Question:
I know I should be responding to negative Google/Yelp reviews but am having trouble keeping up with reading and responding to the good ones too. Do people expect a response or should I let it go?
– General Manager
Answer:
You raise two important questions here:
- How do I keep up with monitoring review sites?
- Should I respond to positive reviews or only to negative reviews?
For the first question, for day-to-day monitoring of social media, let’s assume you don’t have a substantive problem that would require the services of a communications expert. In that case, my advice is to engage a social media intern or tech-savvy employee who can efficiently check out the major sites, flag anything that requires your professional oversight and input, provide simple responses on your behalf and summarize what is happening for you.
This will allow you to use your time where it is best spent—focusing on delivering a great hospitality experience to your guests in hopes of getting more and more good reviews.
On the second question, whether you should respond only to bad reviews or to good ones as well, my advice is that you (or a designee) respond to both good and bad reviews, even if the good reviews only get a quick note thanking the guest for their feedback and inviting them back soon to enjoy your hospitality.
Kylie Flett, public relations and social media director at Punch Media PR, agrees. She says, “We always recommend that our restaurant clients address negative reviews on any and all review sites, even if it is as simple as encouraging them to share more info via email. It shows management is engaged and actively working to rectify any perceived issues. Of course, if the claims are false, it also takes things off of a public forum. A simple thank you to a positive comment is also recommended—especially in a competitive landscape. Thanking a guest for positive feedback is imperative to making them feel special—and securing a future visit.”
As I often discuss in this column, communication is key. Guests have many other priorities competing for their time. Whether you like the review or not, they clearly thought their experience at your restaurant was important enough to warrant the feedback. The least you can do is to thank them for it.
More on responding to reviews here.