Do Customer Reviews Really Matter?

So someone recently submitted a review on your Facebook page and you are there wondering if it actually matters. Well, stop wondering! Customer reviews matter to customers and play a significant part in growing your business. The emergence of technology has increased the modern consumer’s voice by giving them a platform to make themselves heard much easier and to a bigger crowd than before. 

Therefore, increasing the impact of complaints and compliments on a business. We live in a time where potential consumers rely more on word of mouth than what the business itself promises to offer. This took the reviewing process from being an effort for an individual to be heard by the manager, and hopefully live long enough to see the changes implemented; to be a means of informing potential customers about their experience and hopefully get an audience that will help in accelerating the change process. At the end of the day, their voice will be heard, be it by the business or fellow consumers. 

Ideally, you’d want to be the first one to hear their voice and respond accordingly before things get out of hand if it is a negative review. Even the good reviews deserve a quick response. Customers like to engage in a conversation with their trusted brands, and a quick response will prompt a positive experience. 

This is why reviews really matter.

Online Reviews Serve As Personal Recommendation

These days customers are more likely to do their ‘eye shopping’ online, and that includes getting recommendations through reviews. Nearly 95% of consumers will read online reviews before purchasing a product, especially for highly-priced and high-risk products. 

Potential customers will read reviews:

• To determine the legitimacy of a business, especially for local small businesses.
• To determine the quality of the product through the experience of those who have already bought it.

The insight they get can significantly impact their buying decision and your sales.

Reviews Are Great Feedback On Your Products and/or Services

Yes, even the negative reviews are good in this case because change often comes as a result of being uncomfortable. It is in that space that you will start reflecting on your business and whether you are meeting the needs of your target market or not. The next step would be to do further research and use the findings to improve your business. And that is how you will grow. The efforts to improve your business will definitely have people talking. Furthermore,  potential customers will see the business as one that listens to its customers, making them feel valuable, and a business that can be trusted. Just like that you can improve your business, increase your sales, and gain new customers. 

Businesses often shy away from managing reviews as they are afraid of

• The bad reputation that comes with negative reviews
• The lack of skilled staff to handle reputation management 
• Or not getting any reviews at all.

Sadly, shying away from reviews or not managing reviews can hurt the business badly. We suggest that you start getting customer reviews and managing them in a way that will benefit your business, be it positive or negative.

How To Get Your Customers To Start Reviewing

Simply Ask Them

Ask and you shall receive. This is one of those easier said than done tasks, but it is possible.

-Your website should have a part where customers can share their reviews.

- Prompt customers for a review on your App or after purchasing a product on your e-commerce site.

- You could also send out emails to clients to request feedback through short surveys or an open-ended question. 

Certain pos systems, like Waitr, prompts customers for reviews by including the link to the reviews site on their order collection notification. As mentioned above, it is not always easy to get customers to click through to the review site, especially when they didn’t have much of an extreme experience to share. In this case, businesses would offer some sort of incentive to encourage customers to submit reviews.

Use Social Listening 

Customers are not always eager to submit reviews; however, this does not guarantee a total silence on their experience or perception of a certain business or product. So it is important to not only focus on submitted reviews but also to listen to what people are saying online. Hubspot defines social listening as the monitoring of social media channels for any feedback or discussions related to your brand or regarding specific keywords, topics, or competitors. You will need a social listening tool such as Hootsuite, Mentions, Brandwatch, Brand24 and many more. 

How To Respond To Reviews

Be Timely 

Timeliness is an efficient component in customer service delivery and something that customers demand from businesses. Although 53% of consumers expect a reply within 7 days, it is best to respond within a day or two after the review submission date. The idea is to act as quick as possible to avoid further damage and to stand a better chance of driving sales and fostering long-term customer loyalty.

Apologize

Say sorry even if you truly feel like you were not in the wrong. Take inconsideration that every individual, though in the same segment, will have their own experiences that might differ from other customer’s experiences or how you had planned it to be. Apologising is also a way of showing customers that you acknowledge that your business is not too perfect to make mistakes. This could strengthen the trust between you and your customers.

Take Responsibility And Work Towards A Solution

Never make excuses in your response to a review. Acknowledge the customer’s experience and try to fix the issue at hand. Again, you need to be timely with your solution. Avoid opening up a platform for a lengthy discussion or argument by keeping your apology and solution in one response.

References:

51 Customer Review Statistics to Make You Rethink Using Them| Learning Hub

How to Respond to Negative Reviews and Positive Reviews From Customers| Reviewtrackers