Future customers pay more attention to how you respond than to what it says.
You manage reviews by responding to all: including critical ones: matter-of-factly and without emotion, and by consistently asking for reviews after each completed assignment. A profile with only five stars arouses suspicion; criticism with a polite response builds trust.
STEP BY STEP
This is how you approach it
- Claim your company profileWithout a claim you cannot respond and you will not be notified of new reviews. This is the first step and it is often skipped.
- Turn on notificationsYou want to be able to respond within a day, especially in case of criticism. A response after three weeks reads as disinterest.
- Respond to all reviewsAlso on a positive note, briefly. In critical reviews, your response is the most important piece of text on your entire profile, because that is where doubting customers read most carefully.
- Respond factually, not emotionallyAcknowledge what is right, correct what is wrong without arguing, and offer to resolve it. A defensive reaction is more damaging than the complaint itself.
- Ask for reviews consistentlyAfter each completed assignment, with a direct link. To everyone, not just those who seem satisfied: selective asking is against the rules and recognizable.
- Only report what really violates the rulesInsults, spam or a review from someone who was not a customer. Leave a negative but genuine review alone; that is part of it.
PITFALLS
What not to do
Buying reviews or having them written by acquaintances is the fastest way to lose your credibility, and platforms recognize the pattern.
And get into a discussion under a negative review. You don't write for the reviewer, but for the hundred people who read it later: they mainly see how you deal with criticism.
- Don't buy or invent — irredeemable if convenient.
- Don't ask selectively — against the rules.
- Don't argue — you write for future readers.
- Respond to everything — within a day.
- Leave criticism alone — only five stars arouses suspicion.
- Ask consistently — every delivery.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
More about reviews
Can I have a negative review removed?
Only if it violates the rules: offensive, spam, or from someone who was not a customer. An honest negative experience remains, and rightly so. Your reaction is your answer.
How quickly should I respond?
Within a working day for criticism, within a week for praise. A quick response to criticism shows that you take it seriously, and that's exactly what readers judge.
Can I give a discount for a review?
No. This is prohibited on most platforms and it makes the reviews worthless. If you have to pay for praise, that praise means nothing.
CONTINUE READING
Of course, continue reading about this subject.
Reviews that help?
We help set up a routine so that reviews come in automatically after each delivery.