It is the newest hot tech topic: ChatGPT. While everyone is amazed: We investigate ChatGPT capabilities to reply to reviews. We are amazed by the results.
What does ChatGPT do?
ChatGPT is similar to a chatbot that uses machine learning (a field known as natural language processing). It is able to generate text that is completely new incorporating what the comment or question is of the user.
Reviews in Local SEO
Local SEO is search engine optimization to help Google Business Profiles be more visible in the local search results on Google.
To indicate the importance of local SEO: 46% of all search queries on Google have local intent and the increase of ‘near me’ searches has increased with 400% over the last years.
Therefore Google Business Profile optimisation has become a key component of any digital marketing strategy.
One of the most important ranking factors is reviews and the proper management of it. This involves replying professionally to reviews, negative and positive ones.
If a business responds to 100% of its reviews as opposed to none, the study of Soci finds that the conversion rate of a Google Business profile improves by 16.4%.
The challenge of reviews : For multiple location businesses, the influx of new reviews daily is massive, and replying to each review is a big endeavour.
Our multi-location Local SEO Tool, GMBapi.com aims to help clients enhance performance across all Google platforms. Think about review management, Q&A, evaluating your efforts in analytics and posting in multiple locations at once.
ChatGPT replies to Reviews
In our effort to make it easier to reply to reviews, we have built in a “suggested reply” that uses Chat GPT that generates a reply to reviews. This functionality is able to reply in all Latin languages to reviews. We have been testing it and the replies to Google reviews are pretty impressive.
We can set a level in the tool for the informality of the review response. During testing we chose the middle ground, (we want to sound human, but not too wacky). We are thinking about giving customers the option to set this themselves but as we are amazed with the current setting, we are confident that the functionality can be used in its current form.
Why should you reply to Google reviews?
Your online reputation is important. Potential customers read Google reviews when they are in the decision making process. Do they want to visit your location or not? Are you trustworthy? What do others say about this business? And how does this business deal with its customers? We all know your potential customers trust your Google reviews.
Our research has shown that when businesses reply to reviews, there are two effects:
- People that are leaving a review tend to be less negative because they will expect a reply.
- Potential customers see that you care about customer feedback and take the effort to respond, which enhances your conversion rate.
We asked ChatGPT: Can we use ChatGPT for replying to reviews?
Here is what they had to say for themselves: Yes, it is possible to use ChatGPT or any other language model for replying to reviews. However, it is important to keep in mind that language models are trained on a large dataset of text and may not have specialised knowledge or understanding of a specific industry or product. It is also important to review the responses generated by the model to ensure they are appropriate and accurate.
We fully agree.
Next we asked ChatGPT for some tips on how to respond to a Google Review.
- Respond promptly: Responding to reviews quickly shows that you value your customers’ opinions and care about their experience.
- Be professional: Keep your responses polite, professional, and courteous, even if the review is negative.
- Address the customer’s concerns: Acknowledge the customer’s issues and take steps to address them.
- Be personal: Use the customer’s name and tailor your response to the specific situation.
- Offer a solution: If the customer had a negative experience, offer a solution to make it right.
- Show appreciation: If the customer had a positive experience, thank them for their review and for choosing your business.
- Be honest: Don’t try to hide negative reviews or pretend they don’t exist. Be transparent and honest in your responses.
- Keep it short and sweet: Keep your responses concise and to the point.
- Keep it public: Respond to reviews publicly, not privately, as it shows that you’re open and transparent in your customer service.
Remember that responding to reviews is a great opportunity to connect with your customers and build a positive reputation for your business.
The ultimate result: Review replies compared
Here are some examples of real customer reviews, a human reply vs the reply ChatGPT would have given.
Customer: Great people and a very safe place to stash our luggage
Human reply: Thank you for taking the time to leave us this review.
ChatGPT reply: Thank you for your kind words! We are so glad to hear that you had a positive experience with us. We strive to provide a safe and secure environment for all of our customers. Thank you for choosing us and we look forward to seeing you again soon!
We know what is involved!
The team at GMBapi.com are experienced in assisting clients with reputation management, search engine optimization, and business growth with our local SEO software, you can manage your multi-location Google Business Profiles with ease.
GMBapi.com saves you time with:
- Updating business information
- Posting into multiple locations at once
- Monitor and reply to reviews
- Populating and responding to Q&As
But also GMBapi:
- Tracks and visualises performance
- Reports on performance
- Setup A/B tests to see the impact of efforts
Making us a valuable partner who doesn’t just do business but builds real connections. To book your free demo, get in touch!
