Introduction
Did you know that about one in five customers trust online reviews and expect to hear from you? Google is the most popular search engine and responding to Google reviews is very crucial for the growth of your business. It allows you to engage with your customers and cater to their problems. Responding to negative and positive Google reviews indicates that you are concerned about your customers. This increases their trust and establishes satisfaction with their experience.
99% of consumers trust online reviews to judge your products and services. By replying to customer reviews and ratings, it becomes easy to increase your business’s ranking on the local search market. Additionally, consumers have observed high sales conversion indexes just with their techniques of replying to reviews professionally.
This article explains the key practices for replying to a Google review professionally. So let’s dive straight into it.
Key Takeaways
- Google review response is crucial to drive trust with your customers.
- Replying to negative reviews has a 53% chance of sales towards your business.
- There are three types of reviews: positive review, negative review, and balanced feedback
- Use different approaches to answer different types of reviews.
- Show gratitude towards your customer reviews and assist them with their concerns.
- Utilize key resources and tools like email, GMB, review management software, CRM system, automation tools, and more to effectively manage your review responses.
Significance of Responding to Google
Responding to Google reviews can be a game changer for your business. In fact, 97% of the customers admitted that their online purchases were highly influenced by the reviews. When you respond to their Google reviews, an optimistic atmosphere is created for the clients.
A good response on Google should be a part of your business’s customer service strategy. Not only does it exhibit your dedication to customer service, but it also makes customers feel cherished and respected. This provides a safe space for customers to provide their opinions.
Following are some reasons, why responding to Google reviews is so important:
Showcasing Professionalism
Responding to reviews indicates professional behavior by the business owners and increases customer satisfaction. Trust is very crucial when it comes to business. Gaining your customer’s trust can create long loyal clients for your business as they will leave positive reviews because they got treated well and professionally.
Future Improvements For Business
Negative feedback shouldn’t always be considered bad as it can help you improve and prove beneficial for your business. Some critiques are constructive and help you offer flawless services. Instead of being negative about it, you should take this as an opportunity to make your business better. It keeps you updated on trends with the new improvements, leading towards a better future.
Brand Advocacy
Brand advocacy can be your best marketing strategy. Customers with good experience tend to share their views with their friends and families. This might lead to a good brand image and increase its reputation.
Higher Business Rating
Good reviews are the breakthrough of your business success. study reveals that a single reply to a review increases your business reviews by 12%. This increases your business rating. A far better impression on your audience landing on your business profile will make it more likely for your organic traffic to give a visit.
Boosting Conversions
Replying to your Google reviews is the premium solution to boost your conversion rates. Studies show that those businesses that have a reply ratio of 12% to 32% on Google have boosted their sales conversion by 80%.
Therefore, answering Google reviews is a great step for skyrocketing your business scales with minimum effort.
Cutting Edge Over The Market
Answering customer reviews has given a significant edge over our competitors. The reason is that 75% of local businesses are missing out on this step of replying to customers.
You can dominate your market competitors because online customers are considering your review replies as a major part of their purchasing decisions. This is how you can overrun your competitors effectively.
Modify Impressions
Do you know that answering a negative review can improve the customer’s impression of your business? Well, it’s a proven tactic. Local consumers are more likely to have a better view of a business that replies to negative reviews.
When consumers watch your assistance to unsatisfied customers, they have a perception that your business is passionate about improving that particular service, and it’s more likely it won’t happen again. This is the reason replying to negative reviews is so beneficial.
Customer Engagement
Better customer service bolsters your customer engagement, to which review replies are a crucial effort. A study reveals that businesses that make continuous efforts to engage with customers, provide assistance, and reply to reviews have a greater engagement rate of 20% than average businesses. So don’t miss out on replying to reviews, as it is extensively important for improved online traffic and business retention.
Do you need a Google Business Profile Expert?
Types of Review Responses and How to Respond to them
Answering your Google Profile reviews is a crucial step towards enhancing your online reputation and establishing the trust of more customers who give your profile a visit.
Wondering how? Well, answering client positive reviews is creating loyalty among your brand customers, while answering negative reviews shows ambition to improve your business. A significant step that ensures that disappointed customers may pay a visit to your business again. Here is a list of different types of review responses to handle your customers effectively and professionally.
