The reviews found under your Google Business account are extremely important for the success of your company and a big part of the profiles maintenance. Each comment will affect the way clients perceive your business and will increase your visibility online. If you’re lucky enough, you won’t come across any bad reviews, but for most companies in today’s internet era, this kind of feedback is inevitable.

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Why answering reviews matter

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Although receiving a bad review can create a negative atmosphere and impact your company in several different ways, it is vital for you as an entrepreneur to think about how to respond and manage those kinds of comments in the right manner.

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To start with, you have to keep in mind that while you might only be answering one negative comment online, you are actually writing on a platform with thousands of people. The tone in your reply will influence every reader’s impression of your company and the values that you represent, no matter the size of your enterprise.

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” You have to keep in mind that while you might only be answering one negative comment online, you are actually writing on a platform with thousands of people”

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While taking care of one-star reviews may seem demotivating, ​​Tripadvisor stated that “the vast majority (89%) of users said a thoughtful response to a negative review improved their impression of a business and 90% of respondents said that seeing polite and respectful responses to reviews makes them believe the owner truly cares.”

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5 tips on how to reply to bad reviews

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To improve your customer success, we have gathered a few tips on how to create the best possible review answers to your existing and future customers:

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Reply to all reviews

First and foremost it is important to answer all comments. Although one-star reviews aren’t the most fun ones to respond to, unanswered reviews may make the reviewers even angrier and make them feel neglected. You want to make sure that all of your customers are noticed and that their concerns are taken care of.

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Quality over quantity

Second, always remember to keep quality over quantity. You want to keep the responses short and concise. Lengthy responses can easily be misinterpreted and trigger the reviewer. You want to keep it to the point and try to be as empathetic as possible.

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Always address the situation

A third tip is that while writing a response, you should always address the situation, acknowledge your client’s frustration, apologize and focus on the solution. You could also give the customer the opportunity to get in touch offline by asking them to reach out to you via phone or email to properly discuss the matter. The ideal timespan for replying to a bad Google review is within 24 hours.

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Include the name of the reviewer in your answer

For a personal touch, try to always include the name of the reviewer in your answer. If you answer “Dear Mike, we are deeply sorry for the inconvenience”, Mike will feel as if his matter is being handled and that you truly care about the issue.

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Create review cheat sheets

To save the best for last, you can create review cheat sheets with ready answers to save a lot of time and energy. Try picturing and following up on what kinds of reviews you receive, and generalize them into common answers.

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To conclude

Now, remember, one single bad review won’t make your company go bankrupt nor will it doom your business forever. Use the comment as a learning experience for improving your business and how to showcase your responsiveness. With minimal effort, you can create significant value for both parties and resolve the problem on a positive note.

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