Google review reply templates

Five stars, no comment

Thanks, {{name}}. Glad the {{thing you actually did}} worked out. If you need anything else, we're here.

Keep it to one line. There is nothing to respond to, and a long reply to a bare five-star rating reads as filler.

A fair complaint

{{name}}, I'm sorry. {{what went wrong, in your own words}} isn't how we work. {{What you have changed, specifically.}} If you'd like us to put it right, call {{who}} on {{number}} and ask for me.

{{your name}}, {{your role}}

Three parts, in this order: acknowledge the specific thing, say what changed, offer a route back. Do not explain why it happened before acknowledging it: that reads as a defence.

A factual error

Thanks for the note, {{name}}. Two things to correct for anyone reading: {{fact}}, and {{fact}}. If I've got the wrong visit, email {{address}} and I'll look it up.

Correct the record once, plainly, without arguing. You are writing for the next reader, not for the reviewer.

Someone who was never a customer

{{name}}, we have no record of this visit, and I'd like to. If you have a date or an invoice number, email {{address}}. If it's ours, I'll fix it. If it isn't, we've reported it.

Then report it. Google's process for a review that breaks its policies is to flag it; a review is not removed for being negative, only for breaking a policy.²

Something you cannot answer publicly

{{name}}, I can't discuss the details of a {{medical / legal / financial}} matter here. Please contact {{who}} at {{how}} and we'll go through it properly.

For a regulated business, a reply that confirms someone was a patient or a client can itself be the problem. Say you cannot discuss it, give a private route, stop.

What not to do

Related: responding to Google reviews · reporting a fake or abusive review · getting more Google reviews

Sources