Positive Reviews
A positive review is a response of your business customer, showing his gratitude towards the positive experience with your brand. Such positive feedback should be acknowledged and you must respond in such a way that your client feels glad, with a message to invite them back again.
The following are the three ways you could respond to positive feedback from your client, with guaranteed long-term loyalty.
Appreciate Good Reviews
Start your reply by thanking them for such positive feedback. Tell them how grateful you are to deal with such an amazing client. Also, bring in notice about the products or services they chose in the review so that new customers can take those reviews to convince them to make the step towards sales.
Example
Hi (Customer name), thank you for sharing your positive feedback! We are delighted to hear that you are highly satisfied with our (product or service). We appreciate your efforts to provide us with your awesome experience, and we are eager to serve you again.
Invite Them Again
At the end of your response leave a sentence describing your enthusiasm for inviting such esteemed customers again. Your kind attitude is the most important thing that may attract your customers back.
You can use the following sentences to invite your customers back.
“ We look forward to serving you again”
“ We are highly esteemed to assist you again”
“ We hope your experience is amazing for the future”
“ Eagerly awaiting your next visit!”
Highlight Positive Reviews
Don’t leave your review just there. Highlight it! Pin it! Because 73% of your customers are going to judge you on your brand’s positive reviews. Highlighting them will show those reviews on the top, thus enabling customers to make more purchases.
Additionally, publish those reviews on your social media and website to attract a wider audience and increase your business revenue.
Negative Reviews
Negative reviews can have a really bad impact on your new Google Business Profile visitors. These reviews can represent a bad perception of your business to visitors and may impact your reputation. However, these reviews could help your business improve and provide services according to customer preferences.
Here’s how to deal with negative reviews:
Acknowledge Your Mistake And Apologize
While replying to negative responses, first thank them for the review. Then acknowledge your brand mistake. Show how much you value your customers and your urge to fix those issues.
Apologize to your customers and tell them that they won’t be facing such a problem again.
Example
Hello,, (customer name), thank you for your review. We are really sorry for your bad experience with (state the issue or problem).
Bring A Solution
In order to compensate your customer, provide them with a solution. Show them that your team is working on it and will fix it as soon as possible.
Example
Hello, (customer name), thank you for your review. We truly apologize for the unpleasant experience. We are working on it (specific services).
Explain the steps you are taking to address the issue or invite them to contact you directly to resolve it.
Give A Plan To Improve
Define a plan for your customers on how your team is working to improve the issue. For example, if there was a problem with a delay in delivery, explain the reason for the delay and promise them that such an incident or problem won’t happen again.
Provide Contact Information
Provide your customers with your contact information and also your customer support so that it would be easy for them to complain about such issues.
Example
Hello, (customer name), we sincerely apologize for such discomfort caused. Kindly contact us via email (email) or call us at (phone number).
Invite Them Again
You need to invite your customers back. Keep your attitude positive and supportive. Focus on easing your customer. You need to prioritize your customer value. End with a hopeful message that such an issue won’t happen again and their future experience will be much better.
Example
“Thank you for your review. We hope to work on and fix the underlying issue with the (product or service). Hope your future experience is exceptional and such a problem won’t be encountered.”
Neutral Reviews
There are certain reviews that are neutral. The customer is seen as satisfied with your services. Sometimes the positive or negative comment is also mentioned in a neutral review. You need to take the following steps to reply to such reviews and build quality customer relationships with your brand.
Thank Them
Always thank your customers. Appreciate them that their review really matters. Show them the enthusiasm to work with them and bring changes to their preferences.
Example
“Hello (customer name), thank you for the time to share your precious feedback”
Address the Issues they faced
Sometimes they may provide some problems they faced in addition to the overall service they got was fine. Address such concerns and show them plans that you are working to fix them as soon as possible.
Example
“Hi (customer name), thank you for your feedback. We are glad to receive your balanced response. We apologize for the inconvenience you faced with the (product or service). Our team is working to solve the issue”
Ask For More Feedback
Ask your customers to connect with your customer support. Ask for further details about the concern encountered. Additionally, persuade your customer to give a visit again and that your business is waiting for further response.
You can use the following comments.
