The Ultimate Guide to Review Management for Businesses

Introduction

Online reviews are no longer only feedback for business; they form a piece of the brand’s reputation. Whether you’re a small or a big business owner, the way you take your client reviews may very well affect your success. There is a direct relationship between gaining online reviews and getting more customers as around 93% of people read online reviews before making a purchase decision. If you are a business owner and struggling to manage reviews efficiently then this blog is your ultimate solution for transforming review management headaches into opportunities for making your customers fall in love with your brand.

What is Review Management?

Customer review management is basically a process that involves tracking, online review monitoring, and instantly responding to customer or client reviews over all the review sites. This not only makes sure that you are resolving your customer queries as soon as they arise but also helps your business identify the loopholes or dislikes bout your business which in turn helps in improving your online review management strategy to make it more customer-centered.

Role of Online Review Management in Business Success

Reviews build trust and credibility

Reviews are a vital way to build trust and credibility with your customers as they act as social proof or validation of your business that persuades customers to go for your business even more than any promotional offer can. This not only instills confidence but also helps your business grow. 

Increases conversion rates

Reviews and conversions go hand in hand as per a study around 68% of people formed an opinion after reading 1 to 6 reviews. Managing online reviews becomes important with the fact that approximately 94% of customers say that a negative review has convinced them to avoid a business. Hence if you are making your customer ratings and reviews management game strong, it will take you a long way in your business in terms of conversions as well as sales.

Helps in  personalized marketing

Reviews provide comprehensive knowledge about the behavior of customers, preferences, and sentiments. This information is very useful in shaping business marketing strategies. Reviewing data from the reviews would allow a business to segment the audience more effectively, providing personalized offers and messages relevant to individual needs.

It enables you to identify areas for improvement

Customer reviews not only tell about their preferences but also include the strengths and weaknesses of your offerings. Much can be learned from such repetitive complaints or advice on areas in which improvement is needed. These could range from the quality of the product to customer service or user experience; all these issues, by direct feedback, can be improved for better customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.

Resolve customer complaints and improve reputation

Addressing reviews and responding promptly shows that you value your customers and are dedicated to solving their problems. If handled with care it also changes the tide of a customer’s bad experience hence resolving customer complaints is very important. Responding thoughtfully to client complaints also shows prospective clients that your business is proactive in maintaining high service standards.

Improves search engine rankings

Search engines love anything that has a constant flux of reviews, especially the ones with positive ratings. Consistently updated reviews with great ratings let search engines know that your business is active and trusted, thus may perhaps help improve your local search rankings. In light of this, effective ratings and reviews management could help improve your online visibility, thereby improving organic traffic to your website or business listings.

How to Generate More Reviews for Your Business 

Send out post-sales texts 

This is one very simple, yet effective way to encourage customers to review your business: send them a friendly text message immediately after making a purchase or after taking the service. The timing here is everything—right after a positive interaction or a successful purchase, customers are most likely to want to leave a review. A very short and personal message with a direct link to your review platform will easily get them to share their experience. Here is when Emitrr excels as it helps you send quick review requests in just a few clicks.

Mention reviews in all customer correspondences

It is important to remind your customers to leave reviews on all your communication channels. You can do this through emails, newsletters, invoices, or any simple follow-up message. Sometimes, a gentle reminder for a review makes a world of difference. By incorporating review reminders into your regular day-to-day communications, you will be at the top of customer’s minds when they are looking to share feedback without being pushy.

Incorporate review prompts across your site

Facilitate your customers for writing reviews by embedding review prompts along with all relevant digital and physical touchpoints of their experience with your business. You can do this by adding a review call-to-action on the thank-you page, on a customer dashboard, or as a pop-up right after a transaction. The easier it is to find, the more likely they are to participate.

Use multiple channels to collect reviews

To reach a wider customer base it is important to diversify the ways through which you collect reviews. You can collect reviews from platforms such as Google, Yelp, social media, or any industry-specific review sites. Remember the more diverse your review channels, the more opportunities customers have to share their feedback or reviews which also in turn leads to a high number of reviews.

For more detailed insight check out our comprehensive guide on how to ask for reviews to boost your online presence and credibility.

