Responding to Reviews

The Ultimate Guide to

In fact, 70% of respondents to a recent survey told us they read reviews because they are descriptive and helpful, with 62% of respondents saying that TripAdvisor reviews are accurate and reliable when it comes to the experience.

When talking specifically about restaurants, our respondents told us that reviews are more important than price or location when choosing where to dine.**

Reviews are not the only thing that travellers use to make decisions; they also rely on Management Responses, which is why you should strive to make every response exceptional. When you make an effort to continue the conversation after a guest has visited, customers appreciate it and take notice.

This eBook will show you how to:

Effectively respond to reviews

Use review responses to show guests that you care

Build a strong online reputation

Travellers across the globe rely on the 830 million reviews*** and opinions from people just like them to help make decisions on must-visit travel destinations and experiences.

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How to Craft the Perfect Response

CHAPTER 1

5 Ways to Craft the Perfect ResponseIn a recent survey of TripAdvisor users, 88% said that Management Responses influence where they choose to eat.*

While it may seem impossible when the reviews are piling up, keep in mind that you’re not expected to respond to every single review. It’s quality, not quantity that matters, so make sure every response showcases your hospitality. We pulled our five best tips for crafting the perfect response based on these real-life examples:

Always thank your guests for coming in and dining at your restaurant, even if they’re regulars. It’s the equivalent of your host thanking them on their way out the door, like this owner did:

“Thank you very much for your positive feedback about your visit. I am very delighted to hear that you enjoyed our food and the service there. We do very much appreciate your recommendation and it would be our pleasure to welcome you once again.”

Start with a Thank You1

Being professional and courteous doesn’t mean you have to sound like a robot. As always, it is important to be yourself, and if there is an issue, share what you are personally doing to rectify the situation. Letting your customers know who you are can make your response more relatable, like this owner did:

“Thank you for your review and please accept my apologies. We have taken on two brand new members of staff in the last week which must go some way to answering why you have not enjoyed your visit. We take all reviews seriously and I will make resolving all of the issues you have raised my priority over the next few days.”

Be Human3

While a negative review can be incredibly frustrating, apologise for what the customer disliked and be sure to note if it was an unusual occurrence so that future customers know. Take it from this owner:

“Thank you for taking the time to write a review. I’m sincerely sorry to hear you were let down by our service. I completely understand how frustrated you must’ve felt repeatedly waiting for service and asking for cutlery. Normally our service is much more timely and attentive, but it seems that you caught us on an off day. I’ll be sure to speak with the staff about your experience so that we can improve going forward.”

Be Positive, Professional and Courteous2

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Acknowledging and echoing the feedback you received in your response – positive or negative – shows that you care about what people are saying and that you’ve actually heard what they wanted to share.

“Congratulations on your anniversary! What a great occasion to celebrate with us. Your compliments about our friendly team are greatly appreciated. Thank you once more for your commendation and I look forward to welcoming you soon.”

Show Diners You are Listening

An invitation to return is a great way to show guests how much their experience in your restaurant means to you. If their experience was specifically negative, an invitation to come back may just be all you need to encourage the reviewer to give you another chance, like this owner did

“Thank you for taking the time to leave us your feedback. We are very sorry that you were disappointed with your recent meal. We take customer feedback like this very seriously and your comments have been passed on to the kitchen to be addressed. If you would like to discuss your experience further with a manager please send your details and review to us and someone will be in touch. We hope that you will give us another chance and return for a more pleasurable meal.”

Invite Them Back

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Showing customers that you are responsive is a great way to encourage guests past, present and future who may be reading your response to eat at your restaurant.

Remember that being yourself is what building your brand is all about, so don’t be afraid to add a personal touch.

TRY TO RESPOND TO REVIEWS AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

WHEN RESPONDING TO REVIEWS, BEING PROFESSIONAL AND SINCERE IS KEY.

PRO TIPS

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Now that you’re ready to respond, here’s how:

Go to tripadvisor.co.uk/Owners and search for your restaurant. Then click to claim your listing and follow the verification steps.

Claim Your Listing

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Once you’re logged in to the Management Centre, choose “Respond to Reviews” from the “Reviews” tab to get started.

Respond to ReviewsClick the button in the right-hand corner of the review that says “Respond”.

Craft Your Response

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How to Deal with Negative Reviews

CHAPTER 2

How to Deal with Negative ReviewsWhile the overwhelming majority of TripAdvisor reviews are to share positive experiences – 4 out of 5, in fact** – negative reviews happen to everyone.

While you can’t always control how someone leaves a review, you can control your response. Here’s how.

There’s Always a Silver LiningNegative reviews can seem heartbreaking, but they can also be a great hospitality opportunity. By responding to them and inviting the reviewer back, you show dedication to fixing the experience – something that all guests love to see.

How Reviews Help Your Restaurant OperationsReviews show you exactly what’s working – and what you need to improve. Use your reviews as an important feedback tool for your staff, menu and experience so you can constantly improve your restaurant and make it the best it can be.

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The 3x Rule

Which is exactly what happened with El Arsenal’s side dishes. After three different guests complained, Dau worked with his kitchen staff to restructure the menu.

El Arsenal

Reviews can be a great way to help you spot where shortcomings may be and provide you with a way to tell guests that the issue has been resolved.

C A R TA G E N A , C O L U M B I A

CASE STUDY

Once something is complained about three times, we know we need to take immediate action.

Abe Dau Owner

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Don’t Panic Over One Negative Review

53% of respondents to a recent survey** said they would book a restaurant even if it has one or two negative reviews.

The good news?Your average TripAdvisor user is savvy enough to know that one negative review might not capture what it’s like to dine at your restaurant.

