Three Reasons Bad Reviews Could Offer The Boost Your Business Needs

Nowadays, the vast majority of consumers check online reviews before they even consider making a purchase. In many ways, this is good news from a business perspective, with positive reviews proving almost as effective as word of mouth.

But, there is a dark side to what reviews can do, with negative reviews often dissuading otherwise viable leads, or even tarnishing your reputation altogether. For these reasons, every modern business does what it can to keep such negative feedback at bay. 

In reality, though, no matter how much you try to perfect your a-game, the chances are that you’ll receive at least a few bad reviews. Instead of seeing them as the enemy, though, you might just find that you can use that not-so-flattering feedback to make improvements that would otherwise remain out of reach.

In this sense, you could say that bad reviews are the boost your business has been waiting for. Here, we’re going to consider how.

A chance to confront customer services

Weaknesses in your customer services are, hands down, likely to win you the worst reviews. Unfortunately, these issues aren’t easy to spot from the inside, but the anonymous nature of online reviews guarantees some pretty harsh honesty in this respect.

This may be a hard reality to face, but it’s ultimately good news, freeing you to make improvements on the ground. For instance, you may want to retrain staff with a particularly harsh review in mind. Or, perhaps you’ve received enough negative responses that it’s worth taking customer services out-of-house by asking what are virtual receptionists, and what do they stand to do for me? You may even find that tailoring your recruitment process with this focus in the future helps you to settle the score, and stop ignoring this significant business downfall at last. 

An opportunity for redemption

Nowadays, customers can post negative reviews on social media in minutes, and every one of their followers is likely to put a black mark against your name as a result. Unless, of course, you take positive action to publicly redeem yourself. 

This is especially the case for reviews that you’re tagged in, where inaction would likely make you look even worse. But, by taking this chance to publicly comment, and take redemptive action such as discounts or free products, you might just find that you can turn it around. At the very least, these efforts may should help you to save face amongst that individual’s readership.

A sure way to track improvements

Tracking business improvements is always vital, but it typically involves key performance indicators (KPIs,) intense software, and a whole load of work. In large part, though, bad reviews and their trajectory can be equally helpful for showing your progress.

After all, as well as pointing towards improvements in the first place, increases or decreases in bad reviews can help you to see whether the changes that you’re making are taking things in the right direction. This immediacy can prove invaluable for redefining your brand and turning those negative reviews into positives after all.