Guests write reviews for many reasons: they want to share their experience with other readers, thank the business owner, or complain about a certain situation. When they do leave feedback online, they expect a fast response. Most guests expect to hear back from a business in less than 7 days after leaving a review.

For this post, we have selected examples of review responses that had a major impact on customer experience.

1. Upselling: invite your guest with a specific purpose

In the examples below, guests were happy with their experience and posted positive reviews of the restaurants they visited. The owners didn’t only thank the guests for their feedback but also invited them to come back and do something they haven’t done yet.

After reading the management response, the guest came back to try a roast chicken which was suggested by the owner. He then updated his previous review with new feedback.

Unlike Facebook where there can be a “real” communication between the guests and the owner via Comments or Messenger, on Google, guests can only update their review. And in our experience, this happens quite often.

In this example, the guest recommended a bar she liked on Facebook. The business owner responded to her feedback and invited her to visit their Sunday brunch. As a result, the guest asked to book her in for brunch immediately.

What we see here is that review responses can be used as a powerful marketing tool that helps increase customer loyalty and engagement.

2. Asking for more details and taking the conversation off the platform

The review below was originally posted with a one-star rating and no text. The owner asked the guest for some more details about her visit to be able to improve in the future. He also provided an email address to which the guest could write directly to discuss the issue.

It turned out that she left a one-star rating by mistake. She liked the owner’s response, and since the overall experience at the restaurant was positive, she updated the review with a top rating.

This raise from one to five stars can be very significant in Google’s rating and make a difference when guests decide whether or not to visit a restaurant.

3. Explaining the situation and winning your guest’s trust

In the next example, a guest complained about the room temperature. The restaurant’s team apologized and tried to provide a solution. The restaurant didn’t try to push back but was very diplomatic and understanding. The response is personal and friendly.

Also, in this case, the guest updated the review: he was excited to receive a response to his criticism and gave one star more. This example shows that a professionally written management response can turn bad experiences into good ones. The guest’s impression of the restaurant changed and he even would like to come back.

Of course, the goal of a restaurant should be to provide outstanding customer experiences on a daily basis. But mistakes happen sometimes, and it’s important to deal with guest feedback smartly.

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Do you have a similar experience with online reviews? Share with us and leave a comment below.

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