30+ Positive review examples and response templates for a stellar online reputation

Generic positive customer reviews do not always serve the purpose. To stand out, you need detailed, specific feedback from customers that showcases your business’s strengths. One way to encourage this is by sharing positive review examples.

The impact is significant. Birdeye’s study on online reviews for multi-location businesses shows that:

• 68% of customers check online reviews before buying from a local business 
• Search engines and customer review sites are two top sources of influence when choosing a local business 

So, it’s quite evident that a five-star rating isn’t enough to generate more reviews – you need positive comments to back it up. By inspiring customers to leave detailed, glowing reviews, you can set your business apart and attract more customers. 

Here is a comprehensive blog post on what makes a good review, along with positive review examples and templates for responding to positive reviews and generating momentum from them.

If you favor video, we have the following guide for you to listen to on the go.

What makes a good review? 

A good review is the one that combines a positive rating with a detailed description of the customer’s experience, showcasing your business’s service and helping others make informed decisions.

Positive reviews matter to your business, but only when detailed and helpful. Knowing what makes a good review helps your audience make the right choices while leaving a review for your business. Here are some of the most common phrases found in good reviews are:

“I highly recommend this business”

“The service quality was truly exceptional, I can’t wait to come back”

“If you are looking for “X..”, you can’t miss this store”

“The team is extremely knowledgeable and helpful, it is a delight to work with them.”

Pro tip: Collecting positive customer reviews with detailed explanations across multiple review platforms boosts the efficacy of your Google Business Profile. According to the latest guidelines on review snippets, Google recommends creating a third-party review snippet with aggregated ratings only from reviews with detailed comments. This helps validate the review rating and build trust among potential customers.

1. Goes beyond the stars

The best reviews are detailed. Though getting high star ratings is always nice, a detailed good review explains why the customer enjoyed your business. This helps prospects understand what sets your business explicitly apart from the competition. 

See how this review of a local coffee shop goes beyond the star rating. 

A detailed review can make a 5-star rating even more credible. When customers take the time to share their experience, it helps convince potential customers who may be skeptical of perfect ratings alone.

2. Describes the customer experience

A good review should describe various aspects of the customer experience. Did the customer receive fantastic customer service? Was an employee particularly helpful, and did the customer leave the employee’s name in the review? Did the customer mention other elements of the customer experience, like a great website that was easy to use? These details will appeal to prospects and help you identify what your business is doing well. 

3. Adds photos or videos

A good review is the one that leaves no questions unanswered. Potential customers must understand a company’s products, services, and customer service details from the review. Sometimes, words don’t do justice to these details. So, reviews that include supporting photos and videos get additional points for the effort and accuracy. 

This is especially important in the hospitality industry, where the aesthetics, presentation, and visual appeal of the product/service matter greatly.

Check out this honest and detailed customer review for a restaurant with real photographs from the patron that can convince anyone to visit this establishment. 

Adding photos can be useful for online reviews for home services, as they showcase your company’s expertise in completing a project.

4. Mentions a team member by name

Businesses often struggle to display their personality or put a face to the brand’s name on review sites. When a review mentions a team member by name, it helps potential customers connect with the business. This, in turn, improves the chance of them choosing the company to shop from. 

This works well, especially in agent-based organizations such as real estate companies, where personalized recommendations show customers they will be cared for. 

Check out these positive customer review examples for real estate companies where the customers mention sales team members specifically. The impact is highly encouraging. 

Pro tip: Encourage your customer service team members to include their names in conversations and review request messages and emails. This will ensure the customer remembers and includes the name when they leave positive reviews. 

5.  Talks of a long-term experience 

When potential customers evaluate your business on a review site, they seek more than just good opinions about your service. They seek additional information to understand how your customers feel about you. If a satisfied customer mentions that they have been regularly working with you, it adds value to the positive review. 

Check this next satisfied customer review examples where the review’s value is greatly enhanced due to the added detail.

6. Mentions the location 

When choosing a store, clinic, or office, location is a top priority for customers. A convenient spot can make all the difference in their shopping experience. That’s why a good customer review should always mention the location. This is especially helpful for local businesses with multiple locations.

Positive review examples by industry

While positive reviews can help, they must be tailored to your industry; mention attributes your customers value, and help prospective customers choose your business over your competitors.

Here are a few industry-specific positive review examples, what makes them special, and how to use them to your advantage.

Healthcare

Over 95% of patients claim online reviews are essential to their decision-making process. This makes gathering positive and detailed customer reviews for your business in this industry critical for lead generation and conversion. If you can, nudge your customers to mention the details of your company’s customer service, among other things. 

