When you own a business, the possibility of receiving a negative review is there. Unfortunately, a single negative review can have a huge impact on your business. In fact, a survey conducted by BrightLocal showed that about 66 percent of customers form an opinion on a business (they have never used) after reading just four reviews.

At some point, regardless of how hard you try, you may receive a negative review. Don’t let it be the end of the world, but use it and learn from it to help make your business better than ever.

Here are some tips to turn the negative review into something positive for your business.

Try to Find Commonalities

You shouldn’t be too hard on yourself for receiving a negative review. You can’t please everyone, all the time. Also, remember that not all feedback you receive will be beneficial. If you take each review you receive into consideration, it may actually hurt what you have to offer.

Instead, try to find repeated complaints or themes in the negative reviews you are receiving. This will help you figure out what part of the service or product is causing a problem. Once you have figured out what needs to be improved, you can think of ways to do this. The best thing you can do is learn from the negative feedback you have received.

Always Respond in a Timely Manner

You also need to respond to any negative complaint in a professional and timely manner. If someone submits a review, they want to connect with you and expect a response – more than 40 percent expect to receive a response within one hour.

When posting a response don’t allow frustration and anger to take the lead. Apologize if necessary and explain how this is not the “usual.” You may also want to offer some type of discount or deal, if applicable.

Take Action

It is one thing to respond to a negative review. It is a whole different thing to actually take action and make changes. You should listen to your customers and let them see that their feedback is helpful and that it encourages change – for the better.

When you use the tips and information here you will be able to respond and handle the situation and actually make your business better in the long run. Keep this in mind if you ever happen to receive a negative review.