Using AI/Chat GPT to respond to reviews

So many businesses neglect to respond to reviews - their own or those on Google. We nag away - as regular readers of this blog will know - but often we are faced with 'too busy' or 'other priorities get in the way', so we thought we would see whether AI could possibly help.

So let's take some real-life examples and see what Chat GPT comes up with (and add a few pointers of our own). 

Here's what we asked Chat GPT:

And here is Chat GPT's suggested response:

Note:

1. We gave Chat GPT no other instruction(s)
2. Chat GPT's response took just over 1 second
3. The business can edit Chat GPT's suggested response before posting it to Google
4. There is currently no 'English English' version of Chat GPT, so you will need to correct American English - apologize etc. - aside from that Chat GPT's vocabulary and grammar is often better than some of the responses we see currently!

Here's another, this time for a firm of solicitors:

And for a 5* review (of a medical practice)?

Our conclusion

Of course, in an ideal world, we would have 100% of our clients responding to every review within 24 hours of it being posted, even if only to thank the reviewer for taking the trouble, but in cases where there would otherwise be no response at all, we think that AI may well have a role to play.

ABC of Reviews: 10. Responding

Which is more impressive (bear in mind the people the businesses we have used as examples in this chapter are attempting to impress those that are looking to sell their major financial asset - and often earn the business tens of thousands of pounds)?

This 5* review...

Or this 5* review...

There is one fundamentally important issue to understand when responding to reviews online: that you are corresponding with the future readers of that review as much as you are responding to its author (your customer).

Here we will take you through the dos and don'ts of responding to reviews:

Do...

• Respond! To every review as soon as possible - preferably the same day it is written. Turn on 'notifications' in your Google My Business page so you know every time a review is written.

• Thank the reviewer for their review, but only if it's positive. People - reviewers or potential customers - don't relate to businesses that thank people for criticising them. 

• If the review contains a negative comment by all means thank the reviewer for bringing whatever issue prompted it - staff failing, systems breakdown, communication failure - to your attention, but don't - as mentioned above - start with a general apology

• Address all of the issues raised in the review: there are few things less impressive - especially for those considering using your business - than a response that ignores points raised in a review

• Respond to all reviews - not just critical ones (you would be amazed just how many businesses only reply to negative reviews)

• Use your response as a vehicle for communicating your business's strengths. If the reviewer has praised the service they received say 'Thank you for highlighting [aspect praised]' and continue with 'we find most of our customers are pleasantly surprised that, unlike many of our competitors, we 

This last point may be the most important of all. A response to a Google review provides your business with free marketing on Google. What other mechanism does that? Use the opportunity to reinforce relevant messages...'We are so pleased you found [aspect of service] to be so helpful'.

Rather than:

How much more impressive is:

Don't... 

• get into a confrontation - bear in mind that the reviewer can respond to your response and edit their review accordingly. 

• always check all your facts before posting a response

• expose personal details - it is surprising just how many people forget this and include sensitive financial and contact information 

• attempt to deflect to off-line - the 'please contact us on [email address]' response (see the first example, above), except in cases where confidentiality makes it impossible to respond online, in which case explain fully why this is the only route

• leave your response for more than a week (as you can see above, Google date-stamp both the review and the response)

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.

Respond to reviews - doing so will improve your business's score

We have said it before (here's last year's article) but this article on the Harvard Business Review prompted us to repeat - and simplify - the message (and it applies to every business on the planet - not just hotels). 

Responding to reviews is proven (see here) to have the following effects:

• customers will - on average - increase their score of you business. And with the Google filter now set at 4.5 every 0.1 counts.
• customers will be less likely to post a negative review - because they know it will elicit a response from the business.
• customers will 'keep to the facts' - again, knowing they will be challenged if they exaggerate

On top of that, customers that post a positive review will have that positive experience reinforced if you thank them. It will also impress readers, of whatever kind of review, if you show you care about each and every comment made by your customers. 

If you have any questions at all, about the response mechanism on a particular platform (Google, TripAdvisor, Facebook etc.) or about just how to word a particular response, just call us here at HelpHound.

Responding to reviews - what can you hard-nosed business people learn from a ballerina?

