Review Response

SOP-04: GBP Review Monitoring & Response Management

Last Updated: 2026-04-16 Owner: GBP Specialist Status: Active (manual fallback) - Primary workflow is now Clawton-driven, see review-response-clawton-workflow.md

---

IMPORTANT: Workflow Change as of 2026-04-16

For 4-5 star reviews, the PRIMARY workflow is now review-response-clawton-workflow.md. Clawton (the agent on the VPS) automatically detects new reviews every 4 hours, drafts personalized responses in the owner’s voice, and sends them to Edward in TaskTracker chat for approval.

This SOP remains the manual fallback for these situations:

• Clawton is down or not sending messages for over 8 hours
• A specific client is missing from the agent’s roster
• An urgent response is needed faster than the next cron cycle (under 4 hours)
• 1-3 star reviews still follow the escalation path defined here (Sections 4 and 5)

For day-to-day work, follow review-response-clawton-workflow.md. Use this document for fallback execution and for the templates, fake review handling, and escalation rules that still apply universally.

---

Overview

This SOP covers the daily monitoring, response, and management of Google Business Profile reviews. Reviews are critical for trust, credibility, and local search rankings. The GBP Specialist is responsible for responding to 100% of reviews (positive, negative, and neutral) within defined SLAs, maintaining brand voice consistency, personalizing responses, and escalating high-risk situations to the CSM.

Key Inputs:

• Search Atlas for review monitoring and response publishing
• Task Tracker for all documentation and escalations
• 13-ai-prompt-library.md for response templates
• Client brand guidelines (for tone and voice)

Escalation Path: GBP Specialist → CSM → Ops Lead → Nick

---

SECTION 1: DAILY REVIEW MONITORING WORKFLOW

Trigger

Every business day, start of day (part of morning routine)

Owner

GBP Specialist

Daily Monitoring Process

Step 1: Log into Search Atlas

• Launch Search Atlas
• Navigate to all client profiles (or use filtering to show only active clients with GBP)

Step 2: Check for Alerts & New Reviews

• Search Atlas review alerts: Check for email notifications from Search Atlas about new reviews
• GBP section in Search Atlas: Review “Inbox” or “Reviews” tab for each client
• Flag immediately: Any negative (1-3 star) reviews for same-day response
• Flag immediately: Any reviews mentioning specific customer names (personalization opportunity)
• Flag for escalation: Any reviews that appear fake, spam, or defamatory

Step 3: Scan Previous Day’s Responses

• Check if any client responded to yesterday’s reviews (client sometimes responds directly to GBP)
• If client beat us to it: Note in Task Tracker, no further action needed
• If response quality is poor (generic, off-brand): Do not override; document for future training

Step 4: Identify Response Priority

• High priority (respond today):
  • All negative reviews (1-3 stars)
  • All reviews with 5 stars and detailed feedback (quick win for engagement)
  • All reviews mentioning problems (service failure, late delivery, quality issue)
• Normal priority (respond within 24 hours):
  • 4-star reviews
  • 5-star generic reviews (e.g., “Great service!”)
  • Neutral reviews

Step 5: Document in Task Tracker

• Create task entry: “[CLIENT] — Review Response Required”
• Log: Date, reviewer name, rating, review text, response priority
• Format example: “2026-03-31 — John D. — 5 stars — ‘Best plumber ever!’ — Normal priority”

Morning Routine Timeframe

• Time allocation: 30-45 minutes for all clients
• Deadline: Complete monitoring by 10am
• Frequency: Every workday (Monday-Friday)
• Weekend/Holiday: Reviews still monitored (use delayed batch on next business day)

Search Atlas Review Tab Navigation (Reference)

• If Search Atlas interface varies, use these general navigation rules:
  • Look for “Reviews” section or “Inbox” in main menu
  • Click to see all reviews (sorted by date, newest first)
  • Reviews should show: Star rating, reviewer name, review text, date posted, response status
  • Click individual review to compose response

---

SECTION 2: RESPONSE SLAs & PRIORITIZATION

Trigger

New review appears in GBP

Owner

GBP Specialist

Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Positive & Neutral Reviews (4-5 stars):

• SLA: Respond within 24 hours
• Target: Respond same day if possible (boost engagement)
• Exception: Weekend reviews can batch-respond Monday morning
• KPI: 100% response rate within 24 hours

Negative Reviews (1-3 stars):

