How to Respond to Google Reviews Process Checklist

Use this template to respond to customer reviews on Google.

Introduction to Responding to Google Reviews:

Enter checklist details

Confirm review type

Analyze and Respond to the Review:

Establish how to respond to the positive review

Respond to the customer and add value

Respond the customer

Select which reviewer type you are dealing with

Establish how to respond to the unhappy customer

Give a solution to the unhappy customer

Supply the correct information to the unhappy customer

Respond to the misguided customer

Establish how to respond to the rager

Supply the correct information to the rager

Escalate the rager

Escalate the faker

Make sure the review is recorded

Share the Review:

Share with the company

Establish if the review should be shared on social media

Confirm if the review should be shared

Email department

Follow Up:

Confirm if a follow-up customer message is needed

Send follow up message

Sources:

Related Checklists:

Introduction to Responding to Google Reviews:

This template will show you how to respond to Google reviews.

Everyone knows Google. It’s been around since 1998 and, as far as web-based search engines go, it’s the biggest in the world.

Google started with a basic search algorithm, allowing users to search the world wide web to find the answers to their burning questions. The power of the search engine inspired rapid growth and Google News, Gmail and Google Maps all launched within 3 quick years of each other.

Shortly after this growth spurt, it was announced that customers would be able to leave reviews via Google Maps.

Users were actively encouraged by Google Software Engineer, Jonathan Goldman, to...

“Tell the world all about your favorite (or least favorite) doctors and dentists, hotels, bakeries, hardware stores, salons, pet spas, auto mechanics, plumbers, and more. Or perhaps even your favorite restaurant in Tokyo. Give it a try to make your opinions known and discover new favorites” - Brightlocal

Over a decade later and Google is the fastest-growing review site around, with 64% of consumers saying they are likely to check reviews on Google before visiting a business - which is more than any other review site.

So it clearly pays to receive Google reviews. But what about responding to them?

That's where Process Street comes in. As previously mentioned, this template will show you how to respond to Google reviews.

Google themselves actively encourage companies to engage with all customer reviews. They believe that responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and the feedback that they leave about your business.

Which is backed up by Forbes:

“A business owner who responds to reviews, both good and bad, gives proof positive that they care about their customers” - Pamela N. Danziger

This template gives you a process to follow which identifies the best way to respond to your Google reviews, regardless of if they’re positive or negative.

Process Street is super-powered checklists. It’s the easiest way to manage your recurring tasks, procedures, and workflows.

Create a check list template and run individual checklists for each member of your team. You can check tasks off as you work through them, set deadlines, add approvals, assign tasks, and track each team member's progress.

You can also connect to thousands of Apps through Zapier and automate your workflows even more.

Enter checklist details

Complete the following fields to provide top-level information about the review.

Company name

Your name

Customers name

Date of review

Copy and paste the review here:

Confirm review type

Confirm if the review is positive or negative by answering the below question.

Is this review positive or negative?

Analyze and Respond to the Review:

Establish how to respond to the positive review

Answer the below question to establish how to respond to the review.

Can you add value to the customer’s comments?

Respond to the customer and add value

Identify how you can add value to the customer's review in the field below.

I can add value to the customers review by...

Respond to the Google review by copy and pasting the following response script into your response to the customer.

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

{{form.Customers_name}}, thank you for submitting your review.

Your review means the world to us, and we wanted to expand on your comments by {{form.I_can_add_value_to_the_customers_review_by...}}

We appreciate your support and value your custom.

We look forward to receiving more reviews from you in the future.

Thank you again.
{{form.Your_name}}

Create additional template responses by adding a text widget. Find out more here.

Respond the customer

Respond to the customer's review by copy and pasting the following response script into your reply.

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

{{form.Customers_name}}, thank you for submitting your review. We appreciate your ongoing support and value your custom.

We look forward to receiving more reviews from you in the future.

Thank you again.
{{form.Your_name}}

Create additional template responses by adding a text widget. Find out more here.

Select which reviewer type you are dealing with

Read the descriptions below and decide which type of reviewer you are dealing with in the drop-down field below.

People that leave negative reviews, tend to fit into the following categories:

Unhappy. Somewhere along the line things went wrong with this customer. Perhaps you dropped the ball, or you messed up their order. This customer has had a negative experience.

