Your Guide to Review Responses
Insights from Main Street Hub’s Community Managers
Consumers are spending more time online than ever before. From social media to review sites, businesses are expected to be just as visible and accessible to consumers online as they are in-person. In fact, 70% of consumers report having used the Internet to find a good local business, and 49% of consumers say they are more likely to visit a business that has positive reviews.
What does this mean for your local business?
It means that claiming your business page on review sites like Yelp, Google, and TripAdvisor is crucial for maintaining your online reputation. Once you’ve claimed your pages, you have the opportunity to respond to customer reviews, begin conversations, and build trust with your online community.
If you’re excited about that opportunity, but unsure where to start, our Main Street Hub Community Managers are here to help. Get your №2 pencil ready — you’re about to get schooled.
How would you define an effective review response in one word?
When asked to describe a great review response in one word, three out of nine Community Managers chose the exact same word — “sincere.” This goes hand in hand with the words “human,” “genuine,” and “empathetic” that were also chosen, suggesting that your response should be honest and heartfelt. On the other hand, three of our community managers advise that your review response be “specific” and “personalized.” So, how do you craft a response that shows sincerity and specificity?
Try using the reviewer’s name in your response and specifically referencing something they say to show that you care about the individual and their review.
What kind of voice do you try to achieve when responding to reviews?
When describing the voice they use when responding to an online review, almost all of our Community Managers expressed that they change it up depending on the situation. Some factors to keep in mind when deciding how to address your reviewer are the style of your business, your own personal voice, and the tone of the review you are responding to.
Don’t be afraid to be yourself! Try coming up with a sign off that sums up who you are and how you communicate with your customers.
What’s the first thing you do when responding to a positive review?
A majority of our Community Managers encourage the use of an exclamation point. This just goes to show that our team is enthusiastic when responding to positive reviews. When crafting a response to three, four, or five star reviews, you’ll want to express your genuine appreciation that the reviewer took the time to show their support online. If your reviewer mentions the product or service they liked best, mention it in your response to show how carefully you were listening. If they mention a particular employee that provided great service, assure them that you’re going to pass along their kind words to that person.
By being appreciative and receptive in your response, you can open up a dialogue that will keep your satisfied customers coming back time and time again.
What’s the first thing you do when responding to a negative review?
Nearly all of the Community Managers we spoke to said that their first step in responding to a negative review is to identify the single biggest pain point mentioned by the reviewer. Many times, one and two star experiences with a business stem from a single misunderstanding or error and unravel from there. If you can identify where the issues began and explain how you intend to improve on that for next time, it’s okay to let some of the minor complaints go unmentioned.
Remember, many people leave online reviews because they want to feel heard. By acknowledging and apologizing for the biggest thing that went wrong, you will make the unhappy customer feel confident that you will do your best to fix it and potentially bring them back to give your business another try.
For a negative review, how do you decide whether to defend the business or apologize to the customer?
Seeing a negative review for your business is can be disheartening. Sometimes, it’s clear there was a misunderstanding. Other times, you’ll recognize the error that was made and what could’ve been done differently. Most times, the problem lies in the gray area between the two. Your job as the business owner is to make sure that the customer knows that it won’t happen again. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and your staff in a kind and explanatory way. However, even in a situation where you want to defend your business, an apology can go a long way.
Even if no one is at fault, you want your customers to know how sorry you are that they were less than satisfied during their most recent visit.
If you could give a business owner one piece of advice for responding to reviews, what would it be?
Above all, remember that your Yelp, Google, TripAdvisor, and other review pages are visible extensions of your business online. When you are responding to a review, whether positive or negative, you have the opportunity to connect with both the customer that left the review and the massive audience of potential customers who are considering whether or not to pay your business a visit.
By remaining calm, genuine, and appreciative, you will present your business as a welcoming environment where customer feedback is not only accepted, by respected.
Understand the importance of online reputation management, but don’t have the time to take care of it for your business? Main Street Hub can do it for you! Click here to get started.