• SLA: Respond within 4-6 hours (same business day)
• Target: Respond within 2 hours of discovery
• Exception: After-hours reviews (after 6pm) respond first thing next morning
• KPI: 100% response rate same-day, 90%+ within 2 hours of discovery

False/Defamatory Reviews:

• SLA: Flag to CSM immediately (same hour)
• Escalation required: Do not respond publicly
• GBP flagging process: See Section 4 (Fake Review Handling)

Priority Matrix

Review Type	Stars	Urgency	Response Time
Negative (problem mentioned)	1-3	URGENT	Within 2 hours
Negative (vague complaint)	1-3	HIGH	Within 4-6 hours same day
Neutral (mixed feedback)	3-4	MEDIUM	Within 24 hours
Positive (specific praise)	5	MEDIUM	Within 24 hours (but reply same day if possible)
Positive (generic brief)	5	LOW	Within 24-48 hours

Implementation: Use Task Tracker to categorize by priority; batch-respond starting with URGENT, then HIGH, then MEDIUM.

---

SECTION 3: RESPONSE TEMPLATES & PERSONALIZATION FRAMEWORK

Trigger

Any review requiring response

Owner

GBP Specialist

Template Structure

All responses follow this framework: Opening + Specific Acknowledge + Action/Invitation + Closing

Character limits: Google GBP responses typically allow 5,000 characters; keep responses 100-300 characters (brief, punchy, scannable)

---

POSITIVE RESPONSE TEMPLATES (3 Variations)

Variation 1: Enthusiastic & Personal

• Use for: 5-star reviews with specific praise
• When: Customer names a service, employee, or specific outcome
• Template:

"[Name], thank you so much! We loved working with you on [specific work].
That's exactly the kind of result we're proud of. Looking forward to
helping you again soon!"

Variation 2: Grateful & Professional

• Use for: 5-star reviews from first-time customers
• When: Review is detailed but doesn’t require personalization
• Template:

"We appreciate your kind words! Your satisfaction is what drives us.
We'd love to help you again — just give us a call!"

Variation 3: Brief & Warm

• Use for: 5-star generic reviews, quick acknowledgment needed
• When: Review is short (“Great service!”)
• Template:

"Thank you for choosing us! We're grateful for your trust."

Positive Response Checklist:

• ✅ Reviewer name used (if provided in review)
• ✅ Reference specific service/detail mentioned (if applicable)
• ✅ Tone matches client’s brand voice
• ✅ Invitation to return or next action (booking, calling, etc.)
• ✅ 100-300 characters
• ✅ No generic copy-paste feel (customize every response)

Examples by Industry:

Plumbing (Positive):

“Thanks for the 5 stars, David! We’re glad we could get your water heater fixed quickly. Call us anytime for your plumbing needs!”

Landscaping (Positive):

“Sarah, your yard looks amazing! We had fun working on your spring cleanup. Let’s keep it looking beautiful. See you soon!”

Salon (Positive):

“Michelle, so happy you loved your cut and color! Ask for [Stylist Name] next time — she’d love to see you again!”

---

NEGATIVE RESPONSE TEMPLATES (3 Variations)

Variation 1: Empathetic & Resolution-Focused

• Use for: Specific complaint (quality issue, late delivery, staff concern)
• When: Problem is clear and actionable
• Template:

"[Name], we're sorry to hear about [specific issue]. That's not the
experience we aim for. Please call us at [PHONE] — we'd like to make
this right."

Variation 2: Acknowledge & Invite Offline Conversation

• Use for: Unclear issue or emotional complaint
• When: Review is vague or highly negative
• Template:

"We appreciate your feedback and sincerely apologize for your experience.
We'd like to understand better and make this right. Please reach out to
[MANAGER NAME] at [PHONE]."

Variation 3: Professional & Gracious (High-Risk Situation)

• Use for: Defamatory or legally risky review
• When: Contains accusations, threats, or false claims
• Template (then escalate to CSM):

"We take feedback seriously. We'd welcome the chance to discuss this
privately. Please contact [MANAGER] at [PHONE] to work toward a resolution."

Negative Response Checklist:

• ✅ Do NOT be defensive or blame customer
• ✅ Do NOT dismiss the issue (“You’re wrong” or “That’s not true”)
• ✅ Do NOT over-explain or justify
• ✅ DO acknowledge emotion (“We’re sorry,” “We understand”)
• ✅ DO offer resolution path (phone call, in-person discussion)
• ✅ DO invite private conversation (away from public review platform)
• ✅ Include specific phone number and ideally manager name
• ✅ Keep response brief (don’t over-apologize)
• ✅ Professional tone, even if reviewer is angry

Examples by Industry:

Plumbing (Negative):

“We’re sorry your experience wasn’t what you expected. We’d like to make it right. Please call our manager, Tom, at (555) 123-4567.”

