# Review Trust Governance Playbook

Use this playbook when the business wants reviews to function like a governed trust system instead of a scattered marketing task.

## Review System Architecture

Build the review system around four operating layers:

- collection triggers tied to real customer milestones
- routing rules by channel, sentiment, and issue severity
- response ownership by role, not by vague team consensus
- evidence storage so lessons from reviews improve service and public trust over time

If one layer is missing, the whole reputation system becomes fragile.

## Moderation and Response Lanes

Define at least three lanes:

- appreciation lane for positive reviews that deserve fast, human, confidence-building replies
- service-recovery lane for mixed reviews that need acknowledgment, context, and a next step
- escalation lane for legal, safety, billing, or identity-sensitive issues that should never be improvised publicly

Each lane should have response time expectations, approval rules, and brand-tone guidance.

## Escalation Rules

Escalate immediately when:

- the review mentions discrimination, injury, fraud, or safety risk
- the facts are unclear and public back-and-forth would deepen the problem
- account details or private customer information may be exposed
- the review is likely part of a broader operational failure instead of a one-off event

Escalation should route to one accountable owner with authority to coordinate operations, not just marketing.

## Review Quality Standards

Public responses should:

- acknowledge the real experience without sounding canned
- avoid defensiveness and over-explaining
- offer a clear next step when repair is appropriate
- reflect facts the business can support if challenged later

Quality is not just speed. Quality is whether the response makes the business look composed, attentive, and trustworthy.

## Governance Cadence

Weekly:

- review new review volume by channel
- inspect mixed and negative review patterns
- spot-response quality drift

Monthly:

- audit response-lane compliance
- review unresolved escalation items
- compare review themes against operational fixes, not just star averages

Quarterly:

- retire weak templates
- tighten approval rules
- update trust-language examples based on real customer language

## Failure Modes

- chasing volume without governing response quality
- letting multiple people answer publicly with different standards
- treating negative reviews as edge cases instead of operational intelligence
- using templated language so heavily that the business looks performative instead of attentive