5 Types of Customer Feedback – How Companies Should Respond Appropriately to Praise, Criticism, and Fakes

Sometimes you don't know how to respond to your customers' comments? Remo Fyda, CEO of ProvenExpert.com, provides tips on how to best handle different types of feedback.

Do you have an overview of what your potential customers find on the internet when they search for your service, product, or company? Two clicks away, they will know - Welcome to the transparent age. Smartphones and the like have fundamentally changed communication behavior and the way decisions are made. Everyone can express their opinion anytime, anywhere - in the age of social media, praise or criticism spreads faster than ever. Your company, service, or product appears to be transparent. And you can actively use this to your advantage. Take control of your online reputation. If you want to actively manage your image and reach potential customers, you should handle customer feedback correctly. Here are a few tips:

1. Positive Feedback: Asking actively leads to more

You have done a good job or your product is great, and your customers reward you with positive feedback. This is the ideal scenario, but not a given. Because when customers rate on their own, it is usually because they are disappointed. Satisfied customers rate less frequently. When was the last time you rated your hairdresser on the internet after a great haircut? So, ask! Actively soliciting customer satisfaction is often a prerequisite for a positive review - and it pays off. Use review platforms that offer ready-made survey templates to save time. According to a study, on average, 94 percent of customers give positive feedback when proactively asked. Also, respond to your satisfied customers with a brief "thank you" or a slightly longer sentence. Effect: Your existing customers feel secure and well taken care of. With this positive impression, you also gain the trust of potential new customers.

2. Supportive Feedback: Customer feedback as a quality barometer

This is about constructive feedback. This supportive feedback provides suggestions for improvement, comments, or customer wishes. To stick with the hairdresser example - the haircut is great, but you still have ringing ears from the too loud music. By the third customer who notes this as feedback, the hairdresser should accept this criticism and lower the volume of the music. There is no better service and quality control than that provided by your customers. Respond appreciatively and accept the constructive criticism. Because no one is a better quality barometer than your customers. Effect: You can effectively optimize your product or service externally as well as internal processes and thus have sustainably satisfied customers who are happy to recommend you.

3. Negative Feedback: Effectively using criticism

This type of feedback clearly shows what bothers your customers - for example, existing flaws or weaknesses in the product or service. A negative customer review can be quite harsh. Whether it's a complaint about a late delivery of an online purchase or a poor rating of the menu or service at a restaurant. In general: Take this feedback seriously and respond calmly and professionally. Effect: Critics want to be heard and win your attention. By addressing the issue, you have a good chance of turning your strongest critics into your biggest fans. Negative reviews are the most clicked on a website. This means that your comments on these reviews will be read with increased attention! Ultimately, you can use negative reviews to showcase your customer orientation. By the way, 68% of all internet users trust online reviews more when they see negative customer feedback alongside positive ones.

4. Aggressive Feedback: Beware of Trolls!

You are being attacked and don't really know why? Then you have encountered a troll. Trolls are individuals who argue purely emotionally. Trolls provoke reactions from others that could potentially harm your service, product, or company. So, how should you best respond? Stay rational, argue factually, and actively offer your help or advice. In most cases, this will put an end to the troll behavior. If not, report the unpleasant feedback to the respective platform. They will review the troll and potentially delete it for you. Effect: Professional responses to emotionally charged feedback have a calming effect on your potential customers. The impression remains that you have everything under control - this creates trust and security.

5. Fake Reviews: Stay away from false success

In principle, nowadays you can actually buy anything - from customer reviews to likes, followers, and comments. Websites with names like "Review and Rating Management" or "Ranking and Sales Booster" promise more success with purchased services from the fake range. The big catch: The touted success can backfire because purchased followers and the like can be traced. Platforms like the fake detection tool influencerDB expose the false fans. ProvenExpert also technically and editorially reviews all reviews before publication. If fake reviews are detected, they will be deleted. Buyers and sellers of fake reviews can also be excluded from the platform due to the violation of ProvenExpert's review guidelines. Effect: If you are affected by negative fake reviews, you should report them to the respective platform. They will review the reviews and potentially delete them for you. Those who work with fake reviews to gain more visibility and build trust with potential customers miss their goal. Furthermore, customers are now sensitized to the issue - if the deception is exposed, the image is destroyed.