Online reputation management is software that gathers every review of every branch of a business, from Google and other review sites, into one place. The business replies to the reviews from there, asks happy customers for new reviews, and gets a score for each branch. It is used mainly by businesses with many locations, such as clinic chains, restaurant chains, car dealers and banks. It is also called review management.
Why does a chain need this? Each branch has its own page on Google Maps and on other sites. Customers read these pages before they visit, and the star rating affects which branch they choose. A chain with 50 branches has 50 pages, and new reviews arrive on them every day. Without software, someone must log in to each page separately. Many reviews then go unanswered, and the head office does not know which branches are doing badly.
The software does four things. It collects every new review from every site, through each site's connection for businesses. It shows them in one list, with each review's branch, rating and text. It lets staff reply from that list, often with a reply drafted by AI for them to check. And it scores each branch from its ratings, the number of reviews and how quickly it replies, so the head office can compare branches. It can also send a short message after each visit, by SMS or through the WhatsApp Business API, asking the customer to leave a review.
Consider a chain of 35 diagnostic labs across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. One Monday, the software shows 120 new Google reviews from the weekend. 14 of them have one or two stars. Nine of those 14 are about one lab in Tiruchirappalli, and most mention a long wait for blood tests on Saturday morning. The regional manager replies to each review and apologises. She also finds that one of the two technicians at that lab was on leave on Saturday. She adds a second technician for Saturday mornings. Over the next month, the lab's average rating rises from 3.6 to 4.2 stars.
Asking for reviews must be done fairly. Google's rules do not allow a business to ask only happy customers for reviews, or to offer something in return. India's standard for online consumer reviews, from the Bureau of Indian Standards, also says that reviews must be genuine.
Reputation management handles reviews of places. Reviews of products on shopping websites are collected by ratings and reviews software. The text of all reviews can also be read together with surveys and tickets by customer experience management (CXM). Restaurant chains often handle reviews on food delivery apps, together with refund claims, through delivery app reconciliation software. Salons and spas often get review requests from their salon and spa software.