Every business gets a bad review eventually. The review itself matters less than your reply, because future customers read both and judge you on how you handled it.
Wait an hour, then reply within a day or two
Don’t reply angry. But don’t leave it for weeks either; a quick, calm reply shows you care. Write it, step away, read it again before posting.
A simple shape for every reply
- Thank them for the feedback, by name if you can.
- Apologize for their experience, without arguing about the details.
- Say briefly what you’re doing about it, if anything.
- Invite them to contact you directly to make it right.
Example: a long wait
“Hi Maria, thank you for letting us know, and I’m sorry about the wait on Saturday. We were short-staffed and should have told you when you arrived. We’ve changed how we handle walk-ins on weekends. I’d love to make it up to you; please message me at the number on our profile.”
Example: a review you think is unfair
“Thanks for the feedback, James. I’m sorry we didn’t meet your expectations. We take every concern seriously and would like to understand what happened. Please give us a call so we can talk it through.” Keep it short. The people reading it can tell when a review is unreasonable; an even-tempered reply makes you look good.
What not to do
- Don’t argue, blame the customer or share their private details.
- Don’t offer money or freebies in public for them to change the review.
- Don’t ask friends to post reviews to bury it.
- Do flag reviews that break Google’s rules (spam, hate speech, someone who was never a customer) using the report option in your Business Profile.
Hear about problems before they’re public
Give every customer an easy way to tell you privately when something went wrong, alongside the public review option, and reply fast. You’ll fix more problems while the customer is still in the building, and you’ll learn what to change.