Your customer reviews are a great marketing asset. They can be displayed on your company’s website and social media channels to help you attract more customers.

Use this positive review template to help your customers share their experience with the world: 

“The staff at X clinic was extremely helpful. Right from the appointment to the billing, everything went very smoothly. [Doctor’s name] was immensely patient and took the time to explain the procedure to me. I would be happy to recommend this clinic to anyone.” 

“I visited [Clinic’s name] for [issue]. I had a positive experience in the treatment, customer service, and overall process with [Doctor’s name]. I highly recommend this establishment if you are looking for a certified clinic in [location].”

You can even build these templates in your review request email. 

Automotive

Positive reviews for the automotive industry can help in this competitive industry. Request your customers to share their experiences and constructive feedback on popular review channels such as niche review sites, Google Business Profile, and social media.

Responding to reviews elevates the level of care customers can expect from your business. It shows potential customers that you value feedback and appreciate their business.

If you are looking to help customers write some positive reviews for your business, here are a few templates that they can use to get started:

“I had a great experience with [business name]. The service was quick, and the billing was transparent. I have no doubt that I will come back again. Highly recommend."

“I have been a customer of [business name] for several years now. I have always received the best service, product, and customer service whenever I come here. For all my service needs, this is the place I trust.” 

Restaurant

A positive review is great, but one with a picture is even better. Restaurant review sites that allow customers to upload images give people a better sense of your product and service.

The more detailed the review for a restaurant, the better. Customers favor reviews that provide more information on the service, aesthetics, menu choices, and more.

A simple positive feedback template that works best for restaurants is: 

“I recently dined at [Restaurant name]. The reservation was easy to make, and the staff was extremely helpful in accommodating our special requests. The ambiance was great, and the food definitely lived up to my expectations. We tried the house recommendations, and if you visit the restaurant, you should too. This is a must-try if you are looking for a nice cozy place for dinner. ”

Storage facility 

Choosing a storage facility is important, and customers like to know more about location, security, and customer service. The positive reviews about your storage facility must mention these details as much as possible. 

Help your customers share their experience with this template to start them off:

“[X Storage facility] has been a game changer. It is everything I was looking for, and the staff here is extremely helpful in making the onboarding process easy. Their detailed explanations of security procedures have left me assured that I made the right choice. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a storage facility in [location].” 

Insurance companies

When searching for insurance, people want personalized advice, cost-effective options, and quick service. If a glowing review of your company highlights these strengths, you’ve hit the jackpot. 

Take a look at some of these satisfied customer review examples for inspiration:

Replicate these results for your insurance company by inspiring your clients with these templates: 

“I recently bought car insurance from “business name”. The process was extremely smooth, and it was the best deal around. After checking with over 5 agencies, I found the team at [business name] to be extremely helpful and focused on my benefit more than theirs.”

Real estate 

Choosing the right real estate company is a decision that everyone fears, but you can ease that fear by showcasing positive feedback for your business across popular review platforms. Check out these review examples to see a typical real estate positive review.

Your customers can use this template to get started:

“I had the best experience buying a house with [business name]. The team took time to walk me through all the steps, gave me time to consider my options, and came through when I needed them. They helped me get the best deal and the house just the way I wanted. Extremely happy with the service.” 

Home Services

Do you run a business in the home service industry? If yes, you should check out these positive review examples to see current trends. As a highly customer-facing industry, your reviews must showcase your professionalism, customer satisfaction-oriented processes, serviceability, and skill level to potential clients. 

Try to gather reviews across online review sites to boost your brand’s presence in the industry.

Your customers can use these templates to show their appreciation for your exceptional service:

“The team at [business name] was prompt, professional, and quick on the job. We finished [flooring/painting/repair] works with their service in record time. The billing process was also quite easy to manage. I would happily recommend their service.”

“[Business name] team is a great choice for home service needs. We have been working with them for years and have had nothing but positive results. The team is always happy to answer any questions and is always just a quick call away.”

Legal services

Positive reviews for businesses in the legal industry often feature details of professionalism, attention to detail, and customer service. Potential clients look for these qualities in a legal service provider they wish to employ. 

Some positive online review templates that you can send your clients are: 

“I contacted the [Business name], and the response has been extremely positive. Choosing the right legal team is an important decision; with this team, I am sure I made the right decision. The process has been extremely smooth, and I would highly recommend them.” 

Retail

Positive retail reviews are about the location, customer service, product quality, and additional services that make them outshine the competition. While a higher star rating comes in handy, the positive reviews need to carry details, too, as shown in the examples below. 

