When reviews near you complain about service, new customers want to know how you treat people. The easiest place to show it is your replies to your own reviews. Reply to every review, kindly and soon. A new customer reads those replies before they visit.
Joseph runs a mobile repair shop near a railway station. Reviews of shops nearby said "staff was rude" and "nobody listened".
Joseph is patient with every customer. But he had never replied to a single review. His page looked silent.
He started replying to each review within a day. He thanked people by name and answered every complaint calmly.
This is an example, with a made up name and business.
Fix it yourself
- Check your own reviews first. If your customers also complain about service, talk to your staff before anything else.
- Reply to every review. Good ones and bad ones. Our guide on replying to Google reviews has simple examples.
- Thank people who left kind reviews, in one or two lines. Mention what they liked.
- Answer complaints calmly. Say sorry for their trouble. Say what you will do. Give a way to reach you.
- Reply within a day or two. A fast reply shows you care.
- Keep a weekly habit. Our weekly listing routine shows a simple way.
If you run a clinic, pharmacy or lab
- Do not say the person is your patient.
- Do not name any treatment or health detail.
- Ask them to contact your clinic, pharmacy or lab directly.
Rules to keep
- Never argue in a reply.
- Never name another shop.
- Never write reviews yourself or pay for them.
- Ask every customer for a review, not only happy ones.
Common questions
What if a review is unfair?
Reply calmly with the facts. Other customers will read your reply, not just the review.
Do I need to reply to old reviews?
Start with the newest ones. Then reply to older ones when you have time.
Will replies bring more customers?
Nobody can promise that. They show new customers how you treat people.