Do your homework before responding to reviews

People reading reviews like to see as much context as possible: why was the experience so great, so unsatisfactory? That's understandable. But when a business responds? Let's take the example of the 'Best Hotel in the UK' (according to TripAdvisor). The Royal Lancaster Hotel in London won this accolade for 2026, so we had a look at their reviews. And we found this one:

It goes on, but we're sure you get the drift

Now, let's look a little further at 'Samantha' (real name 'Louise' apparently). Here is her Google Guide Profile:

And here are 'Samantha's' last four reviews:

And the other 541 reviews? Much the same; a ratio of four or five one-star reviews to one five-star (and the latter are often ratings).

Other points to note? Her reviews are very long and detailed, and if the business responds, she invariably adds a more detailed 'demolition job' to her original review. She is as likely to write a 300-word review of a Starbucks as a 5* hotel. 

But enough about 'Samantha'. The reason for this article is simply to say to businesses, 'Spend 5 minutes looking at the reviewer's other reviews before responding to the one they've written about your business.'

In this case, if we had been asked by the business to draft a response, we would almost certainly have opted for the exact opposite of our usual advice (which is invariably to address all the points raised in the review, calmly and politely): we would have suggested the hotel simply ask 'Samantha' to contact them directly. Why? Because any form of detailed 'point-by-point' response (our usual advice) would undoubtedly have been met, as it was in this case, with a further diatribe.

In conclusion

Please feel free to ask for our advice about anything review-related, including drafting responses.

Further reading

• Responding to reviews - this article is nearly six years old, but the advice it contains remains current.

How NOT to respond to a review

Whilst applauding businesses that quite rightly think it is best practice to respond to reviews, it is still, sadly, easy to find the kind of response to a Google review that will result in the opposite effect intended. 

Let us analyse a real-life example:

What, exactly, is wrong with this response, and how could it have been worded better?

Wrong:

1. Overall impression: this response is what is known in the trade as 'formulaic'. 
2. It doesn't address any of the points raised
3. It requires the customer to take action: "Could you please reach out..."

All of these are key CRM failures and convey the impression that the business simply doesn't care.

Worded better:

The rules are quite simple:

1. Do not address reviewers by their first name unless it is the only name they have used (e.g. 'Steve H'). In this case 'Dear Mr Hollis' looks so much more professional, besides being straightforwardly polite.
2. The accusations of being 'unprofessional and unethical' should be addressed head on: 'We pride ourselves on being both professional and ethical'.
3. The point about the accepted offer being subsequently rejected should also be addressed as succinctly as possible, without compromising client or potential purchaser confidentiality.
4. The reason behind the follow-up call should also be explained.
5. A 'complaints@' email address should never be used. Apart from anything else it gives the impression that the business receives sufficient complaints to justify their own email address/department!
6. The response should be signed off properly: 'Kyle [surname]; [position].' 

It is also a cardinal rule to bear in mind that the response be written with subsequent potential customers in mind just as much as the actual reviewer. This review is what we christened a 'killer review' some years ago, that is: a review that has the potential to stop the phones ringing - or, at the very least, put off a significant number of potential customers from making any further contact with the business.

And here's an example of those rules in action:

First the critical review:

Followed by a prompt and properly drafted response:

One final - but nonetheless important - point: underneath every review you will see how many people have voted that review 'helpful'. In two years the review above has received only one helpful vote out of the many thousands of views it will have had. 

If you have any doubts at all - about procedure or wording - please contact us.

Further reading...

1. Responding to Reviews - so much reward for so little effort
2. Killer reviews - an explanation

Respond to reviews - there's so much to gain for so little effort

Is yours one of the 92% of businesses that do not currently respond to online reviews? Read on...

In few areas of review management are so many benefits achieved for so little effort. And some of those benefits are not immediately obvious. Here we show you just what we mean, but first, let's look at how your potential customers consume reviews in the first place.

Consumers read reviews - a lot!

