There is no denying that Google is the most popular search engine on the planet. Every day, millions of users surf the internet and Google offers a huge range of information. Although Google offers many features and services to make the everyday lives of the users easy, some features like Google reviews are important when it comes to doing business. If you are someone who finds it hard to manage reviews and respond to Google reviews, give this blog a read.

Assess And Evaluate The Feedback First

The first thing you need to consider is assessing and evaluating the feedback. It is quite often that people tend to react first and then follow up with assessing and evaluation. Unfortunately, this can hurt your business in the long run.

Upon receiving a bad review, you should first give it a few minutes to properly understand the situation. If you reply in a hurry, you will not be able to understand the root cause of the problem. At the same time, you have to accept that the customers have a lot of power online. Consumers while investigating a business over the internet will put a lot of time and effort into understanding the bad reviews even if there are a thousand good reviews.

Therefore, understand the angle of the discussion and take your time. However, do not take too long. Your answer should be logical and easy for others to understand.

Work Off A Review Response Template

It is easy to become frustrated and defensive upon receiving a negative review. However, you need to understand the fact that thousands of other potential customers are looking at your response and you need to keep it balanced.

The best way to ensure that you do not cross your limits is by working on a negative response template. You can simply copy-paste the review as soon as someone posts a negative response.

Publicly Response To The Review

When it comes to replying to Google Reviews, most businesses prefer to reply privately. Even though it is a wise choice when the customer is not ready to listen out of sheer anger and frustration, in most cases, it is better to reply publicly. If a customer has left a bad review, you should immediately follow up on them.

Once you have replied to the negative review, you can ask the customer if they are ready to talk privately. If they accept, you are good to go but if they do not, you should not force them.

Work On A 1:1 Conversation

A 1:1 conversation is a completely different thing as compared to responding to reviews. You should only respond to the reviews but when it turns into an online conversation, you should move to having a 1:1 conversation. However, that does not mean that you are trying to hide the conversation.

Every customer has different needs and demands. You cannot simply satisfy all of them by engaging with every customer on reviewing platforms. Once the review has been posted, it is your job to handle the issue professionally. If you think that the issue will take time to solve, try support channels like email or live chat, etc.

Be Transparent About Mistakes

To think that every business is perfect is a naive mindset. No business is perfect and as it grows, you are bound to have some customers that will never be satisfied with your products or services. This is because different customers have varying expectations and demands. At the same time, the way you respond to the reviews highlights how customers perceive your brand.

This means that you need to be transparent about your mistakes. Instead of hiding them, you should correct them publicly. It is estimated that over 90% of the customers value brand transparency. Although you do not have control over your mistakes, you can accept the responsibility.

Final Word

As this blog reaches its conclusion, we are sure to have shared everything you need to know about responding to Google reviews. Practice patience and take your time to respond. And if you feel that going beyond your comfort zone is the only way to satisfy your customer, you should not be hesitant to do it. Moreover, use review management software to get more reviews and gain more sales.