When a store receives a negative review, it should first identify what the customer is complaining about, offer a private channel for checking the purchase, and state a specific next step. A public response should explain how the store will look into the situation, without including an order number, phone number, address, or other customer personal information. If the check confirms a mistake, agree on how to fix it and follow through.
For day-to-day operations, a store can adopt the suggested process below: assign someone to handle reviews, keep a log of customer contacts, and regularly check the causes of recurring complaints. Invitations to leave a review should follow the same neutral rule for everyone, without selecting only satisfied customers. This is also a Google platform requirement: businesses may not selectively ask for positive reviews or offer a reward for posting, changing, or removing a review.
How to check a complaint and find the actual purchase
Before responding to the substance of a complaint, the staff member responsible can save the review link, date, text, and store location. Next, identify the questions that need checking: what the customer bought, what they were promised, what actually happened, and what resolution they expect. Separately flag any claims that have not yet been confirmed.
To find the purchase, the store can ask the customer to write to its official email address or send a private message and provide an order number or receipt details. If that is not enough, the staff member can ask for an approximate date, product, and store location. It is better to request information gradually, only for a specific check. There is no practical need to ask a customer to post a photo of their passport or bank card just to look up a sale.
Once the information is received, the staff member can compare the sales record with messages, payment information, and shipping details, if the store has them. For example, a complaint about a late delivery should be checked against the promised timeframe, when the parcel was actually handed over, and the messages sent to the customer. This helps determine which part of the problem the store can fix itself and what information it needs from the carrier.
Not finding an order does not prove that the review is made up. The purchase may have been made in someone else’s name, or the review may concern a consultation without a purchase. Google’s rules require a genuine experience with the business, but not necessarily a completed sale. Until the check is complete, it is reasonable to say that there is not enough information and ask the customer to clarify.
How to write a calm response with a specific action
Google’s guidance on responding to reviews says that a response should be polite, clear, and relevant; complicated issues are better discussed privately. A store can acknowledge confirmed mistakes and explain its limitations. To respond through a Google Business Profile, the business must first verify the business.
In practice, a response can have three parts: name the problem, explain the next action, and provide a private contact channel. Promise a timeframe only if the responsible staff member can meet it. If a final decision depends on further checks, state when the customer will next hear from the store.
Illustrative example: a customer complains about a delay
“We’re sorry you did not receive your order when expected. We’d like to check when it was handed over for delivery and what updates were sent to you. Please email us at the address listed in the store profile and include your order number. By the end of the next business day, we’ll let you know what we found and what we can do next.”
This response is suitable if the store has a staff member who can investigate and report the result within the stated timeframe. If the carrier has not yet provided the information, the staff member should update the customer on the status of the check at the agreed time.
Illustrative example: a complaint about a salesperson’s rudeness
“We’re sorry your interaction at the store left you with this impression. The store manager will look into what happened. Please privately share the date, approximate time, and store address using the contact details in our profile. After checking, we’ll get back to you and explain what action we can offer.”
Until the circumstances are clear, avoid publicly accusing either the salesperson or the customer. The manager can hear from the staff member separately and review the available information before deciding whether to address the service or provide staff training.
Illustrative example: the purchase has not been found yet
“We have not yet been able to identify the purchase or interaction from the information in your review. Please contact us privately using the details in our profile and let us know the date and product, or the subject of your consultation. We’ll check our records and get back to you.”
What information to keep in private communication
A public response is visible to other visitors to the page. Google explicitly recommends not disclosing the review author’s private information, and the Google Maps content policies restrict publishing personal information without consent. The platform allows businesses to list their own contact details.
A store can set a simple working rule: describe the problem and the action in the public response, and check documents and purchase details privately. Do not publish a phone number, delivery address, the customer’s full name from the business system, an order number, or a screenshot of the customer’s record in the store’s system. Even if the customer has already shared some information, the store’s response could unintentionally add more details.
How to resolve a complaint and when to pass it to a manager
A small store could adopt the following process. The owner should choose timeframes and assign responsibilities based on the work schedule and the team’s capacity.
- Log the complaint. The staff member responsible records the issue, link, store location, current status, and date of the next action.
- Check the facts privately. The staff member looks for available records and clarifies what happened with the customer and colleagues. The log separately marks confirmed information and open questions.
