How do I reply to reviews?

Owned by Emily Novits (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Oct 05, 2021

You’ll want to start with the following: 

 

  • Click the “Reviews” tab at the top of the screen

 

  • Click the “Timeline” tab that appears under the “Reviews” tab

 

Here, you can see all your reviews in a list from oldest to newest. 

 

(1) The middle icon separating the two sides will tell you where your customer wrote the review, such as Google or Facebook.

(2) The left-hand side of the screen will show the actual review your customer wrote. 

(3) The right-hand side of the screen is where you can reply to your customer’s review, or if you already have already replied, your reply will appear: 

 

 

The timeline displays all of your reviews, by date, no matter what platform they were made on. That means if your customer reviewed you on Google, and another one left one on Facebook, they will both show up on your Reviews Timeline along with all your other reviews distinguished by the platform’s logo in the middle. 

 

Each platform will have you connect with your FreshLime dashboard. This is done in the onboarding process, but if you need some extra help, we’ll use Google as an example: 

  • If your FreshLime account is already connected to Google, the reply bubble on the right of your screen will look like this with a “Reply on Google” link: 

 

  • If your FreshLime account is not connected to Google, the reply bubble on the right of your screen will look like this with a “Connect your Google Account” link. 

 

Keep in mind that this format will be the same for all review platforms. For example, if a customer leaves a review on Facebook, the reply bubble will say “Reply on Facebook” or “Connect your Facebook Account” if you’re not already connected, as explained above. 

Having extra trouble with Facebook? Check out How to grant FreshLime permission to Facebook

There’s always an exception to the rule right? 

The “Send Feedback” Button is that exception. To learn more about that button please read our “What’s up with the “Send Feedback” Button?” help page. Basically, when your customers click the “Send Feedback” Button instead of reviewing on Google or Yelp, the review is privately sent through FreshLime, to your business’s dashboard.

 

Those reviews will therefore not have a platform icon like Facebook or Google, but FreshLime’s logo: 

 

If you take a closer look to this image, the reply bubble on the right has the option to “Reply via Text Message” which is FreshLime’s platform enabling your business to communicate with your customers--just like when you request reviews. 

Next up, how do you actually reply to your reviews?

 

Replying to Reviews

There are 2 different ways you can reply to a review. Again, we’ll use Google reviews as an example: 

  1. Click “Reply on Google” on the individual reply bubble on the right of your screen.

 

2. Click “Manage Linked Accounts” in blue letters at the top right corner of your screen. 

Either way will get the job done, but here’s the difference:

The “Manage Linked Accounts” button will let you reply to ALL your reviews within the FreshLime dashboard, so long as you have connected to your platforms, like your Google My Business Page, or your Facebook Page. At first it will look like this: 

 

These fields will be empty until you connect FreshLime to your Google My Business account and Facebook Account that are associated with your business. You do this by clicking the blue “Add Google Account” button or “Add Facebook Account” Button. 

On the other hand, if you click “Reply on Google” you will be sent directly to your Google My Business Page-- if you’re not already connected to your business’s Google account. It will look like this: 

 

If you are connected, a text box will appear and you can reply directly within your FreshLime dashboard without even leaving it:

 

Again, make sure your Google My Business Page is connected. Once you’ve replied to the review, you can go back to your FreshLime Reviews Timeline in your dashboard, and click on another review on any platform with the “Reply on ___” and repeat the process.

Don’t have a login for your FreshLime dashboard? Contact support at support@freshlime.com 

Or call (800) 266-8960 

Can’t give FreshLime access to your Google My Business page? Click here for instructions. 

Can’t log in to your Google My Business Page? Click here for instructions. 

 

Yelp in the Timeline: 

Yelp doesn’t allow you to reply in your dashboard. Why? Because their platform works a little differently from the others. FreshLime has access to your Google and Facebook pages because you, the business owner, have given us access to it. Yelp doesn’t have the same user system where you can have your own page. What this means is that FreshLime can pull data and report from Yelp, but because you can’t personally give us information, we can’t pull Yelp reviews directly into your dashboard for you to reply to. 

So how do you reply? Instead of clicking “Manage Linked Accounts”, simply click “Reply on Yelp” for each Yelp reply bubble. This will take you to Yelp’s own platform to reply to your business’s review.