As a business owner, you’ve got a unique opportunity to use Google Reviews to interact with your customers. Whether you’re thanking a customer for their wonderful five star review, or acknowledging a customer who had a bad experience, Google Reviews are a critical piece of your business’ online presence.
In order to respond, you’ll either reply to Google reviews via your desktop or a mobile device through your Google My Business account.
To Reply To Google Reviews from a Desktop:
Once you respond, your message will appear below the customer’s review on Google Search and Google Maps, and it will specify “Response From The Owner” so that readers are aware that you’re the business owner.
Follow these steps to start responding:
- Verify your business on Google My Business.
- Sign in to Google My Business.
- If you’ve got multiple locations, choose the situation you want to manage.
- Click “Reviews.”
- Click “Respond.”
- Write your response.
- Click “Submit.”
Once you’ve verified your business, you’ll be able to respond to reviews via your desktop device or via the Google My Business app on your mobile device. Simply open the app, tap the menu icon, tap “Reviews,” tap “Respond currently,” sort your response, and click on “Submit.”
How to reply to Google Reviews from a Mobile Device:
- On your mobile device, allow access to the Google My Business app.
- Click the horizontal bars on the menu icon.
- Click “Respond now” to reply to the client that left a review.
Tips For Replying To Google Reviews As The Business Owner:
As the business owner, we recommend replying to any Google Review as quickly as possible, especially if it’s a negative review. Even if a customer has a bad experience, it speaks well of your business that you’ve taken the bull by the horns and acknowledged any areas of opportunity within your business. What’s more, you may be able to “earn” that customer back by demonstrating that you acknowledge the issue and are working to remedy it.
Whether your review is positive or negative, there are some simple and straightforward tips for responding. We recommend carefully thinking about and mapping out your response before putting it in writing, and it’s best to leave emotions aside and think about the scenario as if you were the customer.
Write With Care
First and foremost, keep in mind that your responses are public! Don’t fire off emotionally-charged responses haphazardly. Take a bit of time, think about your response and review your words. If you aren’t feeling too confident in your responses, have someone you trust review your response before you click “Submit.” Remember that you’re representing your business.
Be Kind
Dare I say it? Sometimes, the customer just isn’t right. However, even after you have a run-in with a nasty client online, it won’t do you any good to stoop to their level. Be polite, courteous, and respectful, even once you’re tempted to fire off some four-letter words. If you really can’t respond with kindness, it’s probably best to skip the response. Best thing to do? Take a few days, calm down, and then sit down to draft an appropriate response.
Keep it Straightforward
This is not meant to be a full email reply or a poster for your business. To avoid overwhelming your customers, keep the message short and sweet.
Customize Every Response
We know it would be faster and therefore tempting to copy and paste a canned response, but this may put off your customers who likely seek a more personal customer service experience. Instead, greet the reviewer by their name and address that particular review’s content.
Apologize And Provide An Answer
Negative reviews are difficult. Rather than jumping in with a fiery defense, take a step back and evaluate the review along with your different team members if necessary. As we said, don’t respond if you’re feeling angry or upset; wait till your emotions have calmed. Most of all, if you intend on apologizing, make the apology sincere and warm, and try to seek a resolution that can help your customer.
Say ‘Thank You’
Tell all of your reviewers that you’re grateful for the feedback by saying a simple “Thank you”. You should also take extra steps to counteract the negative reviews with positive ones. One recommendation is to set up an email campaign that automatically sends Google review requests to past customers with a link right to your Google Business page. The more positive reviews you’ve got, the less the negative ones will “sting”.
Final Thoughts
You’re bound to get a few negative reviews…that’s just the reality of owning a business. But responding authentically and with care can help you create more customers or even “earn” back lost ones. Taking the time to acknowledge any reviews will demonstrate your attention to detail as a business owner, something that can go along way with potential customers who are investigating your business online. Need help with Google My Business? Contact 443.475.0787 for help today. Our team of knowledgeable and creative professionals will help you compete and win online.