- Agree on a resolution. If the action is outside the staff member’s authority, they pass the facts and proposed resolution to the manager. Possible options, depending on the circumstances, might include correcting an order’s contents, clarifying the shipping timeframe, or considering a request concerning the product in light of the purchase circumstances.
- Check that the action was completed. The person responsible confirms that the agreed action has been carried out and informs the customer. If it is delayed, they explain why and state when they will next be in touch.
- Record the outcome. The staff member logs the actions taken and the customer’s response. If the customer does not reply, mark that separately rather than treating it as confirmation that they are satisfied.
It makes sense to pass repeated complaints about an unfulfilled promise, requests beyond a salesperson’s authority, and situations involving possible disclosure of personal information to the manager. If a message contains a threat of physical harm, the staff member can save it and notify the manager immediately so they can assess safety. A prolonged public argument will not help investigate or fulfill the customer’s request.
How to use customer records in Torgsoft
If the store uses Torgsoft Start and transactions are linked to the relevant customer, staff can open the customer card to investigate. According to the official customer card guide, the “Придбання” tab (“Purchases”) shows purchases and returns recorded during transactions linked to that customer. Staff can compare those records with the information received privately. A purchase that was not linked to this customer is not confirmed merely because the name matches.
If the “Аналіз активності покупців” mode (“Buyer Activity Analysis”) is available in your Torgsoft configuration, staff can set a period and accounting center, review the number of receipts and the date of the last purchase, and open the customer card. The “Створити контакт” action (“Create contact”) lets staff record information about the customer interaction and set a reminder; created records are available under “Маркетинг → Контакти і нагадування” (“Marketing → Contacts and reminders”). For an illustrative complaint, staff can note the confirmed problem, agreed action, and date for following up. According to the guide, the reminder triggers when the program starts on the set day, so the responsible person should also include deadline checks in their daily work.
Under the suggested process, staff read the review and post a response directly on Google, while using the available Torgsoft records to check the purchase and save the communication history. They compare the customer’s information with the store’s records and track whether the agreed resolution is completed. A sales record alone does not confirm every circumstance of a complaint, so staff should also check messages and clarify facts with colleagues when needed.
How to distinguish critical reviews from Google policy violations
A low rating or a description of an unpleasant experience is not, by itself, grounds for removal. Google’s policies allow people to describe negative experiences appropriately. However, the policies prohibit, among other things, reviews without a genuine experience, paid ratings, threats, disclosing personal information without consent, and repetitive content.
If the store sees a specific sign of a policy violation, the person responsible can save the link and supporting material, then flag the review for Google to check. The report should identify the specific violation, such as publishing another person’s phone number. The platform decides whether to remove a review, so the store should not count on a particular result or promise one to the customer. If the review contains a complaint that can be checked, it makes sense to continue handling it regardless of the report to Google.
How to find recurring problems
A store can use a few clear categories in its complaint log: delivery, order contents, product information, communication, and payment. Once a week, the manager can review confirmed cases and choose a specific process change. For example, if customers are repeatedly promised shipment before stock is checked, decide who confirms inventory and when the salesperson tells the customer the timeframe.
In this illustrative calculation, a store received 12 customer contacts, 5 of which concerned delivery times. That is 5 ÷ 12 × 100% ≈ 41.7% of logged customer contacts. This share can point to a topic for investigation, but it does not show the share of all dissatisfied customers. After changing the process, the manager can compare confirmed cases across comparable periods, taking the number of orders into account.
How to invite customers to leave a review neutrally
Under Google’s rules, a store may invite people to describe a genuine experience without offering a reward or influencing the rating or content. Do not offer a discount, gift, or payment in exchange for any review, or for changing or removing a negative one. Do not invite only satisfied customers, require specific wording, or pressure a customer to leave a rating in the store.
One possible process is to choose a single moment for a neutral invitation, such as after the purchase is handed over. Customers with different experiences should have the same opportunity to follow a link or scan a QR code. Sample wording: “If you’d like, share your experience shopping at our store using this link. You can describe what worked well and what could be improved.” To post a review on Google, the customer must be signed in to a Google Account.
After resolving a complaint, the staff member can confirm the action taken and leave a contact for further questions. Customer support should not be tied to a rating, removal of criticism, or a promise to write positive text. This process lets a store handle complaints and receive reviews while following Google’s rules.
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