Every company should know how to deal with negative feedback from clients. Timely implemented and effective strategies are important as they might prevent harm to your brand reputation and sales. As an experienced healthcare PR agency, we will teach you how to handle negative reviews in the MedTech industry promptly.
Since an inadequate response can easily worsen the situation, it is highly recommended that you consult and hire a professional like us. We can take the right approach and even use the negative reviews to your advantage.
Let us give you a sneak peek at how we do it!
How to Handle Negative Reviews in the MedTech Industry
Almost every healthcare provider has experienced the negative impact of bad reviews, which can damage its reputation. It can be intimidating to see a bad review left on your business page. If even one review is overlooked and left unhandled, it might negatively impact your entire MedTech project. So, how do you handle negative reviews in the MedTech industry?
You must understand the nature of the negative review and identify its root cause. The problem could be product-related, service-related, policy-related and online reviews for spreading misinformation. More specifically, some reasons why people write and publish negative reviews online include:
- Poor communication or customer service
- Misinformation or misunderstanding
- Poor product or service quality
- Pricing issues and hidden fees
- Employee mistakes
To maintain your reputation as a medical technology company, you must know how to deal with bad medical product reviews. The answer is simple: responding to negative reviews.
As a healthtech PR agency, we investigate the issue and use it to tailor the response to the review. We also focus on creating strategies for preventing future negative reviews.
Initial response to negative reviews
The golden rule for negative feedback in the MedTech industry is to respond immediately. Responding to negative feedback proves your company cares about the experience of its patients. If you write a high-quality response, you will leave an impression that you are a serious company, acknowledging the underlying issues.
You must ensure timeliness and promptness. Someone should constantly scan online reviews and ensure they are addressed promptly. It is important to show a sense of urgency and respond to negative reviews within 48 hours, but the time might vary.
We highly recommend using our MedTech PR services instead of doing it yourself. We have the resources and expertise to handle negative reviews seamlessly and avoid more serious consequences.
Every negative review requires a strategic approach. You can start by thanking the reviewer for sharing their experience or opinion. This simple gesture can demonstrate that you are open to constructive criticism.
Throughout the answer, express compassion and ensure all your sentences are short and clear. The more concise you are, the lower the chances of additional misunderstandings.
Additionally, defensive or dismissive language should be avoided at all costs. You should double-check the response before publishing to ensure there are no indications that you interpreted the criticism as unworthy. Every opinion and experience matters, whether you agree or disagree with the reviewer.
Investigating the issue
The key on how to deal with negative feedback from patients is investigation. The more details you have about the review, the better. Gathering all the relevant information, such as product details, customer history, channels they used to communicate with you, etc., will give you valuable directions for handling the situation.
To craft a good response, you should talk with all the relevant departments within your company that might have been involved with the reviewer. That might include technical support, the sales team, customer service, quality assurance and other departments.
Getting the whole picture and listening to both sides, the customer’s and the employee’s perspectives will help you determine who is responsible for the problem. If you determine some oversights from your end, you shouldn’t be afraid to apologize and stand up for your mistakes.
Crafting an effective response
With all the data needed, you should start crafting an effective response. Instead of sounding generic like many companies, personalize the response. It will make reviewers feel more appreciated and prove that your company takes them seriously.
The response should offer a clear and concise explanation of the situation and, when necessary, an apology. If you want to respond in-depth to the online review, you may outline the steps you have taken to resolve the issue. Finally, you can include your contact details so that the reviewer can contact you if they have further questions.
Implementing solutions
For every negative review that addresses an issue, you should take proper measures within your company. Potential solutions can range from something as simple as sending employees to additional training and sharing product updates to more serious measures such as recalls or medical device recalls.
As for the customer, you can offer them compensation or incentives. You should be aware that many customers intentionally write negative reviews just to get a refund or a discount on their next service.
Consequently, you should proceed with caution when handling negative reviews and looking for solutions. If you see a chance for the situation to escalate and the reviewer to continue discussing it with you, you should offer to settle the problem offline.
In our experience, one-on-one communication has a different flow than trying to settle the issue while everybody is reading. Whichever solution you go with, you should ensure that the customer’s satisfaction is restored.
Preventing future negative reviews
Preventing future negative reviews requires a proactive approach. Your company should invest in continuous improvement to enhance product quality and reliability.
One way to do that is by implementing rigorous testing of your medical products. For example, doing a design validation test, undergoing biological and chemical testing, and consulting industry experts.
Your customers should be regularly updated and educated about your product line. Introducing them to the product characteristics and educating them about proper usage might reduce the number of negative reviews you get.
Furthermore, improving your customer service and support is key to preventing future negative reviews. Typically, customers write a negative review when they have exhausted all of their other options; one of them is seeking help for their problem from your customer support team.
How to Handle Negative Press in the MedTech Industry
In addition to negative reviews from patients and customers, journalists might research your products and services and write a negative press review. As with negative reviews from customers, it is significantly important to address the negative press.
So, not taking proper steps might affect your reputation, customer trust and financial stability. Some of the strategies we use as a healthcare PR agency to successfully deal with negative media coverage include:
- Responding quickly and transparently, preferably by issuing an official statement or press release.
- Engaging with your audience.
- Aim for transparent communication, issue acknowledgment, and present facts.
- Demonstrate accountability when needed.
- Engage with the media responsible for the negative press.
To be able to do everything we mentioned, it is essential to prepare a crisis management plan with general guidelines on what to do in such situations. When something like this happens, assessing the damage done by the negative press release and creating strategies to recover from it is also necessary.
Conclusion
Every company must know how to handle negative reviews in the MedTech industry. Negative reviews can impact the trust of your target audience, so handling them can mitigate damage and preserve your brand’s reputation.
Instead of trying to do everything yourself, contact us so that we can start dealing with negative reviews promptly and effectively. Let us help you today!
