Guidance for creating a positive reply to a negative review

We understand it can be really frustrating to receive a negative review, especially as care homes work so hard and are passionate about caring for their residents. However, no one expects a care home to receive 100% positive feedback. All businesses make mistakes from time to time...staff calling in sick, a challenging resident and exhaustion can all impact a care homes' ability to perform at the highest level and like any business, it’s natural to receive some negative feedback from time to time. 

Always reply to reviews, especially negative ones.

If you have received a negative review it's really important that you acknowledge it with a reply. If you disagree with a reviewer over their experience, we recommend that you write a reply sharing your version of events so that website users can see both perspectives.

Additionally, if you agree with the negative review, it's important to acknowledge it and show that you are putting measures in place to prevent an issue happening again. We believe a good reply can help turn a negative into a positive, showing that you listen to your clients and demonstrate how much you care. A negative review with a good reply can lend more authenticity and credibility to your other reviews.

We recommend that you reply to negative reviews in a polite, positive and professional way, and that you make your reply relevant to the review comment only.  Please be sure not to divulge any personal details about the service user or any other persons mentioned or not mentioned within the review comment. Good replies often say thank you, address the specific issues, highlight any positives, apologise, sympathise and take responsibility.  

We provide you with the opportunity to write a reply to a review before the review goes live (most review websites publish the review first), so you can always reply in a timely manner and care seekers will always see both perspectives. 

Below are some samples to help you create your positive reply to a negative review. Every review is someone’s personal experience or opinion and deserves to be considered individually.

Please do not copy and paste from our list but create your own personalised reply, keeping in mind not to divulge any personal details or refer to any matter that is not included in the original review.

Openings

• Thank you for taking the time to bring this to our attention.
• We are obviously disappointed that you have had a negative experience.
• We take all feedback very seriously.
• We are extremely grateful for all feedback.
• I am sorry to hear you are frustrated with the level of service.

Content

• We are sorry to hear about your experience. We are more than happy to discuss the options with you, and a senior member of our team will reach out privately to do so.
• We are very sorry to hear you felt a lack of empathy and compassion when your mother was a resident.
• Our aim is to provide the best possible care to those we support and it is something we take very seriously. 
• There were failings, however, we are now progressing and working in partnership with our Regulatory Authority and Local Authorities.
• Unfortunately, there are times when a person’s needs change and they can no longer be safely cared for in a particular setting, despite all efforts.
• Please rest assured that your comments have been passed on to Senior Management.
• Our current prices for care are in line with our local competitors. All customers are made fully aware of these prior to care provision.
• We strive to provide an outstanding quality of care and improve our service user's experience wherever possible.

Closing

• Again, I can only apologise for your experience and strive to move forward.
• Once again, we are very sorry that you feel the experience did not meet your expectations.
• Please accept our deepest sympathy for your loss and our apologies once again for any distress you may have suffered.
• I have escalated your comments to our senior managers who will be able to respond in more detail. Someone will be in touch very soon.
• I am available for a call to discuss in more detail so we can better understand your experience.