We Received a "Negative" Review Last Week. Here Is How We Handled It.

As a business, we go the extra mile to provide our customers with the best overall experience possible. We sometimes fall short, though.

Last Friday we received a complaint from one of our customers via our Google reviews. In cases like this, it is usually simple to apologize and move on. But that isn’t the Lartey way, we see shortfalls as an opportunity to grow. Our Google reviews over the years have been overwhelmingly positive, current and past clients have praised our practice for our responsiveness, frictionless process, and, most importantly, professionalism. This status quo makes it puzzling when a negative review eventually comes in.

In such cases, we first apologize to the client for their negative experience and assure them of our willingness to set things straight. The complaint is then forwarded from marketing to our admin team to reach out to the client and investigate the complaint. Most often, the issue is as a result of a drop in communication or in rare cases, our inability to meet a specific client demand. In the former case, we get back on track with the client and keep them in the loop, and in the former case, we try our best fulfill the specific client request. In the case that we are unable to meet a client’s demands, we inquire if they would mind being placed on a waiting list or prefer to be referred to our external network of qualified providers.

Once the client is satisfied, we get to look at the other side of the coin; solving the gap in our process that caused the issue in the first place. This could be as easy as creating a simple Google sheet to track processes that weren’t being tracked or paying for a new tool to solve the issue. We do not shy away from investing in the right tools or human resource to create the best experience possible for our clients.

In a nutshell, negative feedback, while challenging, offers valuable insights that help us grow and improve. At Lartey, we view each review—positive or negative—as an opportunity to strengthen our services and ensure every client feels heard, respected, and well cared for. Our commitment to professionalism, responsiveness, and continuous improvement drives us to not only address concerns but also proactively refine our processes. We remain dedicated to providing exceptional service and thank our clients for their feedback, which helps us become even better.