of letting your relations with them sour to the point of no return. Connect with them through SMS, social media, or even call, and ask them about their experience; apologize for the moments you slipped up, and settle everything fairly in case of any misdirection. This shows the customer that your business is responsible and can be held accountable; as a result, they just might convert back to your business after seeing you reach out to them on such a personal level.

Don’t Hide

This might sound counterproductive, but it’s true: don’t hide away your bad reviews.

Make them public for everyone to see. No, this won’t set out a mob after you, and neither will potential customers run away from you. By showing both the good and bad sides of your business to the world, you’re humanizing your company to something more authentic. Plus, you’re showing everyone that you have nothing to hide and that you don’t run away from tough times. This allows potential customers to not only believe the good reviews even more, but it also helps develop a strong sense of loyalty with your business. 

Find The Advantage Within

A negative review that a customer drops doesn’t have to leave a bitter taste in your mouth. You should find the silver lining.

In this case, the silver lining is a whole new opportunity to improve some part of your business. Whether it’s customer service, product catalog, or even store design, understanding the context behind every negative review will help you find the missing piece in your business. This will help you create and accomplish goals that will benefit you in the long run.

So how do you find the advantage from negative reviews? Well, the best solution is to direct the negative feedback in a system that sorts everything for you. One such point of sale system is Oscar POS, which has its Customer Feedback System. This allows you to collect whatever’s on your customers’ minds in the form of personalized questionnaires. That way, you will be able to understand the specifics behind every critical review and understand your customers’ thoughts and sentiments better.


While you can’t avoid every kind of mistake in the business world, you can learn how to handle the heat!