Build An Effective Online Review Management Strategy in 7 Steps 

Claim and Optimize Your Business Profiles Across Platforms

First things first, In ratings and online business reviews management it is important that your business is listed on all those sites that are important and matters. You need to claim your business on major review sites such as Google, Yelp, and others. After claiming you need to optimize the profile by adding important details such as contact information, business hours, and photos. An optimized profile helps potential customers to have credibility and better visibility in order to find and trust your business much more easily.

Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews

Actively asking for reviews through in-person interaction, phone calls, or digital conversations. A lot of customers do not even think of leaving a review until they get a reminder or a prompt, an easy and simple request from a business through their sales person, support agent or automated message can also make a difference. Apart from this, you can also give your customers incentives in the form of cashback, coins, or discounts that will motivate them to leave a review for your business.  You can do it easily using Emitrr. 

Respond Promptly, Professionally, and Consistently

For an effective online business review management service you need to be quick in responding to all kinds of reviews, whether positive or negative, to show respect for customer feedback. Quick and quality responses show respect, foster more reviews, and really take care of the business. Responding to positive reviews and addressing negative ones from a solution-based perspective will help an organization improve its relationships and reputation. 

Make Review Requests Personal

If you want your customers to share their reviews, personalization is very important. A well-matched request to the customer’s experience will make them feel valued and will make them more willing to spend time writing a review. You can do it in various ways such as including specific details of their purchase or service, which makes the request feel less generic, and personalized outreach also shows you’re really interested in their opinion. Here is when Emitrr excels as it offers the capability to personalize your review requests as per customers’ preferences. 

Showcase Your Reviews Everywhere

Showing your reviews becomes an important part of online business reviews management hence after collecting the reviews it is vital to share those reviews across all of your marketing channels. Share on your website and social media profiles, in-store displays—and places where your customers are most active. Easily share customer testimonials front and center to reassure customers of your credibility and build trust with prospects. If positive feedback is highlighted at key touchpoints along the customer journey, it can work magic in building brand image and driving conversions. Emitrr excels when it comes to sharing reviews on other platforms, with the best review management service sharing reviews has never been this easy.

Ensure Consistent Online Review Monitoring

Online Review Monitoring is a key to review and reputation management as it is important to keep tabs on new reviews through tools or with alerts, so you will be ready always to respond as quickly as possible. In this way, you can track the trends of customer opinion and act more effectively against any emerging issues. Apart from this it also allows you to keep track of your online reputation and make adjustments as needed.

Analyze, Learn, and Improve

The final component of your online review management strategy is the analysis of reviews and feedback for improvements in your business. Identify trends—maybe there are some recurrent complaints or things customers love the most—and act on them. Use this to improve products, services, or customer experience. By learning from the reviews, you will be able to tweak your operations further and further to fit into the changing needs of your customers and Emitrr offers you a simple yet effective feature where you can track important metrics related to reviews such as total review counts from different channels, number of review requests sent automatically and manually, reviews generated in a month or a year and a lot more.

Tips to Handle Negative Reviews Like A Pro

Acknowledge Quickly

More than half of the customers say that they expect businesses to reply to negative reviews within a week and almost one-third of them expect a response within three days or sooner. Offering timely and prompt responses shows that the business understands the importance of feedback and values the customers. 

Move the Conversation Offline

Whenever it comes to negative reviews, taking the conversation offline is the best way to handle it, you can do it by calling, texting, or emailing the customer to discuss their concern. This approach not only allows for a more personal and detailed interaction but also shows your willingness to go the extra mile to resolve the issue. It further prevents the situation from getting out of hand in a public forum and offers an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into a lifelong advocate.

Respond with Respect and Empathy

Always maintain a respectful and empathetic tone when dealing with negative reviews. Acknowledge customer frustration and apologize where needed. Even if you feel the comment is unfair, empathy acts as a great tension diffuser and demonstrates that you really care about your business.

Remember To Follow-Up

Next will be follow-up. After addressing the problem ask the customer to determine whether the solution has exceeded or met their expectation and if there is more that you can do. This additional step not only works in your favor in terms of their satisfaction but also maximizes the chances of winning back their trust and gaining possibly positive word-of-mouth in the near future.

Industry Wise Online Business Review Request Templates

Real Estate Online Business Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a real estate industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hello [Client’s Name], we are happy to have assisted you in finding your new home. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a minute and share your experience. Your feedback is very important to us and most especially to others in unlocking their dream property. If you have a moment, could you leave us a review? Thanks for choosing [Your Real Estate Agency].

