Why and How to Reply to Customer Reviews? + Examples

The buying experience is a process that has grown on the web. Instead of relying strictly on close family members (friends, family), they can now benefit from the advice of strangers! Customers provide online reviews to share their lived experience of their experience with your business. With the growth of web platforms and the growing use of smartphones, consumers are increasingly being asked to leave customer reviews in order to increase the visibility of the brands with which they do business.

However, what reasons can your consumers leave a customer review? To help you better understand your customers, here are the top five reasons to write an online review.

1. To share the quality of the customer experience: If no solicitation is made from the company, your customer may leave a notice online because the experience they have experienced is particularly good or bad. A customer is more likely to share their opinion if the emotion they have experienced is strong. For example, if the experience is negative, they will want to share their emotions with the rest of the consumers. On the contrary, if their experience has been very pleasant, they will want to share a sense of well-being to express their attachment to your brand.

Remember: a customer may forget your services and interactions, but will always remember how you made them feel. This is why learning how to reply to customer reviews can help them change their opinion after a bad experience within your business.

2. To help the company improve its products and services: In some cases, your customers may also leave you a customer review to recommend certain improvements to your products and services. This type of feedback comes mostly from your loyal customers who, disappointed by one aspect of their latest experience, prefer to see a change in your service offering rather than having to turn to one of your competitors.

These reviews are a real gold mine for your customer experience, as they allow you to adapt to the needs of your customers according to constructive and concrete feedback. By signaling to your clients that their views are being heard, you will also show them that their well-being is at the center of your priorities. This demonstrates how to reply to customer reviews, and why it can help your customer experience!

3. To help other consumers make an informed choice: Your customers can also share their feedback online to help others. They reflect on the type of information they would have liked to have known before their purchase, and then proceed to write a review to help other consumers make a more informed decision. These opinions benefit the company through the information given, as well as the Internet users through the impartiality of the information.

4. To express gratitude: Contrary to popular belief, the majority of customers are more likely to share their opinion if they have had a positive experience with your business. A study shared by Forbes shows that 49% of satisfied consumers publish their opinion online, while only 30% of dissatisfied customers do so.

In this vein, your customers can write a review simply to share their satisfaction with your services, or even with one of your employees. These recommendations are invaluable in order to win new prospects, or even to motivate your team by sharing their successes! That proves the importance of learning how to reply to customer reviews, since it is a great way to contribute to the well-being of your customers and staff.

5. To be heard by your business: If consumers are predisposed to leave a review during a positive experience, this does not prevent dissatisfied customers from sharing their opinion online.

When a customer does not get the service they want, they may try to give you their feedback directly to express their dissatisfaction. However, if they feel they’re not being listened to, your consumer can make their story public to inspire more responsiveness from their peers and your business. Try to avoid the shot by providing adequate support to better manage customer dissatisfaction; hence why you should observe how to reply to customer reviews!

When your potential customers plan to do business with a company on the web, several online review platforms are available. These portals allow them to read your customers’ assessments of your products and services, as well as your overall customer experience. At the marketing level, these platforms have a major impact on your consumers’ buying decision. A favorable positioning will allow you to acquire new customers, while poor feedback will deter potential customers from doing business with you.

Your online presence is a considerable asset for your ranking on these platforms. Inviting your satisfied customers to leave a positive opinion on these websites is a good marketing strategy to appear in the first results and improve your SEO. Also, responding to reviews on these portals can improve your e-reputation, as you show your customers that it is at the center of your priorities. That’s how replying to customer reviews is essential on online review platforms!

To help you optimize your online presence, here are six online review platforms to know about and their specialization.

Did you know that you can invite your customers to leave a review on your corporate Facebook page? With an average of 2.91 billion active users per month, this platform gives you high visibility and more interactions with your community. Why respond to customer reviews via Facebook? Definitely, this can help you attract new potential customers!

Moreover, Facebook reviews can improve your position in Google results. By gaining notoriety, your company will appear as a snippet on the first page of the search engine. Your star count will be displayed and will encourage consumers to visit your Facebook page. Here’s a great way to connect with users while increasing your visibility on Google. You should keep this in mind when you learn how to reply to customer reviews!

