How To Handle Negative Feedback From Clients

We thrive on feedback. “Feedback is the breakfast of champions”, we say. When it is positive, it is like a gentle tap on the shoulder, encouraging you to continue on your current path. When it is negative, it helps you correct. Client feedback is one of the most valuable sources of feedback for any business. Anyone can handle positive feedback. However, it is equally important (if not more important) to learn how to handle negative feedback from clients appropriately.

Negative feedback is a client’s disapproval or criticism of your service or quality of care. Nevertheless, negative feedback can be useful in improving a business process for the benefit of clients, staff and the overall business outfit.

In this article, we identify 10 ways to handle negative feedback. We’ve also highlighted common mistakes to avoid with client’s feedback. The overall message is that you can turn negative feedback into positive changes for your business. This article outlines how.

By the way, if you would like to learn how we can help you get a better CQC quality rating and improve your users’ satisfaction for free, go to FixMyPractice.co.uk/ImproveQualityOfCare

How To Handle Negative Feedback – The 10 Key Steps

• Expect negative feedback
• Realise that negative feedback is nothing personal
• Begin with the end in view
• Listen carefully to understand
• Empathise with your customers
• Respond politely
• Investigate thoroughly
• Take charge of the situation
• Respectfully correct clients if their feedback is wrong
• Ask for a testimonial when the problem has been rectified
• Common mistakes to avoid with clients’ feedback

How To Handle Negative Feedback – Preparation

Expect negative feedback

A plane is said to be off its course more than 99% of its journey (See Brian Tracy). The pilot and/or its computer keeps correcting and correcting. And you what? Of the estimated 150,000 daily flights worldwide, more than 99.99% reach their destination. That’s the power in embracing negative feedback.

An excellent start to handling negative feedback well in business is to expect it. Too many times, businesses get too caught up in “serving” the client. They rarely, if at all, take a step back to check if they are meeting the client’s needs and expectations.

The only way to know if you are meeting the customer’s needs is through feedback. In that case, as much as every business owner wants positive reviews, they must also expect negative ones. This helps you prepare for and respond to it appropriately.

Besides, you must understand that every information you get from your clients is an indication of their individual experiences. Thus, no two reviews will ever be alike. Furthermore, you must understand that your client’s needs and demands are unique. As a result of this unique client’s needs and expectations, it is only natural that some will be happy, while others not so.

When you expect negative feedback, it opens your mind to the reality that you do not know everything. Moreover, it helps you realise that your expectation of customer experience and what it is, in reality, are different.

Thus, expecting negative feedback is the first step any practice should take on how to handle negative feedback.

Realise that negative feedback is nothing personal

To truly understand how to handle negative feedback, you must realise that negative feedback is nothing personal. You may think that negative feedback from a client means that you are sloppy in your job. As much as nobody wants their clinic labelled inadequate, you must realise that negative feedback is nothing personal.

Agreed, negative feedback from a client could be demoralising, but you must learn to manage your emotions. Your client’s negative opinion about your clinic does not make you a bad person.

The best way to handle negative feedback is to remain calm. Remind yourself that you are making an impact on the lives and health of the majority of the people you serve. Accept your client’s feedback and use it to modify your processes.

Begin with the end in view

The objective of any business venture must be to maximise client’s satisfaction. The quality of services you offer should make your clients/patients want to come back to your practice. Hence, they would expect to receive a better quality of care when they return. That’s your end goal.

Allow clients to express their views about their experiences – positive or negative. Then, take measures to convert dissatisfaction into satisfaction by improving the quality of your services. This needs you to be proactive. Ask the difficult questions and take action.

Moreso, there is no better feeling for a business owner than making a client satisfied with your services. To begin with the end in view means having the right mindset and determination to make your clients happy, regardless of the kind of feedback they may give.

Learning how to handle negative feedback could be difficult at first, but it does help to focus on the end goal.

How To Handle Negative Feedback – When Receiving the Feedback

Listen to understand

One of the best ways to handle negative feedback is to listen carefully to understand what your clients are saying. Then, properly address the client’s concerns.

Often some clients may be emotional and make all sorts of outbursts while giving their feedback. The best way to handle this is to listen carefully to understand. This may involve reading their body language or asking further questions for clarification.

Furthermore, do not interrupt the client no matter how they sound or what they say. You may try to repeat their exact words back to them as a way to verify what they mean. If you listen carefully to understand, you will be able to get your client’s exact feelings and feedback. Also, you will be able to proffer precise solutions to those problems.

Empathise with your customers

“It takes months to find a customer and moments to lose one.” – Vincent Lombardi

This is another incentive for business owners/managers must learn how to handle negative feedback from clients. To achieve this, you will have to empathise with your customers. Customers are the lifeline of any business, so their opinions, even if negative, must be taken seriously.

To empathise with your customers, understand and share in their negative feelings. It is an effective way to handle negative feedback, as you learn to place yourself in their shoes. Besides, it makes you identify with them and whatever negative responses they express. Perhaps thinking about all the effort you have put in to get that client will help you to empathise with them.

Moreover, negative feedback might cost you not just one, but many clients. Hence, it is in your best interest to empathise with the client. Your empathy must be clear to them, in the form of words and/or non-verbal expressions.

Respond politely

Another way to handle negative feedback is to respond politely, even though your client may be upset about how he or she was treated. You must remember that they are the reason you are in business in the first place. Moreover, clients have the right to convey their grievances.

To respond politely, you should first of all, apologise for whatever inconvenience was caused. However, do not apologise excessively. You may want to ask questions to gather more information on the matter. Alternatively, the questions may be to inquire if there are other complaints the client may wish to communicate.

