Okay, Google. We know how much data you have on us. And we’re going to make a stand. Oi, sit down in front.

It’s just you’re so, well, USEFUL. And free. It’s not just that your name and the word search are interchangeable.  Or that Maps has made the GPS a bit pointless. Or that you offer free cloud storage, free email, and free office apps. Oh, and YouTube. And FitBit. And…

My Business. Google My Business. When was the last time you did? Maybe you linked your business name to your address a few years back then forgot about it. Or you cared enough to get someone to optimise your website to get better search results, but you don’t read your reviews.

It’s time you did. What’s your current review rating? Go ahead, look it up. Google yourself. I’ll wait.

Did you find yourself? Easier than a week-long retreat. Are you glad you did? Great! Move on – there’s nothing more to see here. Not so glad? Two-star rating? Dodgy review? Customer service issue that was news to you?

What-the-hey. Nobody reads those things anyway, yeah? Nah. Even if you’re the only show in town, you should care what people are saying about you. ‘Cause that’s the way things are done around here now.

I once worked with a charming, funny and wise man whose favourite saying was “Love me. Hate me. But don’t ignore me.” His plea obviously worked, I still remember it, and him, forty years later! It applies equally to your reviews. Read them as they come in, and respond to them.

Why? Today’s “call-out culture” means people are less likely to complain in person, preferring the relative anonymity and reduced personal confrontation that goes with a digital review. While bad reviews can be bad news, they can also be opportunities to improve customer service and customer perception.

Google has a pretty good built-in bull detector, to spot fake or inappropriate content. It automatically detects breaches of policy, and Google has five important ones:

1.      Relevance. Is the review related to your business and is the customer your customer? Mistakes are surprisingly common.

2.      Conflict of interest. Is this review by an owner or employee? A former employee? A competitor?

3.      Offensive content. Is the content restricted, terrorist, sexually explicit, dangerous, or derogatory?

4.      Privacy concern. Is this impersonation or someone writing on someone else’s behalf?

5.      Legal issue. Is the content illegal?

What do you do if something dodgy slips through? If it is clearly a breach of one or more policies above, you can report it for removal by:

·       Signing in to Google My Business. (If you don’t have this set up, follow the process to verify or take ownership of your business. It is quick, and easy.)

·       Click on Reviews, and navigate to the review you want to flag.

·       Click the three-dot menu and select Report Review.

·      Select the policy which has been breached.

While it is easy to flag a review for removal, it is not a quick process to get it taken down, and there is no guarantee it will be. Your next step is to respond, in three ways – internally; in the form it came to your attention; and privately.

If the review does not breach policy, investigate it and the situation it describes. Talk to your staff. Verify, assess and evaluate the situation internally. If the situation is vague, or unclear, you may need to ask the customer for clarification, or more information. If you have enough information, solve the problem! What action can you take to correct the issue, or the perception? What changes could you make to ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Respond to the review on Google. Politely. Don’t know how to respond politely? Google it. Personalise your response by using the customer’s name and signing your own name at the end. Be transparent about mistakes. Don’t be afraid to admit you were wrong or handled the situation badly. Empathise and offer solutions.

Work towards a face-to-face meeting to discuss the issue. If you don’t have their contact details, ask them to contact you.

Once you have successfully engaged with the customer, request an update of the review. You’ll be back to four stars plus in no time. And then… don’t forget the good reviews! Show your appreciation when people take the time to write nice things about you as well.

Hey, Google? You’re okay.