“ We hope to hear more from you in the future”
“ Anticipated for your return with pleasure”
“ Eagerly waiting for your future visits”
Be Simple
Be direct and simple with your clients. No need to write long sentences. Make your response direct and provide your contact details for further support.
Example
Hello (customer name) we are glad to hear your positive response. We appreciate your concerns and are currently working on the underlying issue with (product or services). For further support contact us through email (business email) or call us at (phone number).”
You can also read more: How to change Google Business Profile Picture?
How To Respond Reviews
Review Type |
Practice |
Description |
Example |
Positive Reviews | Appreciate Good Reviews | Start by thanking the customer for their positive feedback and mention the specific product or service they liked. | “Hi (Customer name), thank you for sharing your positive feedback! We are delighted to hear that you are highly satisfied with our (product or service). We appreciate your efforts to leave us your awesome experience, and we are eager to serve you again.” |
Invite Them Again | Show enthusiasm about inviting the customer back. | “We look forward to serving you again.” “We are highly esteemed to assist you again.” “We hope your future experiences are amazing.” “Eagerly awaiting your next visit!” | |
Highlight Positive Reviews | Pin or highlight the review on your profile and publish it on social media and your website. | ||
Negative Reviews | Acknowledge Your Mistake and Apologize | Start by thanking the customer for their review, acknowledge the issue, and apologize. | “Hello (customer name), thank you for your review. We are really sorry for your bad experience with (issue).” |
Bring A Solution | Offer a solution to the problem mentioned in the review. | “Hello (customer name), thank you for your review. We truly apologize for the unpleasant experience. We are working on (specific services) to resolve the issue.” | |
Give A Plan To Improve | Explain the steps you are taking to address the issue and ensure it does not happen again. | ||
Provide Contact Information | Provide contact details for further support. | “Hello (customer name), we sincerely apologize for the discomfort caused. Kindly contact us via email (email) or call us at (phone number).” | |
Invite Them Again | End with a positive and supportive message, inviting the customer back. | “Thank you for your review. We hope to work on and fix the underlying issue with the (product or service). Hope your future experience is exceptional and such problems won’t be encountered.” | |
Negative Reviews | Thank Them | Always thank the customer and appreciate their feedback. | “Hello (customer name), thank you for the time to share your precious feedback.” |
Address the Issues | Acknowledge any issues mentioned and show that you are working on them. | “Hi (customer name), thank you for your feedback. We are glad to receive your balanced response. We apologize for the inconvenience you faced with the (product or service). Our team is working to solve the issue.” | |
Ask For More Feedback | Encourage the customer to provide more feedback and visit again. | “We hope to hear more from you in the future.” “Anticipated for your return with pleasure.” “Eagerly waiting for your future visits.” | |
Be Simple | Keep the response direct and provide contact details for further support. | “Hello (customer name), we are glad to hear your positive response. We appreciate your concerns and are currently working on it for a better experience in the future. For further support, contact us through email (business email) or call us at (phone number). We hope to serve you again in the future.” |
Best practices for positive and negative reviews
Are you a business owner looking for the best possible steps towards boosting your brand online identity? There are certain important aspects majority of businesses are missing with replying there Google reviews. These practices are crucial for your Google Business Profile growth and reputation.
You need to connect with your customers with the most efficient and cost-efficient efforts. Well, here are some significant points that will not only boost your online recognition but also manage your clients efficiently with effective responses to reviews.
Keep A Supportive Attitude
Always keep a supportive and positive attitude with your customers. Replying to reviews aggressively does huge damage to your business reputation and customer trust. Help your customers as much as you can so they feel satisfied.
You don’t want to make things worse with your customers. Your kind attitude will make them come again for more purchases and they will expect better than their previous experience.
Reply ASAP
Try to reply as soon as possible if you hear a review from your customer. The faster the reply the more the will customer know that he is being valued. It is much better to give a reply even in case of a positive review, rather than leaving it ignored.
If you are busy, you should always let your customers know when will you get back to them. Timely conversations and quickly sorting out customer queries are some of the best ways to grow business revenue.
Address Issues Directly
You may find several reviews on your profile. Take the negative reviews seriously and answer them directly, so that your audience will know that you haven’t escaped that problem but found a way to solve it.