Healthcare Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a healthcare industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hello [Name of the Patient], we very much hope that your recent visit to a doctor went smoothly. Your feedback would be very important for us to match a higher level of care if you could spare some minutes to leave us a review. Your insights will help others make informed decisions in their Healthcare.

Wellness Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a wellness industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Dear [Client’s Name], thank you for choosing [Your Wellness Center]! We hope you enjoyed your recent visit. We’re committed to providing a relaxing and rejuvenating experience, and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Could you share your feedback in a quick review? Your input means a lot to us and helps others find the right wellness service.

Education Review Request SMS Template

Here’s an education industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hello [Parent/Student’s Name], we hope [Student’s Name] is thriving at [Your Educational Institution]. We’re always striving to improve the learning experience, and your feedback plays a key role. Would you be willing to leave us a review? It helps other families learn more about the education we provide and how we support student success.

Veterinary Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a veterinary industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hi [Pet Owner’s Name], it was wonderful caring for [Pet’s Name] at [Your Veterinary Clinic]. We’d love to hear your thoughts about our services and how [Pet’s Name] is doing. Could you leave us a quick review? Your feedback helps us continue providing top-notch care to all our furry friends!

Home Services Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a home service Industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Dear [Client’s Name], we’re glad we could help with [specific service] at your home. Your satisfaction is our top most priority, and we’d appreciate it if you could share your experience in a review. Your feedback helps other homeowners find reliable home services they can trust.

Legal Services Review Request SMS Template

Here’s a legal service Industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hi [Client’s Name], it was our privilege to assist you with [specific legal matter]. We take pride in delivering clear and effective legal support. If you found our service helpful, we’d appreciate it if you could leave us a review. Your feedback can guide others in need of legal assistance.

Insurance Industry Review Request SMS Template

Here’s an insurance industry review request template that you can easily customize to fit your brand’s tone:

Hello [Client’s Name], we hope your recent experience with [Your Insurance Agency] met your needs. We’d be grateful if you could take a moment to share your thoughts in a review. Your feedback helps others understand how we support our clients in protecting what matters most.

Online Business Review Management vs. Reputation Management: What’s the Difference?

How Online Review Management Empowers Reputation Management

• Review managing is an essential part of reputation management, but it’s only one aspect of a larger online review management strategy. Reputation management also involves Social media monitoring, Tracking news coverage, Improving customer experience, and crisis communication.

• Ratings and reviews management is mostly about the visibility of a brand based on customer reviews; whereas reputation management deals with meeting the expectations of a large group of stakeholders like investors, employees, regulatory bodies, and the public at large.

• Business review management online integrated into a broader reputation strategy brings several benefits: insight into customer sentiment, quick resolution of problems, and highlighting your brand’s strengths to potential clients.

• Reputation management covers not only customer interactions but also monitors channels such as social media, and news outlets for any brand mentions to make sure that customers are having positive experiences over all the touchpoints. 

This holistic approach can serve as the bedrock for building a more resilient, credible business reputation.

Best Practices of Customer Review Management

Let AI Do the Heavy Lifting in the Online Review Management Strategy

You can leverage AI to make the process of business review management online more effective. It will automate tasks such as online review monitoring, sentiment analysis, and response drafting, unleashing your full potential of feedback invidious of not glaring at a dull heap of repetitive work to ensure no review passes through the cracks.

Don’t Ignore or Dismiss Negative Reviews

Every piece of feedback, be it positive or negative feedback, provides valuable insight. An expert response in a timely manner makes it evident that one really cares about facing the customer and honestly wants to improve. Offering problem resolution converts dissatisfied customers into some of the most loyal advocates.

Leverage Online Reviews to Improve Your Business

Use reviews for continuous improvement. Find the common issues or key themes that come up time and again from customers and identify areas in which your business can improve. You can also highlight your website, social media, and marketing materials with true reviews of real positive experiences. Showcasing honest experiences from real customers builds trust and gives credibility to your business. 

Consistency is the key 

In business review management online consistency is a critical factor for long-term success. You will retain a sense of reliability with regard to the brand image by having regular online review monitoring, responding to them in a timely manner, and continuous engagement with customers. Not only will consistency in handling negative and positive reviews build customer loyalty, but it lay a solid base for your online reputation as well. This will mean that when customers realize your company is attentive and responsive it reinforces their trust in your brand to give them higher retention rates and more customer satisfaction.

