Responding to Reviews: The Complete Guide

Responding to reviews is a necessity for any business. In fact, 93% of consumers say that online reviews impact their purchasing decisions, and that the minimum rating they’ll engage with is 3.3 stars.

You probably have a lot of questions. Do positive online reviews need to be responded to at all? How do you respond to a negative review? We’re here to give you all the answers you need so that you can maintain a positive online reputation and grow your business.

Responding to Positive Reviews

There is nothing better than a customer leaving a five-star review on your business! What’s even better? Responding!

Replying to a positive review is an easy way to engage with happy customers that benefits both your brand identity, and your one-to-one relationship with that customer.

Why Should I Respond to Positive Reviews?

1. It is polite
2. Your potential customers are watching
3. It improves your search rankings

4 Steps to Respond to a Positive Review

1. Thank the customer.
2. Mention your business name so that the review shows up on search engine results.
3. Throw in a bit of marketing – This could be highlighting a new offer or just how good your business is. You want other potential customers to see all the positives about your business!
4. Invite the customer to make an action – Ask them to spread the word!

Here’s an Example…

“Hello (name)! Thank you for your wonderful review! We’re so happy that you loved our services – did you know we also offer (name another related service)? It was a pleasure working with you and we hope we get the opportunity to do it again soon!”

Responding to Negative Reviews

You should always reply to negative reviews to show your customers that you are taking proactive steps to improve your business.

Remember that many of your potential customers will see your response so you need to make a good impression.

Why Should I Respond to Negative Reviews?

1. Your potential customers are watching
2. It’s your opportunity to make things right
3. You show your customers that you are improving your business

4 Steps to Respond to a Negative Review

1. Apologise and sympathise with the customer’s concerns.
2. Take the negative and spin it on it’s head – Let your potential customers know that this is not a common experience.
3. Keep it short – 3 sentences should be plenty! Also make sure not to mention your business name to avoid the negative review showing up on search engines.
4. Take the complaint offline – Private message the customer to prevent a back-and-forth type conversation being shown to all your potential customers.

Here’s an Example…

“Hello (name). We would like to extend our sincerest apologies regarding the recent issues you had with our services. Our business has a high standard of quality for all our services and your purchase should never have been an exception to this. We would greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak about this matter more and resolve the issue Please call us on (number). Thank you and we hope you have a great day.”

There you go!

If you need another reason to respond to your reviews, it’s worth mentioning that Google itself have said:

“Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business.”

https://support.google.com/business/answer/7091?hl=en

If you’re ever unsure on how to reply to a review, just think about how you’d like someone to respond to you if you were making the same complaint. A little kindness goes a long way if you’ve received negative feedback. Lastly, remember that responding to reviews correctly will present your business as one that is open to suggestions and always improving customer satisfaction. This is what can help you stand out against your competitors.