Try to ask your customers more about the issues, instead of making assumptions. This will let you make further improvements in your business and shape your service offerings according to client preferences.
Take Him Offline
Contact the customer privately. This will be a good step in resolving his problem with the product and service and also make him/her content with your efforts. Show urgency to put him at ease and apologize for the inconvenience with the passion of solving it quickly.
Don’t Copy Responses
Try not to copy-paste your review responses. Copy-pasting messages make it look like the conversation is being carried out by a chatbot. You surely do not want customers to lose interest in your business.
Make your messages simple and point to make customers think that the support is eager to figure out the issue rather than showing disregard for the complaint.
Address With Client’s Name
Personalize your review responses. To an issue, address your customer with your name. Proceed to mention the particular issue that you are genuinely concerned about the problem and that you have completely read his review.
Keep It Professional And Short
Keep your reviews short and professional. Make your reply concise so that your message is easily delivered to the client. For negative reviews, ask for more information related to the issue for quality support.
Hire An Expert
Hiring an experienced customer support analyst could be the best tactic to manage effectively your Google reviews. Instead of putting tremendous effort and time into answering replies, an expert can simply carry out that task for you professionally.
Responding to Google Reviews through Tools & Resources
Switching out to the latest technology for managing your Google reviews is necessary. You can’t be available all the time to answer those queries so you will always need such tools and resources.
Advanced Google review management and tools will not only help you automate review replies but also track key business metrics and client preferences. This is how you fine-tune your marketing efforts with quality replies to reviews.
Using the following tools and resources is the best way to answer your reviews on time and expect improved KPIs with the least marketing efforts.
Google My Business
Google My Business is one of the tools to manage your Google reviews. It allows you to receive notification alerts and you can reply to your reviews on time. Additionally, it provides you with a report of business insights achieved by replying to Google reviews regularly.
Such tools could be significant in managing your Google reviews on time by getting timely alerts.
Review Management Software
Integrate review management softwares into your business profile. These tools can assist you in automating business responses and getting essential reports on how your business is improving.
Moreover, it provides real-time notification alerts and effectively improves your customer loyalty with timely review management.
CRM Systems
Using a Customer Relationship Management system (CRM) is a one-stop solution to improve your sales with effective review responses. It allows you to manage and automate review replies.
With contact management, you can gather information on customers you have dealt with for remarketing. Additionally, while replying to customer queries, its lead management feature helps you identify leads and generate sales.
Email Notification
One of the best resources for timely review management is using email notification features. It will help you get alerted every time of a review. Instantly reply to your reviews and customer queries for better customer satisfaction.
Create Response Templates
You need to create different types of response templates. Customize messages to be shown when a certain type of Google review is made. Several response templates can help you automate replies with different types of messages. Automate replies without letting your tools automate the same message to every customer.
Google Analytics
Use Google Analytics tools to identify what most of your customer reviews are about. What is the major concern or issue your customers are facing? Moreover, learn your customer preferences from such reviews as a guide for essential improvements to your product, services, or business website.
Wrapping it up!
Review responses are one of the best cost-free efforts in enhance your brand recognition and sales. It highly impacts customer impressions and boosts conversions since it makes 40% of your customers feel valued.
I hope this article clears your concerns and makes you well aware of the best business practices for replying to reviews professionally.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I respond to a 5-star Google review?
You can respond to a 5-star Google review in the following way.
1.Greet them with their name.
2.Thank them for the positive feedback
3.Show Your gratitude for such an amazing response
4.Invite them back
Example
Hi (customer name), thank you for your feedback. We are delighted that you have enjoyed your experience with our (product or service name). We look forward to welcoming you back and assisting you with a similar exceptional experience in the future!
How to respond to a Google review from a desktop computer?
You can search your business on Google Maps and reply to your reviews on Google. Moreover, you can be directed through your email notification directly to the review where you can press the reply button to a response for customer feedback.
Does responding to Google reviews help SEO?
Yes, responding to your Google reviews with the relevant keyword assists Google crawlers in reaching out to your business when a similar word is searched. It also helps you boost Your Google Maps ranking by using keywords with high search volumes.
Dominic George
Digital Marketing Expert