How To Respond To 5-Star Reviews or Ratings

Congratulations on getting a 5-star rating or review for your company.

That’s a great sign you’re offering a high-quality product or service, but what should you do next?

Is it truly necessary to respond, or is it a waste of your time? And, if responding is so important, how can you ensure that yours includes (and excludes) the appropriate wording?

These are critical questions for any business owner or manager to consider.

This article will provide clear and detailed answers, describing three strategies for responding to 5-star reviews and including easy-to-follow example templates.

If your company needs assistance responding to 5-star ratings on Yelp, Google, Facebook, TripAdvisor, or any other review platform, try the strategies outlined in this guide, or simply let our review response service handle the work for you!

Let’s start by looking at the advantages of responding to reviews — even if your customers are already satisfied.

Is it necessary for my company to respond to a 5-star review?

Responding to 5-star ratings or reviews may appear to be an inefficient use of your team’s limited resources.

After all, why should I waste valuable time focusing on customers who are already loyal to my brand, you might ask?

What does my company stand to gain from interacting with reviewers who are already pleased with my product or service, from a marketing or financial standpoint?

Simply put, what are the advantages of responding to 5-star ratings?

Here are the 3 key points you should be aware of when responding to positive reviews:

1. It increases customer retention, which is less expensive than customer acquisition. Just because a customer was pleased with their previous visit or purchase does not guarantee that they will return. Even if you’re a well-established brand, you can’t afford to take customer loyalty for granted — especially if your industry is saturated, struggling, or hypercompetitive. Recognizing their feedback is one of the simplest and most effective ways to keep your satisfied customers satisfied.
2. It has a positive impact on undecided customers, who are more likely to select businesses that respond to reviews. According to recent data, the majority of consumers who read reviews also read owner responses — at least on the relatively rare occasions when they receive them. Unfortunately, only about 35% of consumers report receiving responses to each review, with the remaining 18% reporting no responses. This is a huge missed opportunity, given those statistics show that 69% to 70% of consumers “are more likely to use a business” that responds to its reviewers. If you don’t respond to positive ratings, such as 5-star reviews on Yelp or Facebook, you’re simply losing business.
3. Consumer expectations are changing, and your business must adapt. One in every five consumers polled in 2020 stated that they expected businesses to respond to their reviews within 24 hours. Another 26% expected a response from the owner within 48 hours, while 15% expected one within 72 hours. By delaying your responses – or worse, failing to respond at all – you are falling behind consumer expectations, giving your competitors more room to gain an advantage.

3 Strategies for Responding to a 5-Star Review or Rating

Strategy #1: Express Gratitude

Customers are not compensated for providing feedback on your company. They’re giving up their valuable time to give your brand what amounts to a free endorsement.

Because they will not be compensated financially for their feedback, it is critical that you thank and acknowledge your reviewers. Otherwise, your company may appear indifferent or ungrateful to its most ardent supporters.

By failing to thank reviewers for 5-star ratings, you are not only likely to disappoint the original reviewer, but you are also potentially making a negative impression on other consumers browsing your reviews — and you are passing up an opportunity to cement the reviewer’s brand loyalty.

To create a memorable personal connection with your customers, ensure that each review response is unique. That being said, here are some ideas for thanking a 5-star reviewer:

1. Thank you for leaving us a 5-star rating, [Reviewer], it is greatly appreciated!
2. Thank you for taking the time to provide feedback to our team, [Reviewer].
3. Thank you for rating and reviewing [Company], [Reviewer]!

Though not required, it’s a good idea to begin your response with a thank you, ensuring you make a friendly and positive first impression right away. You can also end with a second, shorter thank you to help round out your response.

For example, at the end of your response, you could sign off with something like:

1. Thank you for sharing your thoughts again, [Reviewer], we appreciate it!
2. Thank you for taking the time to write a review for [Company].
3. Thank you for your support, [Reviewer], it means a lot to our team!

Strategy #2: Spotlight Your Team Members

Customers who leave 5-star reviews have had truly exceptional interactions with your brand. In many cases, this is due to one of your employees being exceptionally helpful or going above and beyond to ensure the customer’s satisfaction.

For example, you could get 5-star reviews with comments like, “Peter is awesome, he got me an appointment right away!” “I am so grateful to Mary, who was incredibly patient, kind, and caring to our family throughout this difficult process,” for example.

Whether the reviewer’s tone is serious (as in “Mary”) or casual (as in “Peter”), you should make an effort to mention the employee or team member in your review response.

This demonstrates to the reviewer that you read their comment carefully, while also adding a memorable, personal touch to the interaction.

For example, you could respond to a 5-star review of an employee by saying something like:

1. We’ll make sure to forward your kind words to [Employee], who we know will be delighted to read them.
2. We’re glad [Employee] was able to [provide you with exceptional service / quickly resolve your issue / answer all of your questions]!
3. Thank you for [membership/feedback / continued support] from [Employee], [Employee], and all of our team members at [Company]!

Again, keep in mind that these are only suggestions, not templates that must be followed. The more variety (and specificity) you can include in your responses, the better!

Strategy #3: Call out special deals, offers, or programs.

To be clear, emphasizing deals, discounts, and perks is less important than thanking your reviewers or recognizing employee mentions.

This is because it is a less personal strategy, which means it is less likely to have a long-term impact.

However, this does not negate the importance of emphasizing special features, offers, or programs in your review responses.

Responses, on the other hand, offer excellent (and plentiful) opportunities to share useful information or exciting new updates with your customers.

For example, you could include a sentence like:

1. Ask one of our team members how you can get great discounts through our [relevant program, deal, or special initiative] the next time you visit us in [Location]! [Reviewer],
2. We’re glad you enjoyed the! We believe you’ll enjoy our [related benefit, perk, or feature], which makes [description of your product or service] even more [convenient/affordable / enjoyable].

One minor caveat: don’t simply discuss your discounts, features, or services without mentioning specific details from the review.

Instead, try to devote the majority of your response to personalized content — for example, “We’re thrilled to hear that our new location is so convenient for you and your family, Pam!” — while limiting the amount of generic information you include (for example, “We’re currently offering one month free for new members”).

Following this advice will help to ensure that your 5-star reviewers feel heard rather than simply advertised.

Consider this: your response should be a dialogue with the customer, not a monologue directed at the customer.

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