The power of negative reviews

James Westlake, VP of Trustpilot UK, explains why bad reviews of your business can actually be used to your advantage.

"Opening yourself up to online reviews can be an intimidating experience for online travel companies. Yes you’ll get some positive reviews, which will help provide trustworthy third party endorsement for your company, but inevitably you’ll also get a few negative ones as well. But don’t worry, as one of the best things about reviews is that they bring out the human side of the brand. Consumers want a full view of a business, mistakes and all. A negative review, if dealt with in the right way, can in fact be an opportunity because it offers a chance to acknowledge a failing and adapt to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Initially, when a negative review comes in, it’s important that travel providers respond to it, in some way. Simply demonstrating that the review has been heard and you are dealing with the feedback goes a long way. Our recent online survey of 2,000 consumers showed that 70% said they could forgive a provider after writing a negative review if they were offered a refund, discount or freebie, but interestingly 46% of people say businesses that have let them down can regain their trust simply by showing that they care enough to try and resolve the issue, and 55% said an apology from a provider would do the trick. It’s also important that travel companies own up to mistakes when they happen. To err is human, and if dealt with properly, forgivable, and travel companies would do well to remember that nothing leaves a bad taste like a cover up and customers are very quick to smell a rat.

However, it’s not all just about negative reviews. A common misconception is that the only people who leave reviews are angry, and so negative experiences will outweigh the positive majority. In fact, our statistics show that 83% of online reviews remain positive, and these reviews can pack a punch. Figures from BrightLocal’s 2015 study into consumer behaviour shows that 68% of people say positive reviews help them trust a company more, and research from Practical eCommerce shows a single positive review might help in crease conversions by 10%.

However, it’s not enough to simply open yourself up to feedback, you also need to convince people to share their experiences. To collect reviews, travel companies must encourage clients and customers to provide their feedback. Email invitations are a good way to do this, but it’s important to establish a template, then use A/B testing to tweak the invitation to ensure the best response, or work with a partner who has an existing, proven template. If the invitation doesn’t provoke a response, it’s important to send a reminder. Trustpilot’s customers who use invitation reminders have seen that 35% of reminders lead to a customer writing a review.

Understanding, collecting and acting on feedback enables businesses to learn from their mistakes. Negative and positive reviews together help provide a sense of balance. Econsultancy’s research shows that a range of positive and negative reviews are better for business, as 30% of consumers suspect censorship when no negative reviews are present. By being open, honest and transparent with customers and showing a little weakness, travel companies will humanise themselves, strengthen their credibility and build a better relationship with customers."