Why you should respond to a positive review
OK, so you've started to get some great reviews and people can read how great your business is on-line. It would be easy to sit back and rest on your laurels but there’s one more thing to do – respond to them. Simply login to your account and leave a short message thanking the reviewer. It may only take a minute or two but the benefits are twofold:
Social proof – Don’t forget, all your reviews are there for people to see and responding to reviews not only shows courtesy to the reviewer but illustrates to others that you’re a proactive business. Keep it short and sweet such as “Hey Fred, thanks for your review, we’re so pleased you were happy with our service” – Obviously you’ll need to write something that’s reflects what has been written but you get the idea!
Google loves social interaction – By responding to each review you’re not only thanking the reviewer, you’re also proving to Google that you interact with your customers. This will be picked up by the algorithms they use and will only serve to boost you page ranking.
How to react to a negative review.
Getting a bad review hurts right? It feels like a personal attack and thanks to one disgruntled customer, your on-line reputation is ruined. Your first reaction is probably to lash out and give them a piece of your mind or, worse still bury your head in the sand and ignore it. Wrong and wrong!!
The first thing to do is keep calm and act fast. Don’t forget, the wrong reaction will only further damage your reputation as everyone will see a very public slanging match and you’ll soon be in a no win situation.
What to do next...
Assess the review and be honest with yourself. What best describes the bad review.
- It’s a malicious review or mistaken identity
- The review was genuine but a little harsh
- The review was genuine and the customer had a valid point
Compose a response and always be courteous and polite – here are some tips on what to say...
Malicious or mistaken identity.
Calmly explain that you can’t identify or remember the customer saying something like. “We noticed your review and were disappointed to discover that you don’t appear to be a customer of ours. However, if you have a genuine concern about our service, please contact us via our website” Your other option is to contact Google’s legal department and challenge them to remove the review. However, this can be a long process and doesn’t guarantee success
Genuine but harsh.
Thank the reviewer for their honest opinion and reassure them their experience was a one off blip and that usually, your service is first class. “We’re sorry to hear you had a bad experience when visiting us. We appreciate your honesty and want to reassure you that we take all feedback seriously and will use it to maintain our high standards”
Genuine and valid.
Everyone has an off day – even the best businesses so don’t make excuses, own up and take it on the chin. Identify the problem and address the customers concerns. Blaming a supply chain error or a third party supplier sounds hollow and will only make you look bad. Take the comments on board and directly address them in your response – offer a discount or replacement if applicable. Remember, this is a public arena and all your potential customers will see your conversation so keep it positive.
Acting quickly also shows you’re serious about complaints so answer promptly and politely – in some cases reviewers will upgrade their review if they feel they have received a satisfactory response from you.
And lastly: You have redress to Google and can report a review as malicious, requesting the review be taken down.
To summarise...
- Don’t get angry and keep calm
- Respond promptly and politely
- Address any issues or complaint directly
- Remember – Your reply is in the public domain
- Always be positive
Read the final part - The long term benefits of reviews
