Key business takeaways
- Responding to Yelp reviews shows you appreciate your customers and helps build their trust
- Use your reviews as a learning tool and explain to customers how you’re taking action to improve their experience
- Take your time to craft thoughtful review responses that put your personality and business’s values on display
When a customer writes a Yelp review about your business, they’re committing their time and effort to provide meaningful feedback and share their thoughts with you. Reviews are an invaluable tool to learn where you can improve your business and how you can bring in repeat and new customers alike.
Whether reviews are praising or constructive, it’s always important to show your customers you appreciate the time they put into writing a thoughtful review. One of the best ways to build trust and strong relationships with your customers is to respond and let them know their voice is being heard.
From the customer’s perspective, seeing a review response shows them their opinions are valued and helps them feel a personal connection to your business. Below, five Yelp reviewers share what it means to them when business owners respond to their reviews.
Bonus: Check out five review response strategies but from the business owner perspective.
1. Include personal details to make your responses stand out
If you aren’t sure what to say, a simple “Thank you” is always a great way to start. If you want to stand out for your customer service, consider including personal details to show how much your customers stand out to you.
For example, Yvette C., who frequently reviews businesses on Yelp, lauds the personal attention she received from Uncommon Closet owner Korri Burton-Universe. Korri included a personal note about Yvette’s next appointment, which demonstrated to Yvette how much Korri valued their interaction.
“When I write good reviews, [the response is] usually just a standard ‘Thank you.’ Korri actually put a little bit more in showing gratitude and appreciation,” Yvette said. “They took the time and they were like, ‘Thank you for that review. It’s really gonna help us out. We can’t wait to see you.’ So it was nice to get a little bit more.”
2. Articulate your intention to act upon customer feedback
While it feels great to receive a positive review, critical reviews are often the best way to learn how to improve your business. When responding to critical reviews, it’s important to acknowledge the customer’s experience and explain how you will take action to improve in the future.
Although David H.’s review for CALA was five stars, he included constructive criticism, such as the long wait time he faced before being seated. When business manager Cherish B. responded, she included an apology and expressed the restaurant’s intention to prevent this from happening again.
“The response is massive. Anytime that I have received one back—good or bad—I’m grateful for it because I’m like, ‘Okay, they actually read it,’” David said. “They’re going to take it into consideration, and they’re going to hopefully make the adjustment because [the review] has to breed action.”
3. Show your personality in your response
When crafting review responses, include your personal voice to demonstrate your business’s culture and help customers feel more connected to you. If a review is critical, respond with empathy and transparency. If a review is encouraging, don’t be afraid to put some humor and personality in your response to humanize your business.
In responding to a review from Jennifer W., Rescue Air and Plumbing owner Josh Campbell infused his own personality and even cracked a joke about giving her the award for “best customer of the day.” Jennifer said this helped her better relate to the business and understand what they’re all about.
“To me, [seeing] a random 1-star review doesn’t mean much, but I can tell a lot when I see a business responding about what kind of business model they have,” Jennifer said. “Are they customer focused? Are they calm, cool, and collected in their response? There’s so much you can learn about the company that you’re about to do business with.”
4. Take your time to craft a thoughtful response
In trying to reply to as many reviews as possible, you might be tempted to simplify them by using a templated response. While this can be a good starting point, it’s more effective to invest some time into writing a custom response that addresses at least one detail from the customer’s review.
Reviewer Rae M. said she’s able to tell how much effort and time business owners put into crafting their responses. After writing a lengthy review of Closet America, she appreciated that business manager Tim Brooks responded with more than a simple “thank you,” and really put effort into his response.
“Sometimes I’ll get two or three words from a business: ‘Thanks for coming.’ I think, ‘Jeez, that’s kinda lame. You could at least put a little umph to it,’” Rae said. “I’ve put in some time writing this review, you could at least say a little bit more than that.”
5. Respond to reviews in a consistent and timely manner
By checking Yelp reviews and responding often, you can regularly engage customers and keep them coming back. While it’s important to take your time to craft a thoughtful response, waiting too long to respond can make it seem like you don’t value customer feedback.
When Beth C. reviewed Botanica Skin and Brow Studio, she didn’t expect to receive a response from owner Kristin Near as fast as she did. Beth said this prompt response made her more likely to recall her experience at Botanica and return later.
“She did respond right away. She definitely has a lot of positive reviews, so she just seems very on top of her business,” Beth said. “It makes you feel important in a way, like your words are significant and that you are helping other people find their business.”
These lessons come from an episode of Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen below to hear from these reviewers, or visit the episode page to read more, subscribe to the show, and explore other episodes.
The information above is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice and may not be suitable for your circumstances. Unless stated otherwise, references to third-party links, services, or products do not constitute endorsement by Yelp.