Reviews

Customer reviews shape your online presence. Paydough helps you monitor, respond to, and manage reviews from multiple online directories in one centralized platform.

Related docs: Listings | Presence Analytics

Why Reviews Matter

Reviews influence customer decisions:

Build trust: Positive reviews increase credibility
Improve rankings: Review quantity and quality affect search visibility
Provide feedback: Learn what customers appreciate and what needs improvement
Drive conversions: Most customers read reviews before choosing a business

Actively managing reviews helps you control your online presence.

Viewing Engagements

Access all customer interactions in one place:

Engagement Details

Click any engagement to see:

Customer name and profile photo
Rating
Review text or comment
Date posted
Directory source (Google, Facebook etc.)
Existing replies or comments

Managing Reviews

Reviews are the most important type of engagement.

Review Information

Each review shows:

Rating: 1-5 stars
Text: Customer's written feedback
Author: Customer name and profile photo
Date: When the review was posted
Directory: Google or Facebook
Link: Direct link to view on the directory

Reading Reviews

Mark reviews as read to track which you've seen:

Open the review
Review is automatically marked as read
Filter to focus on unread reviews
Filter by replied/not replied status

Review Statistics

Track review performance:

Total number of reviews
Average rating
Reviews by star rating (5-star, 4-star, etc.)
Unread review count
Reviews without replies

Monitor these metrics to understand your presence health.

Responding to Reviews

Timely, thoughtful responses show you value customer feedback.

Why Respond to Reviews

Benefits of responding:

Shows you care about customer experience
Demonstrates active business management
Provides context for potential customers reading reviews
Can improve negative experiences
Encourages more customers to leave reviews

Aim to respond to all reviews, both positive and negative.

Responding to a Review

Open the review in Paydough
Click "Reply"
Write your response (character limits vary by directory)
Review your message
Click "Submit"
Response is published to the directory

Your response appears publicly under the customer's review. Character limits for replies vary by directory and are displayed when composing your response.

AI-Generated Responses

Paydough can use AI to generate professional, personalized response suggestions:

Open a review
Click "Generate Response"
AI analyzes the review content, customer name, and rating
AI creates a suggested reply in a professional, authentic tone
Review and edit the suggestion
Use as-is or customize to match your brand voice
Submit when satisfied

How AI Responses Work:

Addresses customers by name naturally
For negative reviews (3 stars or less): Acknowledges concerns and offers solutions
For positive reviews: Expresses genuine appreciation
Uses conversational, human tone (not robotic)
Tailored to the specific review content

AI suggestions save time while maintaining personalization and professionalism.

Response Best Practices

For Positive Reviews

Thank customers and reinforce what they appreciated:

Good Example: "Thank you so much for the kind words, Sarah! We're thrilled you enjoyed our service and appreciated the quick turnaround. We look forward to working with you again!"

Avoid: "Thanks!"

Be specific and genuine rather than generic.

For Negative Reviews

Address concerns professionally and offer solutions:

Good Example: "Thank you for your feedback, Mike. We apologize that your experience didn't meet expectations. We'd like to make this right - please contact us at [email] so we can discuss how we can resolve this. We appreciate the opportunity to improve."

Avoid: "That's not true!" or "We disagree."

Stay professional even if the review seems unfair.

For Mixed Reviews

Acknowledge both positive and negative aspects:

Good Example: "Thanks for sharing your experience, Lisa. We're glad you liked our product selection, and we apologize that checkout took longer than expected. We're working on improving our process. We hope to see you again soon!"

General Guidelines

Be timely: Respond within 24-48 hours
Be professional: Maintain a courteous tone
Be personal: Use the customer's name if provided
Be specific: Reference details from their review
Be brief: Keep responses concise (50-150 words)
Be helpful: Offer solutions for problems
Be authentic: Sound like your brand, not a robot

What Not to Say

Avoid these response mistakes:

Arguing with the customer
Making excuses
Sharing private customer information
Getting defensive or emotional
Using template responses that sound generic
Ignoring the review completely

Review Presence Management

Monitoring Review Trends

Track patterns over time:

Average rating trend (improving or declining)
Common themes in positive reviews
Recurring complaints in negative reviews
Response rate and speed

Use trends to identify areas for improvement.

Addressing Negative Reviews

When you receive a negative review:

Respond publicly: Show you care and are addressing the issue
Take it offline: Provide contact information for private resolution
Follow up: After resolving privately, ask if they'd update their review
Learn: Use feedback to improve operations

Negative reviews handled well can become positive testimonials.

Encouraging Positive Reviews

Build a strong review profile:

Ask satisfied customers to leave reviews
Make it easy (provide direct links)
Request reviews at the right time (after positive interactions)
Thank customers who leave reviews

More reviews improve visibility and trustworthiness.

Response Guidelines

Create internal standards:

Tone and voice guidelines
Response time targets
Escalation procedures for sensitive reviews
Approval process (if needed)

Consistency maintains brand presence.

Engagement Analytics

Measure presence management performance:

Key Metrics

Track these indicators:

Total Reviews: Volume over time
Average Rating: Overall star rating
Rating Distribution: Count by star rating (1-5 stars)
Response Rate: Percentage of reviews with replies
Response Time: Average time to respond
Engagement Count: Total interactions

Presence Health

Assess your online presence:

Rating trend (improving, stable, declining)
Percentage of 4-5 star reviews
Common positive themes
Common complaints

Regular assessment helps maintain and improve presence.

Best Practices

Response Time: Aim to respond within 24-48 hours to show attentiveness.

Response Rate: Strive for 100% response rate, minimum respond to all negative reviews.

Be Authentic: Use a genuine tone that reflects your brand, avoid robotic language.

Learn from Feedback: Track patterns in reviews and implement improvements based on customer feedback.

Use Paydough to monitor, respond to, and learn from every review, building a strong online presence that attracts new customers and retains existing ones.