She left her home in Argentina at the age of fifteen, to train at Royal Ballet School. She is universally acknowledged at one of the greatest ballerinas of our time. But we can be pretty sure she has not had much training in marketing or social media - so what can Marianela Nunez teach us business folk?

Let us begin by telling you a story: last night a HelpHound staffer attended a performance of Marguerite and Armand by the Royal Ballet. Being a keen fan of ballet in general and Ms Nunez in particular our staffer follows her on Instagram. Let's be clear about this - she did not invite this person to follow her, they just 'did', as you do on Instagram. But they posted their congratulations on her performance, not at the end of the evening, but during the interval. What do you suppose happened next? 

This happened next...

...and for those of you who don't use Instagram, the 'heart' is a user's way of thanking someone for their comment. Much more importantly: the thanks were posted within ten minutes of the original comment being uploaded.

Compare that with businesses and their reviews. We would rather not, but since it is an important part of our job, we will.

We reckon the average business does not respond to reviews - ever - at all. Bearing in mind that these reviews are posted by happy customers who have gone to some lengths to express that happiness - and that responding is FREE for the business - we are dumbfounded.

How about "Thanks for your kind comment and helpful suggestions"? That took all of ten seconds to type. Even better: how about addressing the criticisms? But three weeks later and...nothing. It gets worse. 

The next reviewer is doing their best to say "Don't use this company". So what does the business, with all its marketing nous and resources, say?

Nothing. No apology, no explanation. How could this be? Seriously: HOW - COULD - THIS - BE?

Let's apply all of our experience and give you some options - and our answer to those options...

• Option 1: the business is unaware that they have the review. We see this all the time with big corporates (seldom with SMEs - a review like this rightly keeps them awake at night). So many businesses think they have reviews covered - when we meet them they say things like "Our PR people handle that side of things" - our answer? Make sure an individual within the branch is nominated an understands their responsibility. And then make sure head office has KPIs to keep the branches on their toes.

• Option 2: the business doesn't know how to respond. They may have lost their G+ log in details (often the person that set up their G+ account has left). Solution: ask us for our simple step-by-step memo and our help to recover the lost log-in.

• Option 3: a negative attitude to reviews. All people who write reviews are either 'idiots with too much time on their hands' (positives) or 'keyboard warriors with impure motives' (negatives). This reason for ignoring reviews - and not responding - is more common than some might imagine - but it flatly goes against all the evidence that consumers now rely more heavily on reviews than ever before. Solution: a fundamental shift in the business's attitude and approach to reviews needs to happen.

• Option 4: Failing to understand that the simple act of responding to reviews makes it less likely that someone will post a negative review in future. Action: try it - prove it for yourself, it's true.

...and, most important of all...

• Option 5: Failing to understand that a good showing in reviews, which consists not only of getting great reviews but in responding to those reviews in a timely manner, drives business through the door.

And, by 'timely' what exactly do we mean? How about 'within an hour of receiving the email from Google alerting you to the review's appearance?

New from Google - your own Dashboard

Today your business received an email* like this from Google...

 *to the registered user on your Google My Business account. 

...and one click away is this...

...which contains all your Google housekeeping in one place. Need to change your office hours? Click top left. Need to create a new Google Post? Bottom left. But most important of all, from our point-of-view: responding to reviews at top right.

After all, this looks good...

...but this says so much more... 

We always advise clients to respond to every review they receive. It not only impresses potential customers in myriad ways (you care, you look professional, you look as if you understand modern marketing) it also gives you a great opportunity to highlight aspects of your products or services as well as giving fair warning to anyone tempted to unfairly criticise (that they will be challenged).

Responding to reviews - a great opportunity to impress everyone

Suppose, just for a moment, Google rang you and said 'we are going to allow you unlimited space to promote your business*, all you have to do is write the words'. What would you do?

Decline politely? Write the bare minimum? Or, as we are suggesting, give serious consideration to every word you craft? *Because that's exactly what Google are allowing you to do when responding to reviews.

Here are some tips on how to respond to online reviews - whatever your business, and whatever the reviews platform. Some are basic CRM, some may be less obvious, but nonetheless important; let's start with the basics...

