Home service providers work hard to market their expertise, perform high-quality services, and develop long-lasting relationships with loyal customers. That hard work is why a negative review can feel so disheartening. Customers leave negative reviews for various reasons, and as a professional, you should handle a bad review with concern and respect, without anger. A negative review can be a learning tool for many company leaders, and your response to the review may help build character and trust with other customers.  

What To Do With A Negative Review

As you consider responding to customer reviews, you should have a process in place for both positive and negative reviews. When your brand receives a negative review, the process may include: 

• A wait period: Once you see the negative review, wait a little while before you respond. A waiting period gives you time to think about how to respond professionally and calmly.  
• Gather information: Before responding, you also need to gather the facts and find out what really happened to inspire a negative review. Speak with the team members involved in the service to determine the source of the negative experience, or review communication between your brand and the customer to see where communication failed.  
• Determine if you or your team made an honest mistake, and own up to the mistake with your customer.  
• Try to move the complaint offline to ensure resolution and privacy. Respond to the customer online first, then ask to move the conversation offline to resolve the issue.   
• Use the negative review as a learning tool. If you made a mistake, learn from it and adapt procedures as needed. Or, if the negative review was unwarranted, learn how to communicate with unsatisfied customers through professionalism and clarity.

What Not To Do With A Negative Review

There are a few things a home service provider should not do when they receive a negative review, too. These things include: 

• Don’t share personal information about the customer, which includes full name, contact info, payment info, or other sensitive content. 
• Don’t automatically offer a refund, but instead offer to repair or fix the problem.  
• Don’t ask a customer to remove the negative review. This process may backfire and cause a bigger problem than expected.  
• Don’t get into an online argument with a dissatisfied customer.

Conclusion

A home service expert never wants to receive a negative review because it shows something didn’t go well during a service and can significantly impact your reputation. However, a negative review can and should be addressed and may even become a learning point for successful businesses. If your brand receives a negative review, follow a documented process to manage the impact. Always gather detailed information about the issue, decide what action to take if needed, write a public response to the customer, move the rest of the conversation offline if needed, document the communication, and learn from the situation. Your company’s reputation can keep building as you earn more positive reviews!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

If my company receives a negative review, do I need to respond to it?
It’s good practice to respond to every customer review, whether the review is positive or negative. Consistently responding to reviews shows customers you are interested in hearing from them and that you pay attention to their feedback. Although a negative review isn’t ideal, you should respond respectfully and thoughtfully. If you can or need to resolve the issue, move the conversation offline so you and the customer can resolve it. Potential customers will read reviews and want to see how you respond. Trust and loyalty develop from what they learn.  

Is it reasonable to ask the customer to remove the negative review?
Aim to resolve the issue fairly and respectfully, then let the customer decide whether to update their original review online. The goal is to address the underlying issue indicated in the negative review and see what you can do to improve that customer’s experience. If you handle the follow-up professionally, the customer will often update their words.  

Is there a way I can prevent customers from leaving a negative review?
You can’t prevent negative reviews or manipulate the review process, but you can take steps to encourage positive reviews. Work closely with your team to set clear expectations, service guidelines, clear communication standards, and thorough documentation procedures. It’s a good idea to follow up with customers after a service is finished and make it easy for them to leave a review.