Google Q&A was introduced in August 2017. This Google feature allows users and businesses to share questions and answers. These questions and answers appear on a business’s Google Knowledge Panel and Maps page.

Appearing in both the Google Knowledge Panel for a brand search and the Local Finder for a keyword search in all browsers and in Google Maps for Android ensures the questions and answers are often presented as soon as a potential customer performs a relevant brand search. This is an important communication channel that should not be neglected.

As user-generated content, Google Q&A can impact your online reputation. It is important for any business to be aware and respond to their Google Q&A.

How Does Customer Feedback Centre Leverage Google Q&A?

We offer the ability for businesses to monitor, report and productively engage with the Google Questions & Answers that are appearing on your brand page at Google.

Here is how Customer Feedback Centre achieves this:

Automatic setup: We will immediately start monitoring your Google Questions & Answers.

Email alerts: Whenever we find a new question or a new answer on any of your locations we will alert you via an email so that you can stay in front of them. We even notify you if the questions you reported to Google have been removed.

Google Question and Answer Dashboard: We will provide the ability to see all of your locations’ question and answers in one place, simply, quickly and easily. You will be able to filter in numerous ways, to just focus on the particular locations or questions of concern.

Multi-location workflow: Staying on top of Questions & Answers is easy with our optimised workflow that allows you to quickly and easily respond to legitimate questions, report those that violate Google’s TOS and indicate to others in your work group that the job has been accomplished.

How can the Google Q&A Report benefit me?

Google Q&A can appear directly on the front page of a Google brand search for every business with at least one question. If the question has at least one thumbs up (an up-vote) then the question can show directly in search. The question with the most up-votes is the one that will show. This can directly enhance your business's reputation with crowd sourced affirmation.

Having questions on the business's Google Knowledge Panel can ease the customer journey. By answering commonly posed questions the business can help potential customers make an informed and immediate decision.

Using Google Q&A, the business can clearly define what they do and do not offer. Time is saved for the business owner by reducing the number of unqualified customers making contact. Customers, on the other hand, save time by ensuring the potential business meets their needs.

Customer Feedback Centre's Google Q&A feature delivers a powerful new reporting tool to any sized business.

How Do I Setup the Google Q&A Report in Customer Feedback Centre?

Google Q&A is automatically turned on for every Customer Feedback Centre subscription of Pro Plan. To take advantage of the report the business location must currently be monitoring Google reviews in their Online Review Links settings of Customer Feedback Centre.

If you would like more information on enabling Google review monitoring, see our user-guide: Setting up Online Reviews Links.

How Do I Use the Google Q&A Report?

How to access the report: You access the Google Q&A Report by navigating: Reports --> Q&A Report.

If you are unable to access the report see the above section How Do I Setup the Google Q&A Report in Customer Feedback Centre?

What business locations appear in report?

Your login to Customer Feedback Centre will determine which locations are displayed within the report.

For example, the Google Q&A Report will display just the business locations assigned to a User. In the case of the Account Owner, the Google Q&A Report will display all of their business locations.

How do I look at Google Q&A results for a specific business location, label or status?

You can filter the Google Q&A report by Location, Label or Status allowing you to view only the data you want. You can also use the Search field to find a business, sentiment, or any keyword.

For example, if you wanted to filter by a specific location you would follow these steps:

1. In the Filter By section click on the Location button.
2. Check the box(es) for the locations you wish to view.
3. Click the Filter button at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

Managing with the Open/Close/Reported flag: Click on the Status menu to flag an instance as open, closed, or reported. Here is the most common way the flags are used:

Open: used to flag unanswered questions

Closed: used to flag answered questions

Reported: used to flag Q&A instances that have been reported to Google for removal

How to export your Google Q&A data:

You can download a CSV of your Google Q&A data at anytime by clicking the Download CSV button at the top right of the report.

PLEASE NOTE: Your export file will be affected by any active filters. To export all Google Q&A data be sure to clear all active filters.

Can Customer Feedback Centre Notify Me When I Receive New Q&A Activity?

Customer Feedback Centre can send an Alert Notification email when new Google Q&A activity is detected for a business. Alert emails can be sent to the Account Owner, Business Owner, Users or any Additional Alert Recipients you’d like.