User reviews & how your team responds to it should be a major part of any business strategy.

Why?

Because they are one of the major arteries through which customer sentiment and feedback flow. Reviews are a major indicator of how your product is performing. 

Effectively responding to reviews play a crucial part in online reputation management, future acquisition and customer retention. Many companies have taken this reality on board and keep a close eye on their customer reviews. Some have implemented well-tuned systems to respond to negative reviews that express issues with the product or disappointing experiences — turning one-stars into five stars, with a converted happy customer at the other end.

However, negative feedback is not the only thing that requires the effort & attention of your Support team. When you get positive feedback in reviews, it may seem fine to leave it without a reply. Your product has succeeded in bringing satisfaction to that user, so why take it any further? 

But this is the wrong way to look at it. Responding to positive reviews can be just as important to your app's growth. 

Here are four reasons why...

1. Customer appreciation is crucial for brand development

A customer who has invested time to write positive feedback about your product is most likely one who is very engaged and will remain loyal to your brand as long as nothing makes them feel otherwise. It makes sense then to respond to their encouraging words with something equally positive and grateful. You want this happy customer to feel appreciated and heard, leading to the potential for further possibilities, such as testimonials or brand ambassadorship.

2. Visitors will be looking at how you respond to reviews

Your product page on a review site or app store is like a shop window to digital passersby. They will help determine whether a consumer chooses your product over competitors. A customer considering your product will be looking to see how your business treats current customers. In fact, a study found that 89% of consumers read responses to positive and negative reviews during their consideration. Replying to positive feedback is a cheap and easy way to convince these visitors to click purchase or download. This should be enough incentive to start doing so if you aren’t already.

3. It increases the customer lifetime value through trust

You need to leave an impression for both happy and unhappy customers that your eyes and ears are focused on them so that they know when they leave feedback, you will always get back to them with helpful comments, now and in the future. This will build the types of trust with your users that makes them want to stay with your app, increase their lifetime value, and provide you a sustainable engine of growth. Businesses that respond to reviews are perceived as 1.7X more trustworthy than those which don’t by consumers.

Now you know why it's important to reply to positive feedback, it’s time to build your review management strategy. You need one that allows you to monitor & engage effectively with reviews as they come in. AppFollow’s review management platform can help you implement this.

4. Positive feedback may include useful product insights or issues

Negative reviews aren’t the only pieces of feedback that has value. You will get fans of your product, or very happy customers, still leaving issues or insights about your product in their five star reviews. This is why it’s important to keep track and analyze every one of them, as well as responding helpfully regarding their feature request or issue.

Responding to positive reviews examples

You may now be wondering, what’s the best way to respond to positive reviews in order to get the most out of them? Below are some excellent examples of companies responding to positive reviews for inspiration.

Responding to a positive review that states an issue — Canva 

What we like about this response:

- They personalized it, using the user’s name to greet them & signing off with their name.

- They apologized with an actual reference to the issue at hand, showing they are listening & care about this proclaimed ‘big fan of Canva’.

- They leave the opportunity for further communication with the user and provide a suggestion.This shows they’re going above and beyond to further enhance the customer experience of an already happy user.

Responding to a positive review with a product insight — Coinbase

What we like about this response:

- They personalized it, using the user’s name to greet them.

- They make it clear they’re aware this user has left a product insight and that they value this feedback enough to pass it on to the product team.

- They provide further support by leaving a help centre link that is relevant to the user’s comment.

Responding to a glowing positive review — Fever Labs

What we like about this response:

- They show gratitude about something specific in the review — feedback of the event.

- They share their passion for the event, mentioning both the name & objectives of the experience in question.

- They express hopes to see the user again at another event through Fever Labs, leaving a sense of appreciation to the user, and to others reading it, after such a clear indication that the company values their experience. 

Conclusion on responding to positive reviews

Responding to positive reviews ensures that you’re providing a well-rounded level of support & customer experience to every user. Remember, review sites or product pages is your shop window — you want to leave the best picture showing how you treat current customers. Review management that responds to all reviews is the best way to maintain optimal online brand reputation and helps ensure users feel listened to & valued so they continue to use your product or service far into the future.