Every contractor gets one eventually: a one-star review that feels unfair. Your first instinct is to fire back. Don't.
Your reply isn't really for the person who left the review. It's for the next fifty homeowners who read it before deciding who to call.
#The 4-step reply
- Thank them. "Thanks for taking the time to share this, Mark."
- Acknowledge the problem without arguing. "I'm sorry the job didn't go the way you expected."
- Take it offline. "I'd like to make this right. Please call me directly at the office."
- Sign with a real name. "Dave, owner."
Short, calm and human. That's it.
#An example
ExampleThanks for the feedback, Mark. I'm sorry the scheduling caused trouble on your end. That's not the experience we want anyone to have. I'd like to talk this through and make it right. Please call me at the office. Dave, owner
#What never to say
- "This never happened" or "You're lying." Even if it's true, it reads badly.
- Customer details, prices or anything private about the job.
- Long explanations about who was at fault.
- Copy-paste replies that are the same on every review.
#When the review is fake or breaks the rules
If the person was never your customer, or the review is spam, offensive or about the wrong business, you can flag it for removal in your Google profile. Google makes the call. While you wait, a short, calm reply is still a good idea:
ExampleWe can't find any record of this job. If we've missed something, please call us so we can look into it.
#Fix the cause
If several reviews mention the same thing, like being late, not calling back or messy job sites, that's not a review problem. It's a process problem, and fixing it does more than any reply.
#Bury it with good reviews
One bad review among many good ones barely matters. Among three reviews, it hurts. The real fix is asking every happy customer for a review, every time.
Need help with this? Review management is included in every plan. See also: how to get more Google reviews.