Lately, we’ve been getting this question a lot, and we want you to know why we don’t automate responses to all reviews.
At Localboss, our mission is to help you manage your business’s Google reviews. While we use artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate many tasks, as we discussed in a previous article, our philosophy is that AI should be an aid but cannot replace a human in something as important as your business’s reputation.
Want to know why? Keep reading.
Personalization is Key
Your customers are unique, and so are their experiences. In a world where everything seems canned, we seek authentic experiences. Responding to reviews with details about their experience can elevate that customer’s experience to another level. Personalized responses show that you care about each opinion, value their time and comments, and remember that customer’s visit to your establishment.
Humanizing customer service is a factor that helps boost brand loyalty and trust. That’s why most of our clients add their managers and supervisors as Localboss users so they can respond with this level of personalization (and yes, as a chain, you can achieve this too if you use Localboss).
Limitations of AI
Understanding Context
AI has come a long way, especially with the recent release of ChatGPT-4o, but it still struggles to understand the full context of a review and your business. Especially for local businesses with their unique characteristics, AI can misinterpret sarcasm, irony, or emotional nuances that are crucial for an appropriate response.
Julian Alves: “Catalan carbonara, it doesn’t follow the italian recipee, it’s a shame they serve this in an italian restaurant”
Let’s give you an example from one of our clients with a review they received. In this case, AI might not understand that the term “Catalan” is a criticism and might try to argue that carbonara is also Catalan, not grasping the context that it’s an Italian restaurant.
Errors and Misunderstandings
Even the best AI can make mistakes. An inappropriate response can damage your business’s reputation more than it helps. At Localboss, we prefer to ensure that every response is reviewed and approved by you within the app before being published.
Imagine your customers discovering that you only use AI to respond to their reviews. This could lead to a severe reputation crisis, from which many businesses never recover. Once a concept sticks to your brand, it can haunt you for a long time.
Our Approach at Localboss
At Localboss, we use AI to help you draft quick and precise responses based on your preferences, but with human control. One of the features within the app allows you to adjust the AI’s response personalization. You can set the tone, decide on the use of emojis, determine the response length, and include custom instructions.
In summary, we do not fully automate responses to reviews because we understand the importance of personalization, empathy, and accuracy. With our app, you can benefit from AI assistance without losing control and humanity in your interactions with customers.
That said, we are working to automate responses to positive reviews without comments, but with your templates, created by you, where there are no risks previously mentioned.
Keep offering authentic responses and building strong relationships with your customers with Localboss!