Rager. A rager will use their words, emotion, and tone to abuse. They leave nasty comments and make threats. This reviewer is a punisher.

Faker. A faker is someone who leaves a fake review

Misguided. This customer has been misinformed. Their review is based on inaccurate information that they’ve seen, read or heard.

Select which reviewer type you are dealing with

Establish how to respond to the unhappy customer

Answer the following question to determine how to respond to the unhappy customers negative review.

Customers review: {{form.Copy_and_paste_the_review_here:}}

Does the unhappy customer have their facts correct?

Give a solution to the unhappy customer

Identify your solution to the problem the customer is having in the field below.

What is your solution to the problem?

Respond to the google review by copy and pasting one of the following response scripts into your reply:

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

Response script 1: No follow-up

{{form.Customers_name}}, on behalf of {{form.Company_name}}, I'd like to apologize for your bad experience with us.

To rectify this, we will {{form.What_is_your_solution_to_the_problem?}}.

Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this and please do not hesitate to reach out to us if this doesn't resolve your issue.

We are grateful for your feedback as it means we can continue to improve.

Thank you,
{{form.Your_name}}

Response script 2: Follow-up

{{form.Customers_name}}, on behalf of {{form.Company_name}}, I'd like to apologize for your bad experience with us.

To rectify this, we will {{form.What_is_your_solution_to_the_problem?}}.

Please could you let me know if this resolves your issue?

We are grateful for your feedback as it means we can continue to improve.

Thank you,
{{form.Your_name}}

Create additional template responses by adding a text widget. Find out more here.

Supply the correct information to the unhappy customer

As the customer has been misguided, identify what the correct information is in the field below.

Add the correct information here:

Respond to the google review by copy and pasting the following response script into your reply.

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

Response script.

{{form.Customers_name}}, on behalf of {{form.Company_name}}, I'd like to apologize for your bad experience with us.

We've had a look into this and we believe you have been misinformed.

We will make this clearer for future customers.

Once again, we are sincerely sorry for the confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if this doesn't resolve your issue.

We are grateful for your feedback as it means we can continue to improve.

Thank you,
{{form.Your_name}}

Respond to the misguided customer

As the customer has been misguided, identify what the correct information is in the field below.

Add the correct information for the misguided customer here:

Update the customer with accurate information in your response. Copy and paste the following response script into your google review reply.

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

Customers review: {{form.Copy_and_paste_the_review_here:}}

Example script.

{{form.Customers_name}}, on behalf of {{form.Company_name}}, I'd like to apologize for the confusion we have caused.

{{form.Add_the_correct_information_for_the_misguided_customer_here:}}

We will make this clearer for future customers.

Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if this doesn't resolve your issue.

We are grateful for your feedback as it means we can continue to improve.

Thank you,
{{form.Your_name}}

Establish how to respond to the rager

Answer the following questions to determine how to respond to the rager customers negative review.

Customers review: {{form.Copy_and_paste_the_review_here:}}

Does the rager have their facts correct?

Supply the correct information to the rager

As the customer has been misguided, identify what the correct information is in the field below.

Add the correct information for the rager here:

Respond to the customer by copy and pasting the following response script into your Google review reply.

Make sure you customize the response and adapt it accordingly.

Example script.

{{form.Customers_name}}, on behalf of {{form.Company_name}}, I'd like to apologize for your bad experience with us.

We've had a look into this and we believe you have been misinformed.

We will make this clearer for future customers.

Once again, we are sincerely sorry for this confusion and any inconvenience this may have caused you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if this doesn't resolve your issue.

We are grateful for your feedback as it means we can continue to improve.

Thank you,
{{form.Your_name}}

Escalate the rager

Monitor this review, but do not respond.

Escalate this review to your Review manager by sending the below email.

A complaint should always be acknowledged and addressed, but a "rager" is simply there to incite anger. Don't feed them the very treat they are seeking.

Escalate the faker

Select the reasons why you feel this review is fake. You can select more than one reason.

Why do you believe this review is fake?

1

high number of reviews left on the same day
2

suspicious language / phrase repetition
3

abundance of spelling / grammar errors
4

the reviewers profile

Monitor this review, but do not respond.

Escalate this review to your Review manager by sending the below email. They will be able to report or flag it to the marketplace as inappropriate.