Google Places Business Reviews

Closing the gap between Google Places and main competitor Yelp, Google has updated the service with the ability to respond to customer reviews.

Verified business owners can now respond to user reviews on Google Places and engage with their customers, whether it is acknowledging a positive review or addressing a negative review. Though businesses were able to post up real-time updates to promote a sale or new service, unlike Yelp, Google Places did not previously allow the business to enter into any kind of dialogue with its customers.

This new feature makes Google Places all the more valuable to a business, as it provides a convenient way to reinforce a customer’s positive experience, find out about problems that may have led to a negative experience and let the customer know that the problems have been addressed.

Few would deny that ignoring your customers, or simply allowing them to feel like they have been ignored is a bad move for a business. And with this new feature on Google Places, it is an easy thing to avoid.  Acknowledging a positive review will only make that reviewer more pleased with the service they have received and, however hard they may be to hear, negative reviews can help to improve the service you provide. Equally, addressing the review publicly might just be the key to turning a negative reviewer into a loyal supporter.

Effective social media engagement is a vital part of any online strategy, because like it or not, as Chris Anderson stated:

“Your brand is what Google says your brand is, not what you say your brand is.”

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