Receiving reviews is crucial for a business. It indicates how people feel towards the products and services received. For potential customers, reviews are the only way to know if the products and services are worth it. Encouraging customers to leave reviews is an excellent idea. Some of them want to leave reviews but have no idea how to do it. Others need reminders since they’re too busy dealing with a lot of things. Managing reviews is only one of the many online marketing strategies to consider to maintain a positive brand. Hence, it would be great to receive help from review monitoring services agencies. They can take one burden off of the shoulders to focus on other marketing strategies.
Understanding Google’s review policies
Customers can freely leave reviews on Google. The post can be public. Businesses can also respond to these reviews, and everyone can see them. While customers can leave reviews, there are rules to follow. Google reserved the right to moderate the content. Reviews that are racist, sexist, irrelevant, discriminatory, and are a personal attack aren’t allowed on the platform. It also applies to businesses that respond to the reviews.
The importance of responding to reviews
It’s crucial to spot every review left about the business, whether on Google or other platforms. It’s a way of showing appreciation to customers who said something good. A simple thank you would suffice. Other potential customers who read the interaction will also have a positive impression of the company given the swift response.
Conversely, if the reviews were negative, they still necessitate a response. There are two goals in doing so. The first is to acknowledge the problem and apologize. The reviews were a result of a personal experience. These customers didn’t feel good about the products or services, and they expressed how they felt. Acknowledging the problem is a good way to move forward with the conversation. It’s also important that there’s a promise to prevent the problem from ever happening.
The second goal is to reshape the narrative. Some of these reviews might be incorrect, and they could damage the business. It’s important to change the discussion so that people will know the truth. Otherwise, the false narrative will keep spreading, and it hurts the brand. In both instances, other potential customers must read the exchange. They have to know that the business responds to negative reviews and doesn’t hide from reality.
Managing the reviews
Responding to reviews is possible using Google maps. The first step is to verify the business profile. From the search button of the reviews section, type the company name. The list of reviews attributed to the business will pop up. Click on the specific reviews and hit the reply button. However, it’s better to read the reviews first and create a draft on a separate document. In doing so, there’s enough time to review the document before hitting send.
For businesses with multiple locations, responding to reviews is more convenient when done on Google My Business. There’s a tab on the side to select the specific location, and the relevant reviews will appear. Click the reply button to respond to the negative review.
How to respond to negative reviews
It’s frustrating to read negative reviews. It means that some customers didn’t feel satisfied with the products and services received. They even spent time leaving a negative review. After going through the reviews, assess the points and determine how to best respond to them. If there were specific examples provided like poor customer service, refer to the employees who know what happened. Confirm the details presented on the review first before drafting a response.
If the problem presented in the review is accurate, try to own up to it. The readers should feel that the company has a sense of responsibility. However, it’s not easy to apologize. If there are potential legal repercussions, avoid apologizing first.
A promise to do better for future transactions would also be necessary. It helps prevent more negative reactions and pacify the person who left the review.
If the reviews are mostly false, try to present accurate information. Set the record straight and present evidence of possible. However, even if the inaccurate reviews are enraging, it’s important to stay calm and collected. Maintain diplomacy while presenting the response. Otherwise, it could lead to terrible reactions. If the team has a review manager, this person should always think about writing a reaction on behalf of the company. Even if the responses were inaccurate, the answer should be polite.
Invite customers to have a private conversation
If the problem didn’t get settled with a few exchanges, there’s no point in continuing it. Invite the customer to have a private conversation and provide information on how to do it. Leave the contact information page and provide odd options such as private messaging apps, phone calls, and emails. Not everything should be in public view. The point is that those who saw the interaction felt that the business was responsible enough. The reactions were honest, and the effort to apologize was sincere. If the customer didn’t feel good about the response, the rest may happen privately.
Ask for help from the review monitoring services agency
The good thing is that figuring out how to manage reviews isn’t difficult. Some agencies offer review monitoring services. They know how to craft the best answer. They also dealt with the response strategies of different companies in the past. With their help, managing positive and negative reviews is easy. The company also focused on other aspects of online marketing. Review management might be crucial, but it’s not the only thing that matters. The company still needs to advertise to the target audiences and promote the brand. Increasing conversion rates is also another goal. All of them are important, and having a positive reputation would help. If the business has a terrible brand, people will feel turned off. They might decide to look for other companies that can satisfy them.