How To: Manage Reviews (The Good & The Bad)

Review and Reputation Management: Why It Matters for Your Business

In today’s digital age, reviews are everything. They not only influence potential customers but also play a crucial role in your business’s reputation. Responding to reviews, both positive and negative, is key to building trust, maintaining a good reputation, and boosting your visibility online.

This guide will help you understand why reviews matter, how to respond properly to reviews, how to handle negative reviews, and how Sales Jumpstart makes managing reviews easy.

Why Responding to Reviews is Important

Whether a customer leaves a positive or negative review, responding to it shows that you value feedback and are actively engaged with your customers. Here's why it matters:

Build Trust: Google and potential customers love to see that businesses are engaged with their clients. Responding to reviews shows that you're not just asking for feedback but also appreciating and improving from it.
Showcase Your Customer Service: When potential clients read reviews, they often look at how you handle negative feedback. A professional, thoughtful response can turn a disgruntled customer into a loyal one and show future clients that you handle challenges with care.
Boost SEO: Google rewards active businesses that engage with customers. Responding to reviews helps with local SEO, improving your search rankings and visibility.
Increase Referrals: Responding to positive reviews can make happy clients feel valued. The more you engage, the more likely your satisfied customers are to recommend you to their friends, family, or neighbors.

How to Respond to Reviews (Positive & Negative)

Responding to Positive Reviews

When a customer leaves a glowing review, take the opportunity to thank them and highlight what you enjoyed about working with them. Here's how to respond:

Be Grateful: Always express gratitude for the review. Saying something like, “Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us!” helps show that you value their feedback.
Personalize Your Response: Mention something specific about the project, like a detail about the deck or a custom feature. It makes the interaction feel more personal.
Encourage Future Engagement: Let them know you appreciate their support and look forward to working with them in the future.

Example:

“Thank you, [Customer’s Name], for the kind words! We loved working on your custom deck with the built-in benches. We hope you enjoy your outdoor space for years to come. Feel free to reach out for any future projects!”

Responding to Negative Reviews

While it can be hard to receive negative feedback, responding effectively shows professionalism and a willingness to improve. Here's how to handle a negative review:

Stay Calm and Professional: Always respond with a calm, respectful tone. Avoid getting defensive or emotional. Acknowledge their experience and express empathy.
Apologize if Necessary: If there was an issue with the project, offer a sincere apology. Show that you care about their experience and are committed to resolving issues.
Offer to Resolve the Situation: Let the customer know you're available to discuss their concerns further. If they’re open to it, invite them to reach out so you can resolve any issues directly.
Take the Conversation Offline: If needed, offer to continue the discussion privately through email or phone to find a resolution. This shows other customers that you handle conflicts professionally.
Don’t Ignore the Review: Always respond to negative reviews. Ignoring them can create the perception that you don’t care about your customers’ feedback.

Example:

“Hi [Customer’s Name], we’re so sorry to hear about your experience. We strive to provide high-quality work and excellent customer service, and it seems we missed the mark in your case. Please contact us directly at [phone number/email] so we can make this right.”

Disputing a Negative Review

Sometimes, customers may leave a negative review that is unrelated to the service you provided or is based on factors outside of your control. These reviews may not reflect the actual quality of the work or the customer experience. For example, reviews based on:

Price Disputes: A customer may leave a negative review because they disagreed with the quoted price, but didn’t actually go through with the project.
Non-Service-Related Issues: Negative reviews may arise from something irrelevant, such as seeing your branded vehicle being driven quickly (something outside your control), or due to external factors like weather delays.

In cases like these, it's important to dispute the review and request its removal from Google, especially if the feedback is unwarranted.

How to Dispute and Report a Review:

Review the Google Guidelines: Ensure that the review violates Google’s review policies. Reviews that are based on irrelevant factors, contain inappropriate content, or are clearly fake can often be disputed and removed.
Report the Review to Google:
- Navigate to the review in question.
- Click the three vertical dots in the top right corner of the review.
- Select Report Review and follow the instructions.
- Choose the reason for reporting the review (e.g., it’s irrelevant, fake, or violates Google’s review policies).
Provide Evidence (if Necessary): If you’re disputing the review, you may need to provide additional information or evidence to Google, especially if you believe the review is based on an external issue (such as pricing disagreements or customer behavior unrelated to the service).
Reach Out to the Reviewer: If appropriate, you can try contacting the reviewer directly to address their concerns or clarify the situation. If they’re willing, you can ask them to revise or remove the review.

Example:

“Hi [Customer’s Name], I’m sorry to hear that the price didn’t meet your expectations. We aim to provide clear and transparent quotes, and I’d love to discuss how we can address your concerns. Please feel free to reach out to us.”

While Google won’t always remove a review simply because it’s negative, they may take down reviews that violate their policies or are unrelated to the actual service.

Making Review Management Easy with Sales Jumpstart

Managing your reviews has never been easier. With Sales Jumpstart (via Go High Level), we’ve integrated a Reputation Management feature that allows you to manage, request, and respond to reviews all from one place. This makes it incredibly simple to keep your reviews up-to-date, respond quickly, and track your reputation.

Here’s how Sales Jumpstart makes review management easy:

Request Reviews Easily: Send review requests directly to your customers via email or SMS. We have automated this process for you! After a job is completed, move the contact card into the Project Complete stage to trigger the emails/sms messages.
Respond to Reviews: You can quickly respond to both positive and negative reviews from the Sales Jumpstart web app or mobile app (via LeadConnector). This centralized platform makes it easy to stay on top of your online reputation. New reviews will show up in your Conversations.
Monitor Your Reputation: Get real-time notifications about new reviews so you can stay on top of your reputation. With this feature, you’ll never miss an opportunity to engage with a customer.
Mobile Access: Whether you’re in the office or on the go, you can manage your reviews through the LeadConnector mobile app—allowing you to respond to reviews anytime, anywhere.

Conclusion

Managing your online reputation through reviews is vital for building trust, improving SEO, and attracting more clients. Responding promptly to reviews, especially negative ones, shows professionalism and care. Thanks to the Reputation Management feature in Sales Jumpstart, it’s easier than ever to stay on top of your reviews and respond quickly, helping you build a stellar online reputation with minimal effort.

Remember: Reviews are a reflection of your work and your customer service. By actively managing them, you can foster stronger relationships with clients and continue to grow your deck-building business.