A business’s marketing and relationship-building efforts now demand an online component. However, the good news is that while the medium continues to change, the core behaviors that made for good client and customer relations twenty or thirty years ago remain largely unchanged. This is certainly true of online reviews. Because online reviews are more public than traditional in-person customer interactions, it becomes even more critical to demonstrate your commitment to good customer service. Your behavior is there for the world to see. If all that weren’t compelling enough to encourage you to respond to your Google reviews, here are three more reasons to take the time.
It’s the Nice Thing to Do
It just makes good sense to respond to your reviews. When a client comes to you in person or on the phone with feedback—whether good or bad—you respond to them. Feedback’s movement online does not change the appropriate response. Acknowledging the online feedback and replying to it simply represents good customer service.
Google Likes It
In addition to showing courtesy to your customers, there’s a bonus to taking the time to respond to your Google reviews. I was recently advised by a Google rep in its Google My Business support area to respond to reviews. This Google adviser indicated that owner responses signal to Google that the page is actively managed. That activity is rewarded with better online exposure for that listing.
Builds Confidence with Potential Customers
When a searcher finds your online listing and sees the reviews and your responses, it shows those potential customers and clients that you care about providing good service. Especially with negative reviews, if searchers see that the business owner cares and tries to right a situation, it provides you with an opportunity to turn one customer’s negative experience into a positive one. For positive reviews, it is as simple as publicly saying “thank you,” reinforcing your character and commitment to your customers.
How to Respond to Your Google Reviews
How do you respond to your Google reviews? Here’s a quick how-to. Before you get started, take a look at Google’s support page for business owners related to responding to reviews.
- Log into your Google My Business account (this assumes that you have a verified business account).
- Choose “Manage this page.”
- Choose “Reviews” from the options presented in the upper right.
- Click “View and reply” to respond.
While you are at it, ask for some new reviews from your customers! Google recently improved the process for finding and using a link to their review function, so dive in and get started! Let us know if we can help.