How Emitrr’s Capabilities Can Help You Achieve Your Online Business Review Management Goals

Emitrr is a platform that enables its customers to track reviews, send review requests (both manual and automated), and respond to reviews, with just a click of a button. With this capability, you can manage Google reviews or other review sites, without having to frantically check every single review site. The image below shows what your dashboard will look like:

Steps to Generate More Reviews and Easily Manage Online Reviews With Emitrr

To generate more reviews for your business, you can use Emitrr’s text review request features. You can follow these steps: 

1. Select “Send” from the top navigation panel. Navigate and select “review requests. 

2. Enter the contact(s) you wish to send the review request. (Labeled 1 in the image) 

3. If you add more than one recipient, you will receive a prompt to either send a group text or a mass text. (Labeled 2)

4. Add the Group/List name (Labeled 3)

5. A review template will automatically fill the message box. This will also have the link to your review site, this can be configured in the settings. (Labeled 4) 

6. Send the message immediately or schedule it for later. 

Review Monitoring with Emitrr

For online review monitoring, you need to enable notifications as soon as you receive a review. To do so, just follow these steps: 

1. Go to settings > Manage Teams
2. Corresponding to the user name select the three dots under action and then select manage notifications.

3. Under Manage Notifications select the boxes email notification and desktop notification 

Respond to Reviews with Emitrr

Upon selecting reviews you will be able to see all the reviews left by your customers for your business. The top panel will show you the total number of reviews received, along with the average rating received. 

Beneath the top panel, you will find all the reviews you have received across Facebook and Google. These reviews will display the name of the reviewer, the rating they left, and the review.

Underneath each review, there is a ‘reply/edit reply’ button. To leave a reply to the review received select ‘reply’ and type in your message. Once done click on ‘Done’. If you’ve already left a reply you will see that the button says ‘edit reply’. Select ‘edit reply’ if you want to change your response. Once done select ‘Done’. 

Share Reviews with Emitrr

To share reviews on your socials, you can follow these steps: 

1. Go to Reputation>Reviews on the left navigation panel.
2. Navigate to the review you want to share, by selecting the three dots in the top left corner of the review. 
3. Select ‘share on Facebook’. 

How Businesses Have Excelled in Their Review and Business Reputation Management Online by Leveraging Emitrr

Citryn Establishes Pathways for New Patient Acquisition and generated 1,500+ New Reviews 

Citryn implemented Emitrr’s patient interaction platform in September 2020 which transformed communication for their single as well as multi-location clients. Earlier they were relying on email, phone calls, and live chat, they saw a 70% boost in conversions after adopting Emitrr’s texting capabilities, which offer a 98% open rate. Key features such as webchat-to-text missed call texting, and automated FAQs helped streamline patient communication. Apart from this, by automating review requests via integrated EHRs, Citryn increased client reviews by 200%, leading to higher ratings, increased traffic, and more patient engagement. Over 8 months, Citryn expanded to 30 locations, achieving impressive results such as a 90% reduction in no-shows, 1,500+ new reviews, and 2,000+ leads through webchat.

Pinnacle Medical Group saw Growth In Reviews and Online Reputation with Emitrr

Pinnacle Medical Group significantly improved its patient communication and managed customer reviews with Emitrr. After implementing two-way texting for appointment reminders and questions, they significantly reduced the number of missed appointments and improved patient interaction. Automatic review requests increased feedback garnering over 90 reviews within three days and improving their ratings at all locations. Emitrr helped them effectively respond to negative reviews and improve their online reputation, thus retaining patients. There was 3x growth in online reviews and also much-smoothened communication, hence elevating the patient experience.

Review Management FAQs

Conclusion

Review management, in this digital world, is something that needs your attention. It is something that will build your credibility in a sea of competitors, help you reach out to a larger audience base, help improve your online reputation, and above all, assist you in reaching your business goals. So, if you are looking for a review and reputation management service then Emitrr is your go-to solution from automated review requests to real-time insights, businesses can make data-driven decisions with powerful features, enhancing customer satisfaction and boosting the overall reputation. You get a complete, easy-to-use customer review management tool to maximize every review with Emitrr and stay ahead of your competition. Book a demo with Emitrr and transform your business.