Top 25 Review Response Templates - BizIQ

[Pages:16]INTRODUCTION TO

REPUTATION MANAGEMENT

The famous entrepreneur, Warren Buffett once said, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently."

He may not have been talking about responding to customer reviews online, but his advice is still relevant. That's because it's not whether a customer leaves a 5-star review or a 1-star review about your business somewhere like Google, Facebook, Yelp, or another online directory, but your response that counts.

Today's consumers are spending more and more time online, and online customer reviews have overtaken good old-fashioned word-of mouth referrals, so how you respondto these reviews counts.

90%

of consumers read online reviews.

94%

of consumers would use a business with

a four-star rating.

ABOUT THIS GUIDE

95%

of consumers suspect censorship or faked reviews when they don't see bad scores.

This guide will provide examples of 5 possible review responses for 5 different reviewer personas. The review responses were sourced directly from our team of account managers who coordinate and oversee the marketing campaigns of each of our small business partners.

With ov er 14,000 small business clients across the country, we're no stranger to the world of online reviews. As a team, we've responded to thousands of reviews, and each account manager regularly coaches their clients on how to respond to reviews of all kinds. We've seen it all, and we've gained a unique level of insight in the process. The review responses in this guide come straight from that experience and insight.

THE KEV COMPONENTS

of a GREAT REVIEW RESPONSE:

No two reviews are exactly the same, so consider the review responses below as a little inspiration to point you in the right direction. What each review response should have in common, however, are the following key components:

? Always acknowledge & thank (yes, thank!) the customer ? Provide an offline contact for resolution, or invite further contact ? Squeeze in some marketing, keywords & shameless self promotion when possible ? For positive reviews, include your business name. For negative reviews, leave it out. ? Vary your responses, and be authentic!

WHEN TO KEEP QUIET

There are some statements should not be dignified with a response. Some reviewers are trolls, some use obscenities, and some are looking to start a flame war that will make both parties look bad. If responding to a review will do more harm than good, sometimes silence is gold.

? Trolls get a kick out of escalating your emotions. Don't give them what they want. ? Some reviewers are unhappy with their life, and get revenge on the world via reviews. ? If a review legitimately upset you, take some time to collect your wits before a response.

MEET YOUR

REVIEWERS

Without further ado, let's meet our reviewers. These are some of the most common reviewer archetypes and scenarios that our clients are faced with each day, along with five examples of a response we might leave

for each of them.

Keep in mind, each reviewer is unique, and generalizations can be dangerous. There are reviews that don't fall into any of our categories, and others that might fall into more than one. Think of this resource as a field guide for the wilderness

of online reviews.

There is no formulaic way to respond to every reviewer in the world, and you will have to use your best judgment at times. Remember, the Internet changes every day, and we,

too, must be dynamic.

Bizl

smart local marketing

FURIOUS FRANK

Furious Frank is fond of the CapsLock key, and is not happy about your business. He's also not happy about the way his life is going. He is overflowing with rage, and is lashing out at your business to vent frustrations. This type of reviewer is often obscene, and uses personal attacks to get a rise out of business owners. This may be deeply unhappy with the service he's received, he may have a long and personal vendetta against your business, or he may even be a disgruntled ex-employee. Formulate your responses carefully when dealing with Furious Frank.

" YOU KNOW HOW YOU USED TO FEEL ABOUT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL BULLY WHO USED TO MAKE FUN OF YOU AND BEAT YOU UP? THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT GREEN GROCER. I'VE BEEN FLEECED, EXPLOITED, RIPPED-OFF AND MANIPULATED, AND THERE'S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT. GREEN GROCER HAS LITERALLY RUINED MY LIFE WITH THEIR SCAM SALES ON FRESH PRODUCE. " HOW TO RESPOND TO FURIOUS FRANK:

Furious Frank's review can obviously leave you feeling, well, furious. It's understandable, but it's important to take a step back and take a few deep breaths before responding. Ask yourself whether Frank's review has any merit. Is there a real issue here that needs to be resolved? If there is, respond accordingly. If the review is baseless, it is still important to respond. Remember, you're not responding for Furious Frank's benefit. It's unlikely that you'll be able to shift their perception of your business. You're responding for the benefit of anyone else who might happen upon this review. You want to show your customers that you are willing to address their concerns.

To protect your brand's online presence, you'll want to acknowledge the customer's concerns, and thank them for taking the time to share them. Draw attention to the great experience you strive to provide, provide direct contact information, and ask the customer to follow up with you offline to get to the bottom of what might have happened. You also want to avoid mentioning your business name when responding in order to avoid this negative review popping up when someone searches for your business on Google.

5 RESPONSES TO FURIOUS FRANK:

We appreciate you sharing your concerns with us, Frank. We are saddened to hear that you felt you were treated unfairly when you came to see us. We always strive to provide our customers with fresh produce at fair prices and always want our customers to feel that they have received excellent customer service. We apologize that your visit seemed to have fallen short of this. We would love the opportunity to speak with you about your experience and see if we can do anything to help. Please give us a call at XXX.XXX.XXXX and ask to speak with our owner, Mr. Green. We hope to hear from you soon. Thank you for your feedback, Mr. Frank. We use this feedback to make sure that our services are nothing less than the best for all our clients. I am sorry to hear that you have had a not so good experience recently. We also strive to make any wrongs right and would like to get more detail from you so we can work out a proper solution. Please feel free to contact us so we can make it right! Thank you so much for your feedback, Mr. Frank. We're really sorry you had a bad experience. We strive to give all our customers top quality produce and caring customer service. We'd love to have the opportunity to address your concerns. Please call us at XXX-XXX-XXXX so we can discuss this further.

We're sorry you weren't satisfied with your produce purchase, Mr. Frank. Thank you for sharing your concerns with us. We regularly inspect our fruits and vegetables and cull any that don't meet our standards of freshness and appearance. Feel free to contact us so we can address your issue and make things right. You can reach us at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Mr. Frank, we're sorry you're not happy. Thank you for alerting us. We believe every customer should be heard and we work hard to ensure our produce is in peak condition and our customers are satisfied. We would like the opportunity to speak to you more about your experience. Please call us at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

BEWILDERED BETTY

Bewildered Betty doesn't seem to understand your business, the Internet, or how reviews work. But she's trying her best. This reviewer may be unhappy with your business out of utter confusion and misunderstanding. The numerical rating Betty leaves may reflect the opposite of her written content, and what she writes illustrates her lack of understanding of what your services entail. Bewildered Betty is a timid, frightened lamb that must be handled with patience and care.

"

I'm giving Okie-Dokie Transmission repair a one-star review for there top-notch tire service. The workers were very nice young fellows and

were kind enouh to give me directions to the libary. casserole recipe

tuna casserole recipe why is the google not working computer fixer

computer technician internet technician

" HOW TO RESPOND TO BEWILDERED BETTY:

Bewildered Betty's review is clearly well-intentioned, although jumbled, and deserves a response. Your response to this review should highlight the positive whenever possible, and provide guidance on how to update the star rating to something more in line with the great experience she had. Remember, leaving a review isn't always easy, especially for the not-so-tech-savvy. With a little patience and perseverance, chances are you can turn this one-star review into a five-star review.

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