Did you know that you can invite your customers to leave a review on your corporate Facebook page? With an average of 2.91 billion active users per month, this platform gives you high visibility and more interactions with your community. Why respond to customer reviews via Facebook? Definitely, this can help you attract new potential customers!

Moreover, Facebook reviews can improve your position in Google results. By gaining notoriety, your company will appear as a snippet on the first page of the search engine. Your star count will be displayed and will encourage consumers to visit your Facebook page. Here’s a great way to connect with users while increasing your visibility on Google. You should keep this in mind when you learn how to reply to customer reviews!

Known to technology companies, G2 specializes exclusively in software and application evaluation. It is a reference for consumers who want to know the customer experience with certain technologies before obtaining a licence.

G2 is a platform recognized around the world. By inviting your satisfied customers to leave a positive opinion, you will get new prospects for the purchase of your products, including companies interested in your software and new technologies!

Tripadvisor is one of the largest travel platforms in the world. With more than 900 million establishments reviewed to date, this is an indisputable benchmark in tourism. Their portal has more than 859 million travellers to rate and comment on the different destinations available to them, whether it is accommodation, restaurants, the quality of the establishment or even the activities offered. The website also offers the opportunity to easily compare prices for hotels, flights, cruises and tourist activities, all in 28 different languages. This is a good evaluation portal to compare yourself and differentiate yourself from your competitors!

In addition, Tripadvisor has excellent quality control over their online reviews. According to Le Figaro, only 2.3% of the reviews posted on Tripadvisor were fraudulent, and 73% of them were spotted and blocked before they were posted online. Thus, you do not have to fear crossing spam when using it!

Founded in 2004 by Russell Simmons and Jeremy Stoppelman, Yelp has become one of the best online notification platforms in the hospitality industry before diversifying into other service offerings. The platform now offers solutions for home services, food services, regional brands and marketing agencies.

The rigorous conditions of use and the quality control of the portal make it a respected reputation: the reviews written there influence 92% of its users. Moreover, it is one of the few platforms that allows Internet users to communicate with each other, an important detail to obtain more information regarding the quality of the customer experience at certain companies. It also facilitates communication between the customer and the company, who can learn about the reason behind customer dissatisfaction. This is one of many reasons why it is important to know how to reply to customer reviews on online platforms.

Finally, like Google My Business, Yelp is also directly connected to Google Map to facilitate the geolocation of Internet users. This is a must for local businesses that want to increase their visibility!

You now know the impact online reviews can have on the acquisition of potential customers. However, do you know why responding to customer reviews is important to your business?

With the emergence of online notification platforms, it can become difficult to manage your consumers’ feedback. Whether negative or positive, these opinions have a double-edged impact on your e-reputation. While positive reviews can attract large numbers of new customers, a few negative reviews are also enough to cause your prospects to drop significantly. In this sense, it becomes vital for your business to monitor and respond to reviews on various online portals. This is a good example of the importance of learning how to reply to customer reviews.

In addition, each of your opinions deserves an answer. A customer who shows their gratitude highlights the good service of your company: it is important to give them your time to take the time to thank them. As for an unsatisfied consumer, it is imperative that you provide him with support in order to correct the situation. These interactions reflect your values: they play a crucial role in your brand image. Therefore, when you ask yourself why responding to customer reviews is essential, keep in mind that it proves your professionalism to Internet users!

Here are several reasons why it is important to respond to customer reviews:

• Demonstrate that you are present for your customers via your web platform: It is important to show your customers that you are present, both at your points of sale and online. Keep your information up to date to help customers find you, and take the opportunity to answer their questions. This way, they will feel pampered and will be more inclined to leave you a positive opinion. This is why knowing how to reply to customer reviews is an asset on your web platforms!

• Build trust between your business and your customers: Why respond to customer reviews on a regular basis? The answer is simple: these interactions feed the trust between your customers and your business. By reading customer reviews and learning about your consumers’ opinions, you will be able to improve the customer experience in a concrete way. For example, in dental clinics, you will be able to make the wait more pleasant and improve the management of your appointments according to the feedback given by your clients. This will prove to your customers that they are the center of your priorities!

