Live From Internet Retailer: Take the Good Customer Reviews With the Bad

Boston—Getting negative customer reviews? Don’t sweat them—use them to your company’s advantage, said Dell senior manager of global community and personalization Stuart Wallock.

“You can surprised and delight your customers if you respond to their negative feedback,” Wallock said during a session Tuesday at the Internet Retailer Conference & Exhibition 2009. “If you respond to the consumers who give your product one star, it shows that you’re listening and you care.

If you remove negative reviews left by customers, you increase the chance that your company will lose credibility, Wallock said. That’s not just because you would appear to have only five-star customer reviews.

Rather, the one-star reviews help give the consumer a better idea of what product may be the best product for his wants and needs. So the one-star ratings may actually be as valuable as the five-star reviews.

“If you censor your site by removing the negative reviews, you’ll lose credibility,” Wallock said. “Make sure you give the customer a chance to see all the comments and feedback.”