1. Respond.  Businesses that respond to reviews do more business. It's as simple as that.
2. Respond to all your reviews. It constantly astonishes us how many businesses only respond to negative reviews. A response takes minutes at the most, seconds usually.
3. Be aware that you are speaking to every potential customer when you respond. Most businesses address the writer of the review and forget that they have an opportunity to impress all those who read it.

If this is as far as you read (and then act) you will already be doing a better job than 90% of businesses on the planet. Read on if you want to get into the top 1%!

Respond

A simple 'Thank you' or 'We're sorry' is better than nothing at all.  

Tailoring your response

It should not take long (and if it does it usually means the review in question has the potential to do real harm to your business if not responded to correctly). Here are some tips and examples.

This is a fairly 'standard' negative review. There is nothing the business can do - it is not against Google's T&Cs, so it cannot be appealed (consult us if you do have an unfair or inaccurate negative review, we will advise you if there is a chance that it may be taken down on appeal) - except respond, which the business has done.

But how could the response be refined? Perhaps something like this (if the customer is recognised):

Or this (if the customer is unknown to the business):

Points to note - 'Dos':

1. Always begin by using the reviewer's name (as posted - not as you may know it internally). If the reviewer has posted as MickeyMouse123 then address them as such - that is the convention
2. Write so as to impress any third-party (a potential customer) reading your response that you are represent a well-managed caring business. Expressions such as 'As soon as I saw...'
3. Refer to the positive nature of the majority of your reviews
4. Refer to the fact that it is company policy to proactively invite reviews
5. Predict a positive outcome
6. Always sign the review in person - never 'Customer services' or unattributed
7. If you don't want to disclose an individual email address make sure your business has a dedicated address for review correspondence

 Points to note - Don'ts:

1. Never disclose a customer's personal or financial details in a response: 'your credit card was declined' or 'your references were unsatisfactory'
2. Don't get into a confrontational situation - it helps no-one, least of all your business, if you agrue in public (bear in mind that reviewers can edit their review - both ways)
3. NEVER offer financial incentives - either for posting reviews or for modifying them - a comment along the lines of 'They offered me £x to delete this review' is difficult, if not impossible, to come back from

Responding to positive reviews

You would think this would be a piece of cake - what could go wrong? Well, in two words: 'missed opportunities'. 

Let's look at an example:

Here the business has responded - a massive step in the right direction. but could they have done better? Remember Google's invitation? Here goes...

See?  Don't miss the opportunity to refer to products and services that may be relevant to anyone reading the review and your response. And, again, do sign off with your name and position.

In summary

If you follow the advice contained in this article you will see more of the benefits of properly engaging with reviews, whichever platform they are on.

Responding to reviews - the unforseen benefits

Is yours one of the 92% of businesses that does 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.

Checking the 'worst' first

This little tab is clicked by everyone

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
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 direct 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 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.

Don’t Be Afraid of Negative Consumer Reviews

Authentic Reputation Management Works.
Andrew Ward of TrustFX writes, "One of the biggest concerns that I hear from business owners about social media, is their fear of negative reviews. They fear that negative reviews will sour potential customers or patients who read it. The proliferation of reputation management services speak to the fear of negative feedback and the desire to present a “managed reputation”.
But he quite rightly goes on to say, "Don’t be afraid of negative reviews. A recent Forrester report found that 50 percent of online shoppers proceeded with a purchase after reading negative reviews on it. The point is that the presence of negative reviews doesn’t prevent sales. I am not suggesting that mediocrity is a marketable advantage, but projecting a competitive reputation that is authentic will increase its ability to attract and influence people looking for the services that you provide and will produce better long term business results."
Read full article.

Barbershop Promotes Its Worst Yelp Reviews

Here is a good lesson on how you can turn negative consumer feeback around to your advantage.  Naturally a sense of humour always helps.
More

How Not to Manage your Online Reputation

The posts on this blog are self explanatory and well worth a read if only to see how much damage you can create by over-reacting to comments that you may not find to your liking.

Apologies for the break in our HelpHound blog, we've been otherwise engaged in building new modules and some very cool stuff that we will launch very shortly.
As of the middle of April, we will be back in full force

The Customer is King...

