In today’s digital marketing realm, Google Business Profile is a crucial platform for businesses to facilitate their customer journey to their stores. It’s more than just a listing; it’s a dynamic space where customers leave feedback for Google to optimise the listings, and reviews to tell others about your business, offering invaluable insights and shaping perceptions. However, the importance of responding to these reviews often goes unnoticed, particularly in larger organisations where coordination between departments can be challenging. In this article, we will explore the significance of replying to Google Reviews and how it’s a joint responsibility among operations/retail, customer care, and marketing teams. Responsibility for making this happen lies in the C-suite.

The Impact of Responding to Google Reviews

Replying to Google Reviews has an impact, and we can quantify it. We researched all of our customer data for 2023 and found that on average, 41% of the reviews collected by our customers were replied to. Interestingly, when we asked our LinkedIn followers, most thought the number was around 10 – 15% or north of 75%.

1. Boosting your Online Reputation by increasing your average star ranking

In today’s digital age, online reputation holds significant weight. Google Reviews act as digital recommendations, influencing potential customers’ decisions. By responding to reviews, whether positive or negative, businesses demonstrate their attentiveness and dedication to customer satisfaction, ultimately enhancing their online reputation. Too fluffy for you? Well, we did the maths on it.

And we know that :

For every one per cent increase in your reply rate, your ranking will increase by 0.13 per cent.

2. Improving Local SEO by enhancing your rank

Google favours active engagement on its platforms. By responding to reviews, businesses signal relevance and activity, which can positively impact their local search rankings. This, in turn, helps drive organic traffic to the Google Business Profile listings, drives more conversion (because of higher impression volume) and hence footfall to physical locations. Which boosts local turnover. Too fluffy again? No worries…

We did the maths on it :

For every one per cent increase in your reply rate, both your impressions and your actions will increase by 0.31 per cent.

3. Building Trust and Credibility by being on top of your reviews

Transparency and authenticity are vital in building trust with consumers. By responding to reviews promptly and personally, businesses humanise their brand, showing that they value customer feedback. This fosters trust and credibility, leading to increased customer loyalty and repeat business. You said it – too fluffy again.

We found that :

For 90% of our customers, there is a negative correlation between the length of time it takes to respond to reviews.

We are not sure if the news here should be the 90% or 10%. Does this mean that 10% of businesses reply to Google reviews in a manner which leads people to shy away from contacting them?

Challenges in Larger Organisations when Replying to Reviews

In larger organisations, responding to Google Reviews poses unique challenges, including:

Scale and Volume: With multiple locations and a higher volume of reviews, it becomes increasingly difficult to monitor and respond to each review promptly and effectively. Language can start to become a problem as well if customers have international operations. Check out our AI review replying functionality if this is you.
Coordination and Communication: Siloed structures and lack of communication between departments can hinder timely response to reviews. Each department may have its own priorities and protocols, leading to inconsistencies in messaging and responsiveness.
Resource Allocation: Limited resources, both in terms of manpower and time, can hinder the organisation’s ability to allocate dedicated personnel to manage and respond to reviews across all locations effectively.

Joint Responsibility among Departments

To overcome these challenges and maximise the benefits of responding to Google Reviews, collaboration among operations/retail, customer care, and the marketing team is crucial. Here’s why:

Operations/Retail: Frontline staff have valuable insights into customer experiences at physical locations. Collaborating with them ensures that responses are informed, context-aware, and aligned with the brand’s values and standards.
Customer Care: Customer care teams are equipped to handle customer inquiries and complaints across various channels. Integrating Google Reviews into their workflow ensures prompt responses and effective resolution of issues, demonstrating a commitment to customer satisfaction. Replying to negative reviews sometimes requires a professional approach. We have seen companies where customer care teams are responsible for replying to one and two-star reviews.
Marketing Team: The marketing team plays a pivotal role in shaping the brand’s online presence and reputation. By incorporating Google Reviews into their omnichannel marketing strategy, they can leverage positive feedback as social proof and address negative feedback proactively, thereby enhancing the brand’s image. Also, with the proof points above, they will ensure their time investment increases organic visibility and conversion.

Conclusion

In conclusion, replying to Google Reviews is not just about customer service; it’s a strategic imperative for omnichannel marketers. By actively engaging with reviews and fostering a culture of responsiveness across departments, organisations can enhance their online reputation, improve local SEO, and build trust and credibility with customers. In today’s digital landscape, where every interaction matters, embracing the power of review management is essential for staying ahead of the competition and driving business growth.

Read more about local SEO in our search blog.

Why Replying to Google Reviews is a Quick Win: Proof Points for Omnichannel Marketers.