How To Manage Negative Reviews Of Your Mobile App

With the recent updates to iOS 10.3, developers are able to answer the reviews on Apple App Store just like the Android developers on Google Play Store. There are very important effects generated by app reviews for the success of your app:

• Discoverability – your app will reach a higher number of users if everybody talks about it;
• App Store Conversions – if you check the chart below you will see that the reviews influence users decision to install an app;
• App Ranking – the more reviews you have the more visible your app will be.

Image Source: https://www.apptamin.com/blog/manage-brand-mobile-reputation/

That being said everybody knows that reviews can be divided in two categories: positive reviews and negative reviews. In the first case it is very pleasant to receive users’ appreciation and relatively easy to thank them for sharing it. The second situation is more difficult from all points of view and we will discuss further some solutions to manage those bad feedbacks.

6 Best Ways To Deal With Negative Reviews

Every app developer is very disappointed when his creation is criticized after he invested months in building it. But you need to act professional and to approach this case in the most suitable manner.

Don’t Take It Personal

Most often, your first reaction after you read the negative review is to get furious and to attack the person who wrote it. Stop your intention and think about it for a second. Maybe that user is right and your app caused him stressful moments or he just had a bad day and your app has nothing to do with his problems. Either way you have to maintain your control and to discover what is the real problem.

Image Source: https://www.slideshare.net/cmarentis/good-reviews-how-to-get-em-july-12th-2016

Acknowledge The Problem

In case your app is the root of that bad experience then the first thing you must do is to apologize and to assure the customer that you will do everything you can to fix the problem. Showing them that you understand what created the inconvenience will convince customers that you are there for them and that you are ready to improve their journey inside the app.

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Compensate Bad Experience

Sometimes it is not enough to show users that you feel sorry for the troubles created by your app. You will prove your point if you offer them some virtual goods or other benefits related to your app for improving their opinion regarding your work. Again, you will show them that it wasn’t your intention to cause them bad moments.

Redirect To A Private Channel

After the launch, every app has its own problems. Big or small, they are inevitable because it is impossible to please everybody. But it is better that those bad impressions to be shared outside app store. Make sure that you make it clear for every user that you can be reached through other channels like e – mail or a support section inside your app. If some customers really wanted to leave a negative review on app market be polite, complete the steps above and try to move the conversation far from other users’ eyes.

Image Source: https://blog.kissmetrics.com/11-mobile-app-pitfalls/

Keep Calm And Ignore The Trolls

As we already said, there are some cases when the review is not even about your app. It doesn’t worth to pay attention to this type of persons. Just make it clear in an amiable way that you won’t fell in their trap to damage your reputation.

Act Quickly!

The worst situation is when a user reports a bug or an error. You have to thank him for helping you to improve your app assuring him that you will fix that problem immediately. Next thing on your to do list is to make sure that the issue is solved and to go back to that user with the results.

Image Source: https://www.apppartner.com/now-can-respond-app-store-reviews-need-know/

5 Ways To Prevent Negative Reviews

There are some situations when you can avoid those bad scenarios when users complain about your app. We will share some useful solutions for improving your app reviews on app store.

Keep Users Updated With Bug Fixes

As we said earlier it is essential to inform users about the improvements you did to your app and to make sure they know that you are there to maintain everything in order for them. It is important to show them that you listen what they have to say. If you read our mobile success story about Slack you will observe that the most important strategy of its owners was to gather feedback from their users in every possible way and that helped them to reach the fast growth.

Troubleshooting App Description

Since no app is perfect maybe you are aware about some common issues generated by your app which can be handled very easy by users. Add some simple steps inside your app description to guide them in case they confront themselves with those situations and add your email address or other contact information if they need any help.

Enable In – App Support

It is vital to make sure that the road from user to you is very short. To avoid the situation when an angry customer complains about your app on app store you should implement a solution right inside your app to offer your support in case users have problems with your app. Make it visible for everyone who opens your app and assure them that their issues will be solved.

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Prompt Only Happy Users

We highlighted at the beginning of this article the importance of reviews. For that you need to ask users to give their feedback but you need to consider only the engaged customers and to be careful not to interrupt their activity inside your app. This takes us to the following point.

Image Source: https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-best-ways-to-increase-the-number-of-reviews-for-your-app

Utilize Social Media Channels (Get Feedback And Ask Reviews)

Social networks are very helpful because users are more willing to share their opinion on these channels and they offer you a great opportunity to build a solid relationship with your customers. We invite you to read again our article, 3 Engaging Feedback Channels To Create Exceptional Mobile User Experience to discover valuable tips on how to communicate better with your users.

FINAL THOUGHTS

It is very difficult to deal with bad reviews for your work but it is not the end of the world. There are worse things in life than a bad opinion about your app. Instead you should consider it like a good opportunity to improve your app and to enhance the experience of the users who consider it suitable for their needs. Encourage customers to share their feedback but make sure that only positive ones reach the app store page.