Your firm works hard to provide a great experience for your clients. From your customer service to winning their claim, your firm likely tries to provide the best service possible. But sometimes a client may leave unhappy and leave a negative review. Seeing this negative review about your firm is never ideal. It can be stressful and aggravating. As annoying as they may be, you may find that a negative review can actually help your firm. Here’s how:

1. They show authenticity.

As much as your firm would love to only have five-star reviews, having not a single bad review can actually be more harmful than good. Some studies* have found that when there are no bad reviews, 95% of consumers believe that reviews are fake or that negative reviews are censored. Having a few mixed in with great reviews of your firm will help increase the authenticity of your good reviews.

2. They can highlight good aspects of your firm.

Some negative reviews may not end up being as bad as they seem. For example, say a client whose claim you just won left a 3 star review on Google. In the review they said that you won their claim and you were very professional and organized, but they deducted 2 stars because your office hours were the same as their shift at work, so it made it difficult to meet. If the worst thing to happen to a client was your office hours were not ideal for them, then the review may not turn people away from working with your firm.

3. They help you know where to improve.

A negative review may highlight an area that your firm may need to improve. Chances are that if one client found a problem, then another client may be having the same experience. Read through your negative reviews and see if there are any common themes or areas to improve. You may find that a member of your intake staff is coming off as rude or that clients dislike your scheduling system. Listening to what your clients have to say will only help better your firm.

4. They provide an opportunity to explain how your firm works.

When a negative review is posted, you will have the opportunity to respond to it. This gives your firm the opening to explain your side or why your firm does what they do. It opens up a narrative that will allow potential clients to understand your firm and its expectations. Someone may post a review about disliking the intake process. In your response, you can explain why your intake process is the way it is. Then when a potential claimant reads your response, they will already have a better understanding of what to expect if they contact your firm.

Although no one wants all negative reviews, having a few bad, or even so-so reviews can help your firm in the long run. As a bad review pop-ups, take it in stride and find a way to use it to your firm’s advantage.

*neurosciencemarketing.com/blog/articles/reviews-good-bad.htm#