Why it's important to resolve negative reviews yourself

As an independent party, we are often asked to mediate negative reviews. Of course we are happy to do so, but we always require that the online store first contact the customer itself. Why do we do that? We are happy to explain.The negative review is not the problemMany online stores see the negative review as the problem, yet the negative review is only a symptom. The problem, of course, is the dissatisfied customer. Obviously, not every customer can be satisfied and, in addition, there are also very critical customers who always have something to complain about. Still, many negative reviews are caused by webshops being too lax in dealing with complaints. The first question as a webshop should always be "Can I solve this customer's complaint?", while the first question now often seems to be "How do I prevent a negative review?". That is why we always ask to first contact the customer, for example by sending a private message to the customer through our dashboard. Important here is that you show understanding for the customer and do not go on the attack, how to do this can be read in our blog"dealing with negative reviews".Show that you take complaints seriouslyWhen we as a third party first contact the dissatisfied customer, you show the customer that you see the negative review as the problem. If you contact the customer first yourself, this comes across very differently. Do not directly address the review as the problem, but try to find a solution for the problems mentioned. The customer will notice that he is taken seriously and will be a lot milder as a result. After you have found a solution, respond publicly under the experience (this can be done through the dashboard), so new customers see that you have taken the problem seriously and solved it. This way this negative experience can actually increase conversion in the future.Dissatisfied customers post reviews elsewhereIf you really can't come to an agreement with the customer and an experience is unjustified? Then we can mediate, see the procedure. Removing a review is a last resort and is only done when a review is demonstrably unjustified. Keep in mind that removing the review gives the same customer even more reason to express his dissatisfaction elsewhere. There is a big chance that when we remove a review, the same customer will express his dissatisfaction elsewhere. Negative reviews can also have a positive effect, because negative reviews increase the trust in the authenticity of positive reviews. We are therefore always in favor of allowing unjustified negative reviews, place your side of the story under this review, and your (future) customers will also see that this review is unjustified. This increases the reliability of the other reviews, because you show that you do not censor anything.