Oh no. There is a sinking feeling in your stomach. You just received a notification with a 1 star rating. Now what?

First, you need to breath. Customer service, much like working cattle, is not an emotional activity. Many people make it one, but it does not have to be. Take a deep breath, drop the defense mechanisms, and prepare to hear their feedback with an open heart.

Two, read the entire review multiple times before responding. What are your customer’s concerns? Are they based in fact, even if you don’t like it? Is this a simple misunderstanding that can be cleared up? Did the customer not receive what they expected, regardless of fault?

If you cannot discern these answers from the review, then engage in conversation until you can. Always start with an apology. Ask questions like:

“Why do you feel…”

“What part is not as expected?”

“What can we do to make this right?”

Imagine for a moment, that you sent a necklace to a customer. They left a scathing review about the shoddy craftsmanship and they will never shop with you again. Harsh, right? What if upon further conversation, you discover the necklace was broke in shipping, arriving in a damaged envelope, void of any protective packing? In this situation, it was neither your fault, nor the customer’s fault. This is a defining moment in the culture of your business.

1. You tell your customer “too bad, so sad,” that you are not responsible. This will likely result in a lost customer, if not a very volatile exchange on your page.

2. You ask your customer to return what they received, apologizing that this situation has happened, and promising to remake the necklace immediately. When you send the replacement necklace, you include a free pair of matching earrings for the inconvenience as well as a hand written thank you for their patience.

What kind of relationship did you just build with that upset customer? By handling this is a “public” fashion, what are other people able to discern about your business ethics? How do you feel now that you took the time to hear the entire situation instead of immediately getting defensive?