Landscaping (Negative):

“Thank you for sharing this feedback. We’re committed to quality work. Please reach out to us directly at [PHONE] so we can address your concerns.”

Salon (Negative):

“We’re sorry your visit didn’t meet expectations. We’d love a chance to understand what happened and make this right. Please call us at [PHONE].”

---

NEUTRAL/MIXED RESPONSE TEMPLATE

Variation: Grateful with Slight Clarification (if needed)

• Use for: 3-4 star reviews or mixed feedback
• When: Reviewer had some positive and some negative experience
• Template:

"Thank you for taking the time to review us. We're glad [positive part].
We'd love to discuss [concern area] — please reach out when you have a moment."

Example:

“Thanks for the feedback! We’re glad you liked our staff. We’d love to understand the scheduling issue you mentioned. Please call us — we’d like to help.”

---

PERSONALIZATION RULES

Every response must include at least one of the following to avoid generic feel:

1. Reviewer name (if provided in review)
2. Specific service mentioned (e.g., “your kitchen remodel” not just “work”)
3. Specific employee name (if customer praised someone by name)
4. Specific outcome or detail (e.g., “got your water heater working same-day”)
5. Reference to their exact concern (for negatives; show you read the review carefully)

Anti-Patterns (Never Use):

• ❌ Generic thank you with no personalization
• ❌ Copy-paste identical responses to multiple reviews
• ❌ Reviewer says “John was helpful,” you respond “Thanks for working with us” (missed opportunity)
• ❌ Response that sounds corporate/automated
• ❌ Response longer than 300 characters (too wordy)

---

SECTION 4: FAKE & SPAM REVIEW IDENTIFICATION & FLAGGING

Trigger

Review appears suspicious during daily monitoring

Owner

GBP Specialist

Red Flags for Fake/Spam Reviews

Competitor Reviews (Most Common):

• Negative review from competitor or competitor staff
• Vague negative complaint with no specific detail
• Multiple 1-star reviews from same general area within short timeframe
• Review contains competitor’s name (“I prefer [Competitor] instead”)

Spam/Inappropriate Content:

• Review contains profanity, threats, or hate speech
• Review is about something completely unrelated to business (political rants, personal drama)
• Review is trying to get clicks/promotion (spam link or promotional message)

False/Defamatory:

• Review makes specific false claims (“They overcharged me $1,000” but no context)
• Review contains discriminatory language
• Review accuses of illegal activity
• Review threatens legal action or public shaming
• Multiple reviews with identical wording (coordinated attack)

Suspicious Patterns:

• Reviewer has only 1 review ever, and it’s a 1-star for this business
• Reviewer account created same day as review
• Reviewer name is obviously fake (“John ZZZZZ” or “A. B.”)

Google Flagging Process

Step 1: Identify the Review as Problematic

• Note in Task Tracker: “[CLIENT] — Suspicious Review — [Reviewer Name] — [Reason]”
• Example: “Landscaping Corp — Suspicious Review — ‘John Smith’ — Defamatory, accuses of theft with no context”

Step 2: Document Evidence

• Screenshot the review with date/time visible
• Save to /client-files/[CLIENT]/Reviews/Flagged/
• Note why you believe it’s fake: competitor mention, false claim, spam pattern, etc.

Step 3: Flag in Google Business Profile (GBP)

• Log into GBP directly (or through Search Atlas)
• Find the review in question
• Click “Flag as inappropriate” (usually 3-dot menu on review)
• Reason selection:
  • “It’s spam” — for spam/competitor reviews
  • “It’s inappropriate” — for hate speech, profanity, threats
  • “It violates Google’s policies” — for defamatory or false claims
• Do NOT respond publicly to the review

Step 4: Escalate to CSM

• Send Task Tracker message to CSM immediately:
  • “Flagged suspicious review for [CLIENT] — [Reason]. See screenshot. Recommend we reach out to discuss.”
• Attach screenshot
• CSM will decide if client should be informed and/or if legal action is needed

Step 5: No Public Response

• Do NOT respond to flagged reviews in GBP (makes them more visible)
• Only Google can remove reviews; our flagging requests are queued for review
• Google typically removes clear policy violations within 48 hours
• Competitor reviews sometimes take longer (requires clear evidence of same person/business)

