Responding to Reviews
 

Responding to reviews is a great way to learn from and build goodwill with one of your most expressive customers. WineSpy allows business owners to respond publicly and privately to user reviews.
 

But contacting reviewers should be approached with care; internet messaging can be a razor’s edge and sometimes good intentions is misunderstood. So, here are some examples to help you get this balance right.
 

Keep these three things in mind as you compose a message to your customer:
 

1. Your reviewers are your paying customers
2. Your reviewers are human beings with (at times, unpredictable) feelings and sensitivities
3. Your reviewers are articulate and opinionated (otherwise they would not be writing reviews)!
 

WineSpy requires business owners to upload a real photo before writing customers in order to make the message personal. Photos should clearly show your face and not include too many people.
 

Responding to a positive review
 

Responding to positive reviews is easy, right? It sounds easy, but, surprisingly, it’s easy to get this wrong.
 

When contacting a positive reviewer, your purpose should be simply to say thank you and let them know you care. Nothing else! No gift certificates. No mailing lists. No event invites. No wine clubs. No reactions to the minor complaint in their review. No requests for them to tell more friends about your business.
 

This may seem contrary to established marketing principles, but put yourself in the shoes of the reviewer and ask yourself whether you would really want anything other than a simple thank you. While a gift or invitation sounds nice, it can be misinterpreted as a bribe or payment for the review. Keep in mind, this customer already likes your business - just use this occasion to thank them and introduce yourself.

Responding to a negative review
 

This one is hard. Before responding to a negative review, take a moment and think very carefully about what you are going to write. Or, better yet, don't think too much: just keep it simple by thanking your customer for their business and feedback.
 

Let’s face it, negative reviews hurt. All of us work hard to build a business for the community, and when someone says something bad about us - it feels like a punch in the gut. Even worse, a negative review can even feel like a personal attack.
 

However, by contacting your reviewer and establishing a sincere human relationship, you have a chance to remedy the situation and maybe even change this customer's perspective about your business. By being polite to negative reviewers, you are often rewarded with a second chance.
 

Be aware, if your reviewer perceives that you are being discourteous, condescending or insincere in any way, there's a chance he or she could get angry and make the situation worse. Keep in mind that this is an active customer who could very well copy and paste your message all over the Web.
 

So just keep your message simple: thank you for the business and the feedback. If you can be specific about the customer's experience and any changes you may have made as a result, this could go very far in earning trust.
 

Posting a Public Comment
 

Public comments are a way for business owners to add a helpful comment to a user's review. Responding to reviewers' concerns shows that you value their feedback and that you're always striving to improve.
 

Getting Started
 

Go to the "Reviews" tab after logging into your WineSpy for Business Owners account. From there you'll be able to add a public comment to any review of your business.
 

Where your Public Comment will appear
 

Your comment will appear directly following the review that you've commented on.
 

What should I say in a public comment?
 

Just keep it simple and polite. Spies appreciate honesty and like to know when businesses are making changes based on their feedback.
 

Are there times when it's better not to comment?
 

Yes, sometimes it's to your advantage not to comment at all.
 

If you're upset, you might write something that will reflect poorly on your business. Wait until you've had some time to think about a review; there may be legitimate concerns brought up in the review that you can address in a constructive way.
 

If you want to thank someone for a positive review, send a private message instead. Comments that simply thank users without providing new information can be perceived as manipulative.
 

What if a review is completely false? Can I say so?
 

Absolutely, although we recommend trying to resolve issues through private messaging first. If you feel a public comment is necessary, present your case as simply and politely as possible, and do not attack the reviewer under any circumstances. Remember that potential customers will be reading your comment and you want to leave them with a positive impression of your business.
 

Public Comment Guidelines
 

Use public comments to:
 

• Tell the community what you've done to address a specific concern raised by a reviewer.
• Provide correct information when a review contains something inaccurate or outof- date.
• Provide your version of a difficult situation when you're unable to resolve a dispute through private messaging. Remember to be polite and stick to facts since your comments are public and can be seen by potential customers.
 

Please don't use public comments to:
 

• Make personal attacks. Avoid name calling or make light of your reviewer. Even if the original review was offensive, customers expect you to take the high road.
• Advertise. This is not the place for promoting unrelated offers or events. If you want to share some general information with your customers, post an Announcement instead.
• Offer incentives. Don't offer discounts or other incentives in exchange for a more favorable review. Even if it's well-intentioned, it can be perceived as dishonest.
• Thank a user for their review. Sending a Private Message is more appropriate for a simple thank-you.
 

As with other site features, WineSpy may remove a comment that violates these guidelines or causes an unforeseen problem with WineSpy users. In the unlikely event that this happens with one of your comments, we'll do our best to let you know about the removal so that you can rewrite your comment.