How To Respond To Negative Feedback
How To Respond To Negative Feedback
Everyone is going to get nasty emails and negative feedback at some point while selling on Amazon, and even when it is not your fault you are going to want to take care of it as quickly as possible. It goes without saying that the more orders you ship out the more opportunity you have for negative feedback to be left on your account.
After selling on Amazon for the past 13 years I have found there are a few things you can do to help keep nasty emails from turning into negative feedback, and to help you persuade a buyer to remove any negative feedback they have left on your account.
#1. Answer Quickly and with Empathy
Contact the buyer ASAP, my advice is to respond within 24 hours or quicker, to let them know that you noticed and appreciate their feedback. Let them know you will be looking into the issue and will be contacting them again shortly. Making contact with the buyer quickly lets them know that you take customer complaints seriously and you are attentive to your customers Being empathetic goes a long way when writing a reply to upset customers. Try to put yourself in their shoes to help you understand why the customer is upset and how this has made them feel. When you have empathy are able communicate more effectively.
#2 Apologize
You may not have done anything wrong, or maybe you made a simple mistake, but letting the buyer know that you are sorry and that you take responsibility for the error goes a long way. Be sure to look at the feedback they left and repeat back to them the issue that upset them. Using their words as much as you can will help then know that you actually read their complaint.
#3 Ask
Ask the Buyer what you can do to make them feel better about the transaction. They may want you to refund the shipping, or give them a credit (partial or full). If they were sent the incorrect book or sent a book in the wrong condition they may want you to send the correct book. You just never know what someone will ask for, but asking them what they would like once again shows them that you value them and their business.
If you are uncomfortable leaving the questions open ended consider giving them 2 or 3 different options that you are comfortable with.
And now for the most important tip…
#4 Appeal
Appeal to the Buyer to revise their feedback. Often you will not even know there was a problem until the feedback was left so be sure to use this to your advantage. When negative feedback is left before you are even given a chance to correct the issue actually works in your favor. Many sellers don’t know that you are allowed to ask a buyer to remove their feedback. If you follow the tips above you have set the groundwork for the buyers to be left with a favorable impression of you. When the buyer knows you care and take them and your business seriously, and they give you a chance to make the situation right they will often opt to remove their feedback instead of letting it stand the way they originally wrote it.
If you would like a few examples of what an email to your customers might look and sound like click on the link below to download a template email as well as some phrases you can use in your emails to be sure you are giving the best customer service.