Online reviews have become a vital part of a business’s reputation and success.Today, customers heavily rely on reviews to make informed purchasing decisions. As a business owner or manager, it’s essential to respond to online reviews promptly and professionally. In this blog post, we will share ten valuable tips to help you navigate the world of online reviews and turn them into an opportunity to enhance your business’s image and customer relationships.
- Monitor reviews across platforms: According to Trust Pilot, more than 89% of consumers read online reviews before buying a product. As a business owner or leader, this means that you must regularly monitor popular review platforms such as Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor, and industry-specific websites to stay informed about what customers are saying. If your business earns reviews across multiple websites on a daily basis, we suggest setting up email alerts or use online reputation management tools such as My Review Concierge to receive notifications whenever a new review is posted. That saves you from having to check multiple sites on a daily basis for when a review has been earned. In fact, with My Review Concierge, you can receive a daily round-up of your reviews each morning.
- Respond promptly: According to Womply, people spend around 49% more money at a business that responds to their reviews. A study by Brightlocal found that 89% of consumers read the responses and according to Marketing Charts, 70% of consumers changed their opinion about a company after the company responded to a review. If you want to gain market share by maximizing the power of your online reviews, you must respond quickly. Aim to reply within 24 to 48 hours of the review being posted. This shows customers that you value their feedback and are proactive in addressing their concerns. Technology is a powerful tool is simplifying this process, from AI integrations, to pre-written templates that reflect your brand voice and messaging.
- Personalize your responses: Take the time to personalize each response to show that you genuinely care. Address the reviewer by their name, acknowledge their feedback, and express gratitude for their input. If a customer or guest is celebrating their anniversary with you and acknowledges that within the review, take the time to once again wish them a happy anniversary, or in coming the review, wish them more years of health, happiness and love. A personalized response demonstrates your commitment to providing excellent customer service.
- Stay professional and polite: Maintain a professional and courteous tone, regardless of whether the review is positive or negative. Never engage in arguments or become defensive. Instead, offer a sincere apology for any negative experiences, impressions or disappointments and express your willingness to resolve the issue. Some people fear that an apology suggests that the story provided by the customer is factual, that doesn’t have to be the case. As a business owner, you can apologize that the customer is feeling the way that they are. We can also use management or owner responses as an opportunity to educate which may help the guest who left the review better understand policies and procedures. That same benefit may then be extended to those reading your reviews as well.
- Take the conversation offline: If a customer has expressed a negative experience, it’s essential to handle the situation privately. Provide your contact information or invite the customer to reach out to you directly via phone or email to discuss the matter further. This demonstrates your commitment to resolving their concerns in a personalized and confidential manner. Once that resolution conversation has occurred, your management response can even highlight statements such as “we thank you again for taking the time to speak with us and we are warmed to know that you now feel better about the situation.”
- Offer a solution: When faced with a negative review, propose a solution, or offer to make amends. Provide alternatives such as a refund, exchange, or a future discount as a gesture of goodwill, when appropriate. If gestures or efforts have already been offered and you feel that you’ve gone above and beyond already, you might state “we regret that the gestures already provided do not adequately showcase our desire to make things right.” This tells the general public that you’ve already taken action. Showing that you are willing to rectify the situation can help restore the customer’s trust and loyalty.
- Stay on brand. With the average consumer reading more than 10 reviews, they will also read ten manager or owner responses and through that journey they will gain a better understanding of your brand values, mission and ethos. Embrace a voice and vocabulary that is on brand for your business.
- Highlight positive reviews: Don’t forget to respond to positive reviews as well. Remember, that customer took five or ten minutes from their day to leave you a review, great service means extending a message of appreciation. Express your gratitude for the positive feedback and let customers know that you value their support. Sharing positive reviews also encourages others to leave their feedback, boosting your business’s overall reputation.
- Use keywords strategically: When crafting responses, incorporate relevant keywords related to your business, products, or services. This can help with search engine optimization (SEO) and improve your online visibility. However, avoid keyword stuffing and keep your responses authentic and natural.
- Learn from feedback: Embrace online reviews as an opportunity for growth and improvement. Analyze recurring themes or issues mentioned in reviews and use them as constructive feedback to enhance your products, services, or customer experience. By actively listening to customer feedback, you can continuously evolve and adapt to their needs.
Responding to online reviews is a crucial aspect of managing your business’s reputation in the digital era. By following these ten tips, you can build strong customer relationships, mitigate negative experiences, and leverage positive feedback to enhance your brand’s image. The key to a thoughtful reputation management strategy is consistency and while this can be a time-consuming task, there are tools that can be used for efficiency.
One such example is our My Review Concierge dashboard, and we invite you to click here to schedule a 20 – 30 minute demo call.