Furthermore, a gentle response will always turn away anger. Showing your clients that you know how to handle negative feedback will go a long way to allay their grievances. Do not be rash in your reactions, instead respond politely, keeping in mind that the client may choose to share your response to the public. Your response will show whether you are worth transacting business with in the future or not.

Often, poor communication could generate negative feedback for your practice. If that’s the case, use chatbots to engage with your client better.

How To Handle Negative Feedback – Taking Action

Investigate thoroughly

When you receive negative feedback, investigate thoroughly. Find out how many reviews are similar to it. If you find that you have been receiving multiple negative feedback on the same matter, you should review the entire process and identify any quality issues along the line.

Furthermore, investigating thoroughly helps you detect the fault in your systems. It also enables you to check if the negative response has been recurring. Have other clients been saying something similar? If so, follow up properly to get more information. This may involve asking for a private chat with the clients involved to get to the root of the matter.

More so, a thorough investigation will prevent future occurrence. If you find out that customer reviews about your quality of care have been negative, it may mean that you do not care about your clients or listen to them. Hence, a thorough investigation is crucial in setting your processes on how to handle negative feedback.  

Take charge of the situation

To handle negative feedback, you have to take charge of the situation. You must address the issues raised by your customers. Furthermore, clients must see that you are proactive in handling their complaints.

Besides, you must take charge of the situation and take responsibility for every concern raised. When you take charge of the situation, it is clear to your clients that you know how to handle negative feedback. Also, it makes your clients confident, knowing that you are addressing their complains and feedback.

Respectfully correct clients if their feedback is wrong

There is always a tendency to think that “the customer is always right”. Nonetheless, there are times when they are not. There will be times when their negative experience may be as a result of something that they did not do correctly. Some negative feedback from clients may be based on wrong assumptions.

How do you handle the situation?

Respectfully correct clients if their feedback is wrong. However, to do so, you must tread carefully.

First of all, you must thoroughly assess the situation. Then, satisfactorily ascertain that it was not the client is wrong. Next, you must patiently explain to the clients why their negative feedback is wrong. Carefully point out what the customer failed to do correctly. This will not only give your clients extra information about your business but will also show that you know what you are doing.

To understand how to handle negative feedback correctly, you must take this step seriously.

Ask for a testimonial when the problem has been rectified

There is nothing more fulfilling for a business than to realise that their client’s complaints have been resolved. This singular act proves that you are deliberate and understand how to handle negative feedback.

Hence, it would be right for you to ask for a testimonial when the problem has been solved. Ask your client to go ahead and share his new experience with others. This could be done by word of mouth, or on social media as social proof. Remember that your goal is to ensure that your clients are happy and satisfied.

Furthermore, since you have taken steps to ensure your client is happy, it is alright to ask them to share a testimonial. Your client’s testimonial will help to build your brand. Also, it will give a positive image to your business, and your clinic will be much better for it.

You can learn more about how to grow your practice rapidly here.

Common mistakes to avoid with clients’ feedback

Not monitoring feedback

One of the common mistakes to avoid with client’s feedback is not monitoring feedback platforms. If you do not know what your clients are saying about your practice, you cannot effectively respond to their feedback. By so doing, you show your clients that you do not know how to handle negative feedback.

Therefore, you must adequately monitor your feedback platforms. In the case where they are offline, such as a complaint/suggestion box, a staff should be responsible for receiving or tracking the feedback. On the other hand, if you get feedback online, you must put a mechanism in place to alert your practice when there is a new feedback.

Ignoring positive feedback

Another common mistake to avoid with clients’ feedback is ignoring positive feedback. When you get feedback from clients, you present them with the opportunity of serving them better. Whether you receive a positive or negative feedback, you must respond in the same manner to all feedback.

Unfortunately, most practices ignore positive feedback, and only respond to the negative ones. However, it is essential to note that clients want to identify with brands that listen and talk back to them. Besides, ignoring positive feedback may lead you clients to think that you do not value their views.

Late response to feedback

More so, late responses to feedback is another common mistake to avoid with clients’ feedback. Although not as bad as not responding at all, responding to feedback late is, nonetheless, a bad practice.

It is wrong to respond weeks or months after a client has complained about a problem. When you do not respond to your client’s feedback on time, they will not take you seriously. This is far from demonstrating that you know how to handle negative feedback.

Responding on a different platform

It is best to respond to feedback on the same platform on that you received the feedback. For instance, if your client gives a feedback on a public platform like social media, you should respond to them on the same platform. (Learn more about social media strategies for practice growth.)

This is because it is crucial for other people observing the conversation to know that the discussion has continued on a private space. Otherwise, they may assume that you never responded, or you are yet to do so.

Conclusion

In summary, some information you need about your business will come as negative feedback from clients. Nevertheless, you must expect negative feedback and begin with the end in view. Also, you must listen carefully to understand and realise that negative feedback is nothing personal.

Empathise with your customers and respond politely when they give a negative feedback. Also, you must investigate thoroughly, take charge of the situation, and respectfully correct clients if their feedback is wrong. You must not forget to ask for a testimonial when the problem has been rectified.

Some common mistakes to avoid with clients’ feedback are not monitoring feedback platforms and late responses to feedback.

Systematise and implement the above steps, and you will demonstrate to your clients that your practice knows how to handle negative feedback and turn it into a strength.

If you would like to learn how we can help you get a better CQC quality rating and improve your users’ satisfaction for free, go to FixMyPractice.co.uk/ImproveQualityOfCare