• Rectify customer dissatisfaction: If you’re wondering why responding to customer reviews is imperative to your e-reputation, customer dissatisfaction happens to be one of the key answers. By responding to negative opinions, you are showing dissatisfied customers that you want to rectify the situation. Show empathy and actively seek a solution to their problem. This way, you may regain their trust, and turn their negative opinion into a positive one. This is why you should know how to reply to customer reviews!

• Improve your SEO: To rank its index according to a local search, Google relies largely on your customer reviews. In this sense, responding to positive customer reviews proves to Google that you are a reliable company and listening to your customers. On the contrary, if you answer to a negative feedback, you show the platform that you are transparent and professional. This is a good reason to acknowledge how to reply to customer reviews.

• Stand out from the competition: While this sounds amazing, few companies bother to read their reviews online. According to Search Engine Land, 75% of companies ignore their Google reviews. Yet, according to the same source, those who take the trouble to respond to these assessments have seen a 35% increase in their annual income. Set yourself apart from the competition by prioritizing your customers: thank them for their online review, and use their feedback to provide them with an unforgettable experience that fits their needs. Remember this if you’re learning how to reply to customer reviews!

• Encourage customers to leave more positive reviews in the future: When you reply to an online comment, you can take the opportunity to invite your customers to leave more positive reviews during a future visit to your business. For example, encourage them to leave additional comments for your different products and services. And why not invite their friends and family to write their opinion about their experience with your company? They will be able to share their opinions to help users make an informed choice, or to recommend your business. That’s how replying to customer reviews can increase your SEO!

Whether they are positive or negative, learning how to reply to customer reviews is not always easy. Knowing the ideal reaction based on your customers’ comments is a long-term learning process: this is why responding to customer reviews can be difficult for the less accustomed. There are many examples to make it easier for you.

How to reply to customer reviews, positive as well as negative? Here are some good practices to follow to help you write your online review responses.

• Customize your response with the name of the customer and the type of service provided for a more human touch;
• Thank the customer warmly for their comment;
• Highlight the positive points in the customer review to attract the attention of other users;
• Keep a calm and professional tone throughout your response;
• Compose a short message so you don’t lose your customer;
• Offer to invite other customers to share their positive reviews online on the chosen platform;
• Encourage your satisfied customer to return to your business with upcoming events and promotions.

• Validate if the review is a spam. If it is an authentic comment, avoid deleting it;
• Respond to the review quickly, ideally within the first twenty-four hours;
• Thank the customer for the time they took;
• Apologize to them for the unpleasant experience they had;
• Use an empathic tone to validate emotions;
• Learn the source of  their discontent;
• Avoid invalidating their comments or creating a debate;
• Provide a point of contact, such as an email or phone number, to continue the conversation. This will allow you to avoid monopolizing the attention of Internet users while providing more information about the reason for customer dissatisfaction;
• Be proactive in your search for a solution. For example, if there is a problem with a product, offer a free replacement or extended warranty. By showing your customer that their satisfaction is a priority, you may regain their trust;
• If you manage to handle the customer dissatisfaction, propose to the user to change his negative opinion into a positive one. This is how to reply to customer reviews in order to manage customer dissatisfaction!

If you don’t know how to reply to customer reviews, or if you’re worried about running out of time to manage your feedback, our customer review improvement solution is for you!

With our fully automated solution, you can invite your customers to leave a notification at the right time, one to two hours after the customer experience. This good practice will allow you to collect more positive reviews: our response rate of 49% by email and 57% by SMS attests to the effectiveness of our methods!

In addition, the InputKit solution enables the detection of dissatisfied customers in real time. This feature, along with a centralized management of your Google reviews and a non-response review filter, will help you greatly in managing your feedback. This will allow you to respond quickly to customer reviews and communicate with your dissatisfied customers before the situation escalates.

You don’t know how to reply to customer reviews? Don’t worry: our solution is also equipped with an artificial intelligence capable of responding to customers as soon as reviews are issued. We also have a wide variety of fully automated and customizable response templates that will meet your needs and those of your customers. Optimizing the management of your customer reviews will save you valuable time in order to turn to more complex tasks, such as improving your customer experience. Therefore, you’ll learn how to reply to customer reviews in no time!