Some retail positive review templates for reference are:

“I recently shopped at [business name], and the experience was great. The sales team was extremely helpful, and it made my experience so much better. The product selection is also quite great at this outlet.” 

“I recently purchased a [product name] from [store name]. The quality of the product was excellent, and the packaging ensured that it survived the transportation. The ordering process was quite smooth, I can’t wait to shop here again.”

Why are positive reviews important?

Positive reviews matter a lot for every business, especially for multi-location enterprises that need to build a stronger online reputation, rank higher in local searches, and establish trust consistently in the market.

Consistently gathering positive feedback across multiple review platforms ensures that:

Showcasing higher star ratings and positive reviews on Google ads increases the click-through rate, reducing spending and improving revenue rates.

Customers can see recent reviews from your existing client base, reinforcing their decision to choose you over your competitors

Your business has a positive online reputation, which encourages website visitors and Google searches to interact further with your business, generating leads and, eventually, customers.

You can promote positive experiences and customer satisfaction instances without them seeming advertorial. User-generated content plays a critical role in boosting brand value and strength.

Why should I respond to positive reviews? 

Responding to positive reviews increases their value. Customers who leave reviews after a positive experience are acting with kindness. When you respond to a good customer review, the customer who left the review feels appreciated and encouraged to work with you again or even refer friends and family members.

Review responses also show that you value customer feedback and care about improving the customer experience. This will attract new customers and set you apart from your competitors.

And most importantly, consistently responding to reviews puts you on even footing with your competitors, if not providing a significant advantage.

Birdeye’s State of Online Reviews 2024 report shows that 63% of reviews received a response from businesses, a 10% increase from the previous year. Additionally, automated responses increased by 10%, indicating that businesses are no longer leaving review responses to chance.

Responding to positive reviews establishes your authority as a customer-centric business, encouraging customers to explore your offerings further

Popular platforms for online reviews

Customer reviews are important to every business. Not only do they provide valuable feedback, but they can also help to attract new customers. Your customer reviews must be on display on the more popular review websites. Those sites include:

Google Business Profile

Creating a Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business) is one way to get more reviews. This profile provides a place for customers to leave their reviews and allows you to respond to them. Creating a profile is simple and only takes a few minutes.

Once your profile is created, be sure to encourage your customers to leave their reviews. With a little effort, you can soon have a steady stream of customer reviews on the most popular search engine in the world.

Facebook

Facebook is another great platform for businesses to get customer reviews. With nearly three billion users, it’s become the most popular social media platform in the world. This means that reviews left on Facebook have a good chance of being seen by the people in your service area.

Better Business Bureau

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) is a trusted source for consumers to research businesses before making a decision. What makes BBB unique is that members are thoroughly vetted to make sure they meet all ethical and business standards. Once approved, they are awarded the BBB seal. The seal will then be displayed on the business’s profile. This achievement will certainly put a positive light on a business’s online reputation management efforts and act as a differentiator from rivals.

Yelp

Restaurants can boost trust and credibility by establishing a presence and collecting reviews from diners, making it easy for potential clients to find them and actively choose their establishment.

5 positive review response examples

Now that you know what to look for in a good review, it’s time to learn how to respond to them from these positive review response examples.

Example 1: Be creative and personal

Chef John Howie uses YouTube to respond to reviews of his restaurant, Seastar Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar, creatively and personably. This positive review response example teaches us the following:

First, by posting these videos, Chef Howie reaches a broader audience. Videos are also shared more often than other forms of media, which can help increase the restaurant’s visibility. 

Second, a response like this establishes the restaurant’s credibility—the chef is proving that he actually reads his reviews and values customer satisfaction because viewers can watch it happen for themselves.

Finally, by responding to his reviews on video, Chef Howie is giving a face to his business. When customers and prospects feel like they know the chef, they are more inclined to return to Seastar Seafood Restaurant and Raw Bar repeatedly. 

Example 2: Respond quickly

Few businesses are better than JetBlue when it comes to responding to customer feedback. JetBlue proves that your business’s response doesn’t need to be long-winded. Even a quick thanks goes a long way. 

Whether positive or negative, JetBlue always ensures that it responds to its customers, and that’s a good strategy to follow. 

JetBlue is also great at responding to negative feedback. When a passenger complained about their broken television screen on Twitter, JetBlue responded instantly. This opened up a personalized conversation, and both parties could come to a solution. 

Example 3: Use humor

How can you turn a negative review into a positive one? Use humor in your response! Instead of getting discouraged by negative reviews, this sandwich shop actually used them as marketing content.

