User feedback on forums and review platforms serves as a highly effective tool to strike a chord with customers – existing and prospective. Responding to it in a timely, genuine and sincere manner will indicate that you are indeed willing to take note of their concerns and that you greatly value their opinions. This will also help you draw the public support in your endeavor to improve the company operations and sustain its growth even in difficult times.

On a platform like Yelp, you simply need to click the ‘Reviews’ tab once you login into your Business Owners account, and add a public comment from there to reviews of your products and services. They will show up directly following the respective review you’ve chosen to comment on. Here are a few more things to keep in mind while posting a public comment:

1. Keep your remarks polite, simple and to the point. People appreciate transparency and like honesty. More often than not, users simply want to check whether a business is really willing to hear them out and make changes, if required, on basis of their valid suggestions.
2. In case you wish to express gratitude and thank a user for a positive review, it is better to post a private message. Self-promoting or self-congratulatory public comments sans any substance can be seen as too overbearing!
3. Do not treat a feedback section to promote unrelated offerings. Do not offer any form of incentives for favorable feedback, perceived as an unethical act by most public forums and review sites.
4. On the other hand, sometimes you may come across comments with seemingly malicious intentions. Under such circumstances, it is advisable to hold back your response or not to comment at all, because you might say something, which will offend other users. An undue haste will reflect poorly on your brand image. Many other potential customers will be closely watching your approach. Obviously, you would want to create a positive impression in their mind of your business.
5. If you feel a public comment to some overtly false feedback is necessary, put forward your case as forcefully and constructively as possible, so as not to alienate other genuine reviewers.  Do not get into a slanging mode under any circumstances. Instead provide facts to counter inaccurate or outdated information posted by a reviewer.
6. If a particular feedback doesn’t deserve any immediate attention, do not inadvertently bring it into public glare by responding to it. In case, you feel the criticism is valid, wait until you have the correct facts in place. There might be legitimate concerns raised in the review, which you should address by taking necessary corrective action. Seek more details, if necessary, and set a deadline for offering a solution.

In effect, utilize public comments arena as a way of informing your target audience about the steps you have initiated or plan to take for addressing their specific and generic concerns through short-term as well as long-term remedial measures.