Customer feedback response email templates

Although more and more businesses have recognized the importance of consistently collecting and analyzing customer feedback, most still struggle to implement an efficient feedback follow up system, and even fewer have a clear strategy for dealing with negative feedback. Here is why and how you should respond to customer feedback, both negative and positive, along with 10 feedback follow up response templates you can use as a starting point when crafting your own responses.

Why responding to customer feedback is critical

While following up on the feedback provided by customers through surveys and questionnaires is important, (as it shows them that you do value their opinions and are open to their suggestions) responding to public reviews is even more critical. According to the data collected by Invesp, 90% of customers read online reviews before visiting a business website and 88% of customers trust these opinions as much as personal recommendations. 

BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey also revealed that among consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses’ responses to reviews. The way you respond can make a difference in a customer’s perception of your business, influence your brand reputation, and affect the buying decisions of potential customers.

How to respond to customer feedback

1. Respond as quickly as you can – based on ReviewTrackers’ survey, 53% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week.
2. When using templates – personalize each response by including the customer’s name and referring to their specific concerns.
3. Don’t take negative feedback personally – be respectful and maintain a professional tone when responding.
4. Always thank the customer for taking the time to voice their feedback to make sure they know you appreciate their effort.
5. Don’t ignore positive feedback – follow up with a short appreciation note and let them know you’ll be happy to serve them again.
6. When responding to neutral feedback – ask a customer for more information to find out what could have been improved to make their experience better.
7. When responding to negative feedback – apologize for the customer’s negative experience, express empathy, communicate your next steps in resolving the problem and offer reasonable compensation (if applicable).
8. When it comes to online reviews – respond to both negative and positive ones. A study by Harvard Business Review found that replying to customer reviews leads to better ratings.
9. Respond to online reviews publicly, but take the conversation offline when it makes sense by asking the reviewer to email or call you to discuss how you can make things right.
10. In case of fake/ spam reviews – once you’ve flagged or reported a fake review, you can post a response to let prospects browsing your reviews know that you’ve seen and are handling the fake feedback.

10 Basic customer feedback response templates

Whatever kind of customer feedback you are dealing with – positive, negative, or neutral – having ready-made feedback follow up response templates at hand can make the process of responding to them much easier. Below are 10 feedback response template examples that you can use or get inspired by to write your own:

General customer feedback response

Responding to neutral feedback

Responding to a positive review

Responding to a rating-only positive review

Responding to a negative review

Responding to a rating-only negative review

Responding to a fake/ spam review

Responding to a positive review that mentions team members

Responding to a negative review that mentions team members

Responding to a feedback survey

Customer feedback – Frequently asked questions

What is good customer feedback?

Good customer feedback is when people take time to give their thoughts on a product they use. It’s important to know what customers think of your product and how to improve it.

What are the types of customer feedback?

There are two types of customer feedback: solicited and unsolicited. Solicited feedback is information you ask for from customers. You can request feedback through surveys, exit interviews, and questionnaires. Unsolicited feedback is information customers provide to you without your asking for it. You can also get unsolicited customer feedback by observing customer reactions to your product or service.

Why should you pay close attention to customer feedback?

If customers are satisfied with your support team and the service you provide, they are more likely to recommend your company to their friends. And, when customers are satisfied, they are more likely to be loyal and continue to support your business.