What To Consider When Replying To Your Google My Business Reviews

Google is the world’s most popular search engine that is making it increasingly possible for businesses to establish a direct channel of communication with the public. If you are an entrepreneur with virtual existence, there is a good chance that your customers are leaving reviews on your Google My Business listing.

People set out on this huge source of information to research the project, business or service they plan to invest. Bright Local found out that 85% of the customers trust online reviews as much as the personal recommendations. No wonder your Google My Business listing can have a great impact on finding new customers. The prime concern of every company is to ensure that they secure maximum positive reviews on Google My Business, but at the same time, they should take care of how they respond to these reviews. Responding manner can influence purchase decisions of potential customers, boost online reputation and enhance your credibility. All of this is crucial to give your customers confidence and make them feel secure about the choice they make

Reviews can either be positive or negative, but the way you tackle them is what makes you unique. Here are a bunch of guidelines that will help you manage the reviews and elevate your Google game:

 Responding to positive feedback

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Replying to positive reviews and appreciating the satisfied customers is also important. You must show gratitude to the reviewers who take out time to comment about your business if you are willing to establish a strong relationship with them. The business must follow some basic tips when replying to customer responses as it can turn out to be an effective reputation management tool. Here are a few of those:

• Acknowledge the reviewer

 Addressing people with names changes the overall impact of conversation. It grabs their attention and makes them feel that you are personally acknowledging their thoughts.

• Cut off monotony

Responding to every positive review the same way is dull and gives a feeling of robotic replies. Customers are looking for personal touch, so be professional and let them know that you read every word of what they wrote. A simple statement like, “Hey X! We are happy to hear that you enjoyed A, B and C. Next time we recommend you try our…” is more pleasant and appealing as compared to scripted responses like “Thanks for reviewing us.”

• Precise replies

When writing a reply, make sure that it is to the point and perfectly balanced.

• Give advice related to the review

If a customer appreciates a single aspect of your product or service, you can go further and tell them other features of that so they can avail it in future.  Like if you are a restaurant owner and the customer leaves a review saying they loved the steaks you serve, you might respond with a tip that those can be ordered at home as well. Giving them tips like these encourages them for further visits.

• Assign the duty to someone

Reading every response and replying to them is time-consuming, especially for the major players of the industry. The owners cannot go online, read every review and reply to them personally. Instead, designating one or two people to respond to reviews will save time and bring consistency to those replies.

Responding to negative feedback

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Negative feedback can be especially harmful to a small business. If a disgruntled customer leaves a one-star rating for you online, it can have a dramatic effect on your overall ratings. While deleting these reviews is unprofessional, the way you respond to diffuse the situation can help frame the perceptions of potential customers about your business.

Customer comments can be harsh, unexpected and compel you to defend yourself on an impulse. In situations like these, the reviewer is often highlighting a point that you may not have considered. Of course, the rudeness and negativity are not what you bargained for, but you should keep your calm and face the situation with maturity. Take your response to the next level by:

• Replying promptly

Once you come across a negative review, make sure you respond quickly while the experience is still fresh in the mind of the customer. Start by investigating the problem and find out if the complaints of the customer are authentic because you must know who is at fault. You can then proceed to reply to the customer, and the quicker you respond; the more are the chances that you will resolve the problem. You can then ask the customers to edit or write another review where they state how their problem was solved – and make sure you thank them if they do.

• Resolving the situation

The ultimate fix is to resolve the situation as soon as possible. Your prompt reply and statement that you are working to find a solution makes the customer feel valued and shows them that you are serious about customer satisfaction. If the issue resolves, you can invite them over to give it a try again and request them to edit their reviews if they are happy. And even if they do not delete the review, people can see how professionally you handled the situation.

• Offering apologies

Your reputation and profitability are at stake here, and you cannot let it go without any action. If the customer complains are genuine, and there is nothing you can do to undo their experience, you can apologize sincerely right there on Google Reviews. The regret that you show makes you appear humble and may win back those dissatisfied customers.

Thriving in the rapidly advancing environment today needs effective reputation management strategies, and unless you do not have the skills to tackle online reviews, you cannot step ahead in your game. By listing on Google My Business, you can have a valuable insight into what you are doing correctly and what aspect needs improvement. Using these guidelines to respond to reviews will elevate customer satisfaction and make them understand that your customer service doesn’t simply end at the register.