If your average bubble rating is positive, then one negative review isn’t going to drag you down or keep customers from coming to your restaurant. In the same survey, 78% of our respondents to a recent survey told us they focus on recent reviews – both positive and negative – to get the freshest perspective on the place.**

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Use Reviews as a Signal

By paying attention to his reviews, Guarno was able to spot an area for improvement and switch suppliers.

Fenicci’s

Like many Italian-American restaurants in the US, Fenicci’s serves bread at the table before every meal. But his recent supplier wasn’t up to par.

H E R S H E Y, P E N N S Y LVA N I A

CASE STUDY

[Once we saw] three or four reviews mentioning the rolls, [we knew] there was probably an issue, because there are a hundred people behind those three or four that did not even bother to go on TripAdvisor.

Phil Guarno Owner

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Consider This:You can’t please everyone all the time; it’s just a fact of life. So what do you do when you get that negative review?

Once you feel ready to respond to a negative review, remember that you control where the conversation goes from here.

REMAIN CALM. Separating yourself from the review for a few hours will help you continue to serve your customers to the best of your abilities while you decide your next steps.

CONSIDER IT AN OPPORTUNITY. Have you heard this more than once? If so, consider taking the opportunity to address the problem with the appropriate members of your staff while you decide your next steps.

RESPOND! A good response may be all it takes to convince the diner (and future diners!) to give your restaurant another chance.

KEEP IT IN PERSPECTIVE. Keep in mind that it’s only one review.

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3 Ways to Respond to Negative ReviewsHere are some tips for crafting the perfect response that could turn a negative review into a positive conversation that ends on your terms:

Starting with an apology and a sincere “thank you” immediately diffuses the tension and shows that you take feedback seriously, like this owner:

“I would like to apologise for your recent experience. We pride ourselves on offering the highest standards of hospitality and professionalism, and are therefore disheartened to hear about the level of service you received. We have spoken to the kitchen and shared your feedback and will be following up with the server in regards to the lapse in service. We will use your candid comments as a training tool to continually fine-tune our service levels to not only meet but exceed our guest expectations. Once again, please accept my sincerest apologies.”

When responding to negative reviews, it’s best to swallow your anger or frustrations and focus on an approach that will showcase your hospitality. Take it from this owner:

“Thank you for sharing your comments, it is very important for us to know about your experience with us and only in this way we can improve our service and details to make future experiences even better. We already discussed these particular aspects with our team, both in service and in the kitchen and will make sure to work hard to improve and make every visit delightful in every detail. Thank you again, your thoughts are very valuable for us. Hope to see you again another time!”

Inviting the reviewer back could help you fix whatever went wrong from their last experience and maybe even get you a new regular. Here’s a great example:

“Thank you for taking the time to share your recent experience with us. We do our best to provide a wide variety of tasty salad bar items for our guests to enjoy and will be taking your suggestions under consideration for future changes that may be made to the salads provided. The standards of which you described your visit are by no means indicative of what we strive for, nor are they an example of how we train our staff. We have taken the time to remind our staff that our number one priority is to be attentive to our guests’ needs. We hope you will come back to visit us again in the near future and give us a chance to exceed your expectations.”

Apologise

Take the High Road

Ask For Another Chance

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Getting More Reviews

CHAPTER 3

Now that you understand what your reviews can do for you and how to respond to both positive and negative reviews, it’s time to put that knowledge to good use.

No matter how many reviews you have, a key component of your online reputation is a steady collection of recent reviews. Here’s how:

Get More Reviews

If you are going to send out emails, make sure you have clear permission to email them – check your local laws for opt-in requirements, maintain a record of when they gave you permission and send the email as soon as possible after their dining experience.

COLLECT REVIEWS ON YOUR WEBSITE.

If you’re tech-savvy (or know someone who is), you can add a personalised review collection widget which will allow your diners to write a TripAdvisor review without leaving your website.

USE YOUR CHECK PRESENTERS CREATIVELY.

Insert a reminder for customers to leave a review and share their experience.

ADVERTISE YOUR PRESENCE.

Sometimes, just remembering to tell people that you are listed on TripAdvisor can encourage guests to write a review. You can order flyers and stickers by going to the “Marketing Tools” section of the Management Centre.

REMIND YOUR SERVERS.

The easiest way of all? Ask your servers to remind diners to leave a review at the end of their meal. All it takes is a simple: “We’re always looking to get feedback, we’d love it if you could leave us a review about your dinner tonight.”

COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESSES.

One way to encourage your diners to write reviews is to collect email addresses from booking services, using a pop up on your website asking diners to join your mailing list. Once you have someone’s email address, you can send them a friendly email asking them to leave a review.

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*Source: TripAdvisor Influences on Diner Decision-Making Survey, 2018 https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ForRestaurants/r3227

The “Influences on Diner Decision-Making” survey leverages the findings of more than 9,500 international diners in Europe and the United States who participated in a May 2018 CVENT panel (US: 1,723; UK: 2,242; FR: 1,013; ES: 1,233; IT: 3,572). Respondents are consumers registered with TripAdvisor who agreed to complete company-sponsored surveys through CVENT. Consumers are not compensated or incentivised to participate.

**Source: Power of Reviews

The Power of Reviews project surveyed 23,292 TripAdvisor users across 12 markets (Australia, China, France, German-speaking, India, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, United States) between May and June 2019. The survey targeted users who had visited the site in the last 12 months. The sample is made up of TripAdvisor users who had opted into a survey panel and were invited to participate in the research via an email link directing them to an online survey platform. Ipsos MORI were involved in questionnaire design and data analysis. Results are weighted to represent the residency profile of TripAdvisor users across participating markets.

*** Source: TripAdvisor Log Files, Q3 2019

All review response examples have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Methodolgy and Endnotes

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To learn moreVisit www.TripAdvisor.co.uk/ForRestaurants