.....  and Customer Experience is the way to his heart.  The latest Customer Experience Report North America sponsored by RightNow has some great stats that should be taken on board by all businesses, large and small.   Topline summary:

CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE.   It's Make or Break
•    82% of consumers have stopped doing business with  a company as a result of a negative experience.
•    55% became a customer of a company because of their reputation for great customer service
•    40% began purchasing from a competitive brand simply because of their reputation for great customer service
•    85% of consumers said they would be willing to pay more over the standard price in order to ensure a superior customer experience.

Of those who decided to stop doing business with an organization,
•    73% was a reaction to rude staff
•    51% reacted to unknowledgeable staff
•    55% were because of issues that weren’t resolved in a timely manner

BEWARE THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH
•    79% of consumers that had a negative experience with a company told others about it.   Because….
  o    85% wanted to warn others about the pitfalls of doing business with that company
  o    66% wanted to discourage others from buying from that company
  o    55% wanted to vent anger or disappointment
  o    24% wanted to see if the company would take action to resolve their issue

•    76% of consumers said word of mouth most influenced their purchasing decisions, followed by
  o    customer reviews and online feedback at 49%,
  o    product review web sites at 41%,
  o    magazine articles at 23%
  o    reputation on social networking sites 7%.

YOU CAN TURN THE TABLES
All is not lost if a company trips up.  In today’s transparent environment, owning up to your mistake and taking action yields positive results.

•    92% of consumers said they would be willing to go back to a company after a negative experience if they ..........
•    Received a follow up apology/correction from a supervisor/head office (63%)
•    Were offered a discount (52%)
•    Or were offered proof of enhanced customer service (49%)

YOU MUST RESPOND
•    58% of respondents would like the company to respond if they left a comment on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter.
•    But only 22% of those who actually did leave a comment on a social networking site got a response.
•    42% expect a response within a day
•    39% within a week
•    7% within an hour
•    2% within a minute

For full report see..
Presentation ppt
Site  pdf

If you don’t have anything nice to say, post a review instead

This article about marketing to women has great advice to businesses on how to deal with unhappy customers.



Deal with it by getting smart.
1) Take a deep breath and remember that unhappy customers can become your biggest fans and most vocal evangelists if you respond quickly and work earnestly to fix the problem.
Turn an unsatisfied customer into a very happy one and guess what happens. She’s got a great story that will be told again and again and again. And guess who’s the hero? You are. The word of mouth that results is the stuff branding director’s dreams are made of.
2) Find another way to solicit honest feedback. Face -to-face is uncomfortable for most people and is particularly tough for women who are literally hard-wired as gatherers to keep the village working together. So make it easy for people to give their reviews anonymously (if they choose) and on their own schedule.  Allow for ratings and reviews on your site.
3) Ask for opinions in YOUR voice. Don’t just send a standardized “your feedback is valuable to us” missive with an equally canned survey. Let your brand personality and EARNEST desire to do a better job ooze from every detail.
Consider that even your email asking for their feedback is a form of marketing on your part. Work it.
4) Act on what you learn.

Bad reviews are a roadmap for getting better.  The tools for listening to consumers are there.
We’re just not acting on them.

Read full article

Best Practices for Responding to Online Hotel Reviews

As a hotel manager, when a guest comes to the front desk to register a complaint, do you: 
1) look busy;
2) skulk out the back door; or
3) handle the matter personally?
Not that difficult a question, is it? 
Then why do only 4% of negative reviews on TripAdvisor get a response? 
Daniel Edward Craig, a former hotel general manager turned consultant gives his views on how to respond to online hotel reviews

This is a summary

• Respond to any feedback that is damaging to your hotel’s reputation, even if simply to acknowledge the issue and apologize.

• Respond to positive reviews occasionally to show you’re listening, but don’t feel obliged to reply to each one.

• Responses should come from the highest level - but not necessarily from the owners themselves. “As a rule I discourage hotel owners from responding. They have too much at stake and aren’t always as diplomatic as managers.”

• Respond as soon as possible - the longer a complaint is left to fester, the more business it will drive away. Just make sure you have all the facts and the response is thorough.