Every business gets a bad review eventually. Future customers read your reply as closely as the review itself. A calm, helpful reply can turn a negative into proof that you care.
Five rules for replying
- Reply within a day, but not in anger. Wait an hour if you need to.
- Thank them and apologise for the experience, even if you disagree.
- Be specific about what you are doing to fix it.
- Move the conversation offline with a phone number or email.
- Never share private details, especially for clinics and professional services.
Example replies
Long waiting time
“Hi Rahul, thank you for telling us, and we’re sorry you had to wait. We have added evening slots and an SMS reminder when your turn is near. Please call us on 98765 43210 so we can make your next visit better.”
Unhappy with the result
“Hi Priya, we’re sorry the result wasn’t what you expected. We’d like to understand what happened and put it right. Please contact us at the number below and ask for our manager.”
A review that seems fake
“We take all feedback seriously, but we couldn’t find a record of this visit. Please contact us directly so we can look into it.”
What not to do
- Argue, blame or accuse the customer publicly.
- Copy-paste the same reply to every review.
- Offer money or gifts to remove a review.
Then bring in more good reviews
One negative review matters less when surrounded by many recent positive ones. Ask every happy customer, using our review request templates.
Need help writing replies? Try our free review reply generator.
Want the full picture? This article is part of Google Business Profile: the complete guide, our in-depth guide with everything in one place.
