If a glowing online review is like fertilizer to a flower garden, a negative review is a weed. Left alone, it can draw attention and resources away from what you’ve worked so hard to cultivate: your reputation. Dealing with a negative review requires care; tear into it carelessly and it can experience new growth because the root of the problem was not addressed.

Don’t React Negatively

Responding to a negative review by pointing the finger back at the customer or accusing the customer of lying doesn’t solve the issue.

“Don’t do that; people are watching,” says Art Conforti, PFCI, who was a retail florist for more than 30 years before opening a marketing agency, Bloomerang Solutions, in Sarasota, Florida. “Your correction is your version of what happened. And what if you’re wrong?”

Treating an online review site such as Google like a courtroom by attacking the customer’s credibility puts the issue on display for the world to see. While a business owner may feel justified and vindicated, the reviewer and potential customers who read the exchange may not feel the same way.

“One thing that is strongly suggested is to never respond to negative reviews in a rude, personal, or snarky way,” says Sahid Nahim, CEO and founder of the marketing agency New Bloom Solutions. “This is a chance to show future customers how you handle customer complaints and issues. This is the time to put your best foot forward, swallow some of your pride, and fix the problem.”

Be Empathetic

Conforti suggests business owners set aside their personal feelings, take the review to heart, and make sure the world sees their empathy.

“The most important thing is to show deep consideration for what they’re going through,” he says.

Business owners should respond that they are alarmed or stunned by the incident and that they take these issues very seriously, Conforti suggests. Then, request that the customer contact the business owner or manager so the problem can be further explained and an adequate solution can be achieved.

Learn From the Experience

Diane Meifert, sales and marketing manager for Ashland Addison Florist in Chicago, Illinois, which maintains a nearly 5-star review status on Google, says the shop looks at negative reviews as learning experiences.

“Usually, we get the chance to ensure customer satisfaction before we make that delivery, but life is never perfect, so every so often there are issues that arise,” she says. “It’s not usually easy to see issues like these from our point of view, so getting the opportunity to learn about them from our customers gives us the chance to improve on our practice with every interaction we have.”

Conforti said the end goal of these interactions should be making the disgruntled reviewer happy. If that is achieved, he recommends thinking twice about asking the customer to retract the negative review or submit a new, positive review.

“You don’t want them to ever think you’re being nice to them because of the review,” he says.

Personalization is Key

Businesses should also be mindful of how they respond to positive reviews, Conforti says. An automatic, canned reply such as, “Thank you for your review!” doesn’t sound genuine or personalized, he says.

When writing responses, Conforti suggests sprinkling in key words that help people find the business. That might include the business name, the city it serves, or the hospitals and funeral homes in the delivery area.

“The more consistency you have with the name of the shop and where it’s located and the key words to find that shop, the more valuable your responses can be,” he says.

No matter how a business chooses to respond to online reviews, Conforti says the most important thing is to respond within 24 hours, which tells Google the business is active and can help its placement in search results.

Looking for more information about online reviews? Click here to read tips about how to achieve 5-star status.

Laurie Herrera is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.