What NOT to Do

• ❌ Do NOT respond publicly defending yourself (escalates the situation)
• ❌ Do NOT ask reviewer to remove review (can appear retaliatory)
• ❌ Do NOT flag every negative review as spam (wastes credibility)
• ❌ Do NOT assume a negative review is fake just because it hurts (require evidence)
• ❌ Do NOT flag to Google multiple times (one per review is enough)

---

SECTION 5: ESCALATION PROTOCOL

Trigger

Review requires escalation beyond standard response

Owner

GBP Specialist (identifies), CSM (handles escalation)

Escalation Scenarios

Scenario	Action	Timeline	Who Escalates	Who Handles
Defamatory/False claim	Flag in GBP immediately; notify CSM	Same hour	GBP Specialist	CSM (evaluate legal risk)
Threat in review	Flag in GBP; escalate to CSM; do not respond	Same hour	GBP Specialist	CSM
1-star review indicating real problem	Respond with resolution offer; flag for CSM review	Same day	GBP Specialist	GBP Specialist + CSM (client contact)
Multiple negative reviews in 48 hours	Document pattern; notify CSM	Same day	GBP Specialist	CSM (client communication)
Customer requests review removal	Do NOT remove; explain Google policy to client via CSM	Within 24 hours	Client via CSM	CSM
Fake profile review (impersonation)	Flag in GBP; document; escalate	Same day	GBP Specialist	CSM (legal decision)

CSM Notification Template

Task Tracker Message Example:

[CLIENT NAME] — Escalation: Negative Review Requiring Response Strategy

Review: 1-star from Sarah M., posted [DATE]
"Worst experience ever. Showed up 2 hours late and charged extra."

Issue: Indicates real service failure (late arrival, surprise charges)
Action taken: Flagged for CSM contact with client

Recommendation: Client should be informed and offered resolution directly
(we can respond in GBP offering to discuss, but CSM should reach out
to understand client's side first).

Screenshot attached. Awaiting guidance.

---

SECTION 6: MONTHLY REVIEW PERFORMANCE TRACKING

Trigger

By 20th of each month

Owner

GBP Specialist

Monthly Review Metrics to Track

Core Metrics:

Metric	Source	Track	Use
Review Count	Search Atlas	Total new reviews this month	Volume tracking
Average Rating	Search Atlas	Star average across all reviews	Trend analysis
Rating Distribution	Search Atlas	Count: 5-star, 4-star, 3-star, 2-star, 1-star	Quality assessment
Response Rate	Manual tracking in Task Tracker	% of reviews responded to	Compliance KPI
Response Time	Manual (Task Tracker logs)	Average hours to respond	SLA compliance
Trend	Month-over-month comparison	Up/down/stable	Improvement tracking

Monthly Review Report Creation

By 20th of each month, create Task Tracker report:

[CLIENT NAME] — Monthly Review Summary — [MONTH/YEAR]

NUMBERS:
- New reviews this month: [#]
- Response rate: [#]% (100% target)
- Average response time (positive): [X] hours
- Average response time (negative): [X] hours
- Average rating: [X]/5

RATING BREAKDOWN:
- 5-star: [#] reviews
- 4-star: [#] reviews
- 3-star: [#] reviews
- 2-star: [#] reviews
- 1-star: [#] reviews

TREND (vs. last month):
- Review volume: ↑ / ↓ / → [by X%]
- Average rating: ↑ / ↓ / → [from X to X]

NOTABLE REVIEWS:
- Highest praise: [Reviewer + quote]
- Lowest rating: [Reviewer + issue]
- Escalations: [Any flagged reviews, fake reviews, etc.]

INSIGHTS:
- [1-2 sentences on trends observed]

NEXT MONTH FOCUS:
- [Any adjustments needed in review response strategy]

KPI Targets for Monthly Review

KPI	Target	Frequency
Review response rate	100% of reviews answered	Monthly
Positive review response time	Within 24 hours, 80%+ same-day	Monthly
Negative review response time	Within 4-6 hours same-day	Monthly
Average rating stability	Maintain or improve month-over-month	Monthly
Review volume	Trending up (more reviews = more visibility)	Monthly
Escalation handling	All escalations flagged and documented	Monthly
Zero generic responses	Personalization in 100% of responses	Monthly

---

SECTION 7: COMMUNICATION & TASK TRACKER LOGGING

Trigger

Every review response or escalation event

Owner

GBP Specialist

Task Tracker Documentation Standard

Every response must be logged in Task Tracker with:

1. Client name
2. Review date (when posted)
3. Reviewer name (if provided)
4. Star rating (1-5)
5. Response date (when we responded)
6. Response time (hours between review and our response)
7. Response text (full response copied)
8. Escalation flag (Y/N and reason if Y)

Format example:

[CLIENT] Review Response Log — March 2026

2026-03-28 | David S. | 5-star | "Great service!"
Response posted: 2026-03-28 (same day)
Response: "David, thanks so much! We're grateful for your trust."
Status: Complete | No escalation

2026-03-29 | Sarah M. | 1-star | "Showed up late, overcharged"
Response posted: 2026-03-29 (same day, 4 hours)
Response: "Sarah, we're sorry to hear. Let's make this right — call [MANAGER] at [PHONE]"
Status: Complete | Escalated to CSM (real service issue)

Monthly Logs

• Keep running log in Task Tracker for each client
• At end of month, archive monthly log and start fresh
• Save completed logs to /client-files/[CLIENT]/Reviews/[MONTH-YEAR]-Log.txt

---

SECTION 8: QC CHECKLIST FOR EVERY RESPONSE

Before publishing any review response in GBP, verify:

• ✅ Reviewer name used (if provided in review)
• ✅ Specific detail referenced (service name, outcome, or specific issue)
• ✅ Tone appropriate (empathetic for negative, grateful for positive)
• ✅ No defensive language (not blaming or justifying, especially for negatives)
• ✅ Call-to-action clear (what should reviewer do next? Call, visit, book?)
• ✅ Phone number included (for negative reviews, include contact phone)
• ✅ Under 300 characters (brief, scannable, not over-wordy)
• ✅ Spelling & grammar perfect (zero errors)
• ✅ Not copy-paste (unique response, not identical to previous response)
• ✅ Brand voice matches (client’s tone and terminology used)
• ✅ Not generic (avoids “Thanks for your business” without personalization)
• ✅ Emotion appropriate (doesn’t over-apologize or under-acknowledge)
• ✅ Fake review flagged (if applicable, flagged in GBP before attempting response)

If any item fails QC: Do NOT publish. Rewrite and re-check.

---

DAILY CHECKLIST & TIME ALLOCATION

Every Workday Morning (8:00-10:00 AM):

• ✅ Log into Search Atlas
• ✅ Check all clients for new reviews
• ✅ Scan for high-priority negatives (flag for urgent response)
• ✅ Identify fake/spam (flag for escalation)
• ✅ Document new reviews in Task Tracker
• ✅ Prioritize response queue

Throughout Day (10:00 AM - 4:00 PM):

• ✅ Respond to negative reviews (highest priority first)
• ✅ Respond to positive reviews (personalized, not generic)
• ✅ Log each response in Task Tracker
• ✅ Escalate defamatory/fake reviews to CSM

End of Day (4:00-5:00 PM):

• ✅ Verify all responses published in GBP
• ✅ Screenshot any escalations
• ✅ Update Task Tracker with day’s completion status
• ✅ Flag any unresolved reviews for next day

By 20th of Each Month:

• ✅ Compile monthly review summary
• ✅ Document KPIs in Task Tracker
• ✅ Share report with CSM

---

RELATED DOCUMENTATION

• 01-role-gbp-specialist.md — Full GBP Specialist role overview
• 02-sop-gbp-management.md — GBP setup and profile optimization
• 13-ai-prompt-library.md — Review response template library and framework
• 00-client-lifecycle-playbook.md — Review Generation Guide for clients (P0 phase)

---

Performance KPIs

KPI	Target	Frequency	Owner
Review response rate (all reviews)	100% responded to	Weekly	GBP Specialist
Positive review response time	Within 24 hours, 80%+ same-day	Weekly	GBP Specialist
Negative review response time	Within 4-6 hours, 100% same-day	Weekly	GBP Specialist
Zero generic responses	100% personalized	Monthly	GBP Specialist
Escalation accuracy	Correct scenarios escalated, false positives minimized	Monthly	GBP Specialist
Fake review flagging accuracy	Correctly identify 95%+ of spam	Monthly	GBP Specialist
Task Tracker logging	100% of responses documented	Weekly	GBP Specialist
SLA adherence	100% compliance to response timeframes	Monthly	GBP Specialist

---

Document Version: 1.0 Last Updated: 2026-03-31 Owner: GBP Specialist Next Review: 2026-06-30