I received a negative review, what should I do next?

Negative reviews are important to acknowledge and can be turned into a positive marketing opportunity. Professionally offering your side of the story or perhaps sharing what your business is doing to prevent similar experiences from happening again, will allow potential clients to see how you handle tough situations and conversations.

The best way to deal with a negative review is to:

• Respond promptly. Ignoring a negative review won’t make it disappear.
  Waiting too long before responding could further aggravate the situation, a quick answer will help reassure the client.
• Acknowledge your client’s feedback.
  Even if you disagree with your client’s perspective, it is important to acknowledge their experience.
• Customise your response.
  Address the reviewer’s concerns to show you take the time to listen to your clients and consider their satisfaction a priority.
• Try to remain calm and professional at all times.
  Avoid being defensive in your reply. It is important to show your professionalism and desire to resolve issues to others that may read your response
• Invite clients to discuss offline in more depth.
  Do not hesitate to invite the client to continue the conversation offline to find a common ground and hopefully, a solution.
• Gather more reviews.
  Invite other past clients with positive experiences to review your business as well to present a more balanced view of your business.

You can access this article for more information: AU | NZ

Can I remove a negative review?

In order to maintain trust on our site, Houzz does not remove reviews left from genuine past clients that do comply with our Review Policy (AU | NZ). If you don’t recognise the client or project described on the review, please reach out to our support team.