And the more serious the nature of the transaction or purchase, the more certain they are to read those reviews. That means that reviews of professional services: legal, financial, medical, and big-ticket: the likes of estate agency, for instance, where the consumer knows the wrong choice may cost them thousands, if not tens of thousands are far more likely to be read than reviews of everyday purchases.

Consumers trust reviews

It still comes as a surprise to some, but every survey ever conducted reinforces the contention that a good Google score - 4.5 upwards - and great quality reviews - not just the 'Great business' soundbite ones - drive business because they are trusted by a significant proportion of consumers.

Consumers read GOOGLE reviews

Google serves its own reviews in every search. We would go so far as to say that if Google reviews had existed when the likes of Yelp and Trustpilot began they would have given up and found something else to do.

Google reviews are also a major ingredient in local search SEO: your Google reviews count towards your search ranking. Google reviews should be the first priority in every business's review management strategy.

Checking the 'worst' first

This little tab is clicked by everyone who reads reviews on Google

It's basic human nature. You know you do it, and so does everyone looking at your business. So let's look at two real-world examples - both taken from Google - one for a client business one from one that's not. The non-client first:

Then our client:

And not just the negative reviews (another HelpHound client): 

 
And now: the lessons...

1. The simple act of responding to the review will impress anyone reading it; people naturally gravitate towards businesses that communicate
2. The responses have been written with the certain knowledge that many more people than just the writer of the review will be reading it firmly in mind
3. The Google review box is a fixed height - as shown in these screenshots - in the first example three - nearly four - one-star reviews show. In the second, only one, thanks in part to the space taken up by the business's response
4. The simple act of responding to the review sends out a very powerful message to subsequent reviewers: that their review will be responded to. This keeps future reviewers genuine and will give those tempted to 'have a rant' serious pause for thought
5. By being a HelpHound member the business has the moral high ground; not only can it say [words to the effect that] 'Why didn't you contact us before posting this review?' but also 'You were invited to write a review directly to us but declined our invitation.'

All of the above add up to a message that will seriously impress a prospective customer. Think of it from their point-of-view, do they want to use a business that ignores reviews, or one that:

• invites reviews - from all their customers?
• publishes them on their own website and gets them to Google?
• engages with their reviewers if they raise any issues?
• responds to those reviews?

By now we expect we are all on the same page. Responding to reviews should not be seen as a chore any more than responding to a client email - it should be part-and-parcel of any modern business's standard operating practices.

Note: If you would like a copy of our memo 'How to respond to a Google review' which deals with the mechanics, please just call us.

Respond to reviews - but get it right

Here is an example of a pretty standard response to a negative review:

And here are some tips to get the process spot on:

1.  This is a negative review. The customer is not happy. In which case it's probably safer to keep the salutation formal: 'Dear Mr. Mitchell,...' No-one ever complained about formality.

2.  Don't open with 'Thank you for your feedback'. So many people do, but it's a bad idea for at least two reasons: first, you didn't ask him for 'feedback', he wrote a review on his own initiative; second, using the only line visible to everyone, before the crucial 'More' button, loses an opportunity to address the issue publicly. How much better to start with 'I'm so sorry...'

3.  Realise that the most important readers of this review, and your response, will be future customers, and phrase your comment accordingly.

4.  There are other issues we would take with the full response (above): 

• while it's perfectly alright to say 'I am unable to locate your order details...' people hate generic email addresses, they want to be dealing with a 'real person'.
• Sign off with a full name and email address as well as the individual's position within the organisation" 'tori.smith@abc.com', not 'customerservice@abc.com' (then you might even find the next unhappy customer uses that route instead of writing a one- or two-star review!).

5.  Perhaps most important of all: this is a great opportunity to communicate your business's core USPs to the wider world: include a paragraph along the lines of 'We pride ourselves on...' and then list all the wonderful things that customers should expect from your business.

And finally - and if only we had £1 for every time we see this: don't standardise responses. Spend two minutes addressing the issues in the review, positive or negative, and make sure the response rings true.