How To Raise Your Online Reputation

In our digital age, online reviews are one of the biggest locations potential customers come to find what they need - in a recent study by Bright Local, it’s how 87% of people decide which business will best suit their needs. Most businesses do their best to ensure good reviews on the front end, aiming to provide the best service and highest customer satisfaction as possible. But what about after the job is completed and your customer leaves you a review online?

Responding to customer reviews is often just as important as the service you provide to them in the first place. The same Bright Local study found that 78% of people take into account if a business has responded to the reviews they receive, both positive and negative. It will help cement trust in your business, as well as giving your business a reputation as one that cares about forming lasting relationships with its customers. It will likely also lead to more positive reviews for your business - Harvard Business Review found that when businesses started responding to reviews, the amount of reviews written increased by 12%, as did star ratings. 

When it comes to positive reviews, one needs to be mindful to not come off too performatively - if your response is too enthusiastic customers may view it as a promotional, disingenuous tactic. Concise, thankful responses best convey that you are a responsive business that cares about its customers.

On the other hand, responses to negative reviews should be much more fleshed out. Ideally written by a manager, these responses should be apologetic, as well as specifically tailored to the specific complaints made by the customer. Never come from a defensive place in your response - focus on communicating concrete actions that you and your business will take to rectify the situation, as well as help ensure it doesn’t happen again. 

Taking the time to engage with former customers is a great way to acquire new ones, as well as retain old ones. Demonstrating online that you are a responsive business is a great way to build a positive reputation for your company and increase customer satisfaction overall.