What is Review Management?

Review management is the process of monitoring and responding to your customers’ reviews across platforms. 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, so you’re not just interacting with your existing customers, but also showing your potential customers that there’s someone behind the wheel and that customer experience and satisfaction are a priority for your business. 


This is especially true for small businesses, as potential customers are more likely to rely on reviews to make a purchase or book a service. Did you know that businesses that respond to reviews are seen as 1.7x more trustworthy?


Review management offers a great opportunity to engage with your customers and build loyalty and trust. Responding to positive feedback is fairly straightforward and shows both your existing customer base and your potential customers that you care and that your business is active, while a good response to negative feedback is essential to mitigate it. 


Why Is Review Management Important?


  1. Build trust and loyalty. Simply put, a business that replies to reviews, both positive and negative, shows it cares. 

  2. Turn a negative experience upside down. Sometimes things go wrong. While avoiding this altogether is impossible, you can reduce the damage with a good response.

  3. Reassure potential customers. Potential customers are reassured that, even if issues arise, the business will do its best to solve them. 

  4. Real-time feedback. Your reviews provide precious information about what your customers enjoy about your products and services and what you need to improve. 

  5. Humans behind the business. A personalized approach is what differentiates a small business and a big company, it helps your customers feel closer to your business and makes them more likely to come back. 



How To Respond To Reviews

Don’t know where to start? Here are a few guidelines to help you reply to positive and negative feedback.


Positive Reviews


  • Thank your customer for their feedback.

  • Encourage them to come back, to purchase another product or to book your services again.

  • Personalize it! If their feedback is detailed, take the time to acknowledge their specific experience. 

  • Keep it short and proportional to the feedback. There’s no need to write two paragraphs to thank a one-line review. 



Negative Reviews


  • Personalize your response. Address the reviewer by name if it’s present and investigate the issue if you have enough information on the review. 

  • Offer clear communication options to contact you directly to solve the problem privately.

  • Respond in a timely manner. Positive reviews don’t require a quick response, but you should take action on negative feedback as soon as possible.

  • Acknowledge and apologize where necessary. Avoid over-apologizing or taking the blame for things that aren’t your fault, but make sure to apologize. 

  • Don’t take it personally and avoid conflict.