Personalized review responses can boost your franchise brand, and enhance your reputation. Discover how going beyond basic personalization makes a lasting impact.
Let’s face it—with the rise of A.I., the market has become saturated with its use, enhancing some aspects of business but also diminishing human personalization.
For Google reviews, about 56% of businesses currently use A.I. to manage and respond to customer feedback, and this is expected to grow as A.I. technology continues to evolve, offering businesses more efficient ways to handle customer interactions.
What does this mean for a franchise brand? Should you use A.I. to respond to your Google reviews, or should you take the time to write them yourself or have your marketing team do it?
While it’s not discouraged to use A.I. to clean up grammar mistakes or polish your Google review responses, strong indications suggest that it’s best to write your reviews and make them ultra-personalized. After all, we can all tell when A.I. has been used to generate content, and overly robotic wording can be a turn-off.
One key reason to personalize your response to a Google review is that personalization goes beyond just using a customer’s name.
For instance, imagine a customer mentions in their review that they visited your store while on vacation with their family. You could respond by saying, “We’re so glad your family enjoyed their visit with us! We hope the rest of your vacation was just as great.”
This approach shows that you truly listen to your customers and value them as individuals, not just as transactions. Personalized responses create a stronger emotional connection, build loyalty, and make customers more likely to recommend your business. A local bookstore, for example, could reply with something like, “Thank you for your kind words, Sarah! We hope that mystery novel keeps you on the edge of your seat during your beach getaway!”
This approach demonstrates genuine care while enhancing the overall customer experience.
Here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Identify something the customer is genuinely passionate about, whether it’s their profession, a hobby, or a strong opinion on a particular topic.
Find a way to connect your brand with the customer’s interest. For instance, if a customer mentions they’re a teacher, you could end your message by acknowledging their hard work and dedication to education.
Always be sincere in your response. If you don’t have specific information to personalize it, stick to basic pleasantries, or encourage them to share more about their interests so you can tailor your response more effectively next time.
And if all else fails, yes, you can let AI take the wheel. Just remember to personalize it.