Putting a lighthearted spin on one customer’s rant got them a lot of attention. This chalkboard not only shows passersby that the business has a fun vibe, it also proves that the owners actually read their customers’ feedback. Using humor when responding to both positive and negative reviews is a great way to show your business’s personality and grab customers’ attention.

Example 4: Recognize the staff

5-star reviews are a great way to boost employee morale and keep your team motivated to deliver awesome experiences every day. In this review of Hard Rock Cafe, the customer mentioned the fantastic waitress they had by name. Take a look at how Hard Rock Cafe responded to that positive review:

Example 5: Don’t shy away from personality 

When you respond to reviews, don’t be afraid to show your company’s brand! This will make customers more excited to engage with your business. The hair dye company oVertone does a great job at using its brand personality in every response. Every employee is free to use emojis and includes their favorite shade of hair dye as a sign-off signature. 

Customers who leave a 5-star positive review are usually happy customers with no complaints and a genuine desire to share their experience with the world. As every company knows, these evangelical customers and such reviews are not easy to come by. So, make the most of them by responding to them appropriately and quickly to avoid losing momentum. 

Some review response templates you can use for 5-star positive reviews are: 

Option 1: Thank them with a simple response 

• Thank you for your review. We’re glad you had a good experience, and hope to see you again soon! 
• Thank you very much for your generous review. We’re happy to serve you.
• We are delighted to know that you had a great experience with us. Looking forward to seeing you again. 

Option 2: Invite them to refer or bring friends and family next time (if applicable)

• Thank you for your review. We look forward to seeing you again with your friends and family soon. 
• We are happy to serve you. Please refer us to your friends and family and help us grow. 

Option 3: Personalize the response, if possible 

• Thank you for the generous review for <employee name>. They are delighted to know that their service is appreciated by you. 
• We are happy to see that you are happy with the service of <employee name>. It is great to see such a positive review. Thank you. 

4-star positive review response examples

When a customer leaves a 4-star positive review, it usually means that the customer is happy, but there’s also some room for improvement. Such positive reviews have to be handled carefully and swiftly to maintain goodwill with the customer. 

Check out a few scenarios and appropriate 4-star positive review response templates for use. 

Option 1: When the customer has written the reason for the 4-star review 

Start by thanking the customer for their feedback, then move on to an apology and what you will do to make the experience better next time. Make sure you address any genuine customer concerns mentioned.

Thank you for your feedback! We are happy that you had a good experience overall, but we are sorry to see that you are upset about [the complaint the customer has made]. We are addressing your concerns by [your plans to fix the problem]. We hope that you come back to see how we’ve implemented your feedback. Thank you again for your review, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Option 2: When the customer hasn’t provided details of the issue 

Start by thanking the customer for their feedback and request them to connect with you personally to share their feedback on what can make their experience better. 

Thank you for your generous review. We are happy to see that you were satisfied with our services and hope to see you soon again. We would like to know how to make your experience even better, please share your feedback at <email address or survey response link>. 

How to get more positive (5-star and 4-star) reviews

Businesses can’t coerce customers to leave positive reviews or participate in review gating (sending review requests only to happy customers). However, there are a few best practices to follow to ensure your business consistently generates more positive reviews across multiple locations and review platforms. Here is how you can do this:

1. Instill a customer-centric culture: Train your customer service team members to go beyond mere service and help customers have a satisfied experience.
2. Make it easy for customers to write reviews: Ensure customers receive instant review requests across email and SMS as soon as the transaction is complete. This way, the experience is fresh in their minds, and they can leave a review with a single click.
3. Use tools to improve customer experience: Multi-location businesses can leverage AI customer experience platforms like Birdeye to streamline appointments, payment collection, customer communication via AI chatbots, and more. This way, you can tailor experiences according to client journeys and avoid manual errors.

FAQs on the topic of positive review examples

Generate more positive reviews with Birdeye

Getting more positive reviews is an intentional act that businesses must focus actively work on, if they want to improve their online reputation. However, for multi-location enterprises, this can be a huge undertaking with hundreds of customers walking through their doors daily. That is why Birdeye steps in.

With Birdeye, businesses can ensure:

• Potential customers find them easily with Listings AI – a centralized listing management tool that enables you to create, update, and manage all business listings.
• Manage customer reviews across multiple platforms with Reviews AI including review generation, responding to reviews, and analyzing review sentiment to spot issues and strengths, if any.
• Elevate customer experience by providing integrated AI solutions to set up appointments, collect payments, simplify communication with AI chatbots, and streamline multi-location social media management.

Outshine competitors by generating more positive reviews with Birdeye today! Watch a free demo to learn more.