Obviously, if your company is listed on Google, Amazon, Trustpilot or any other customer reviews site, you wouldn’t want to see that someone has used it to post negative commentary about any of your products or services.
However, it’s important to emphasise that inviting customers to publish online reviews of your business can actually help it to financially thrive. Here are some noteworthy reasons why.
Customer reviews are usually deemed trustworthy
We have thrown in the ‘usually’ there because, of course, some entrepreneurs are bound to try ‘gaming the system’ — such as by posting positive reviews that were actually written by the firm’s own staff. However, following this strategy would risk you being hit with negative publicity.
For this reason, people who see customer reviews know that they are likely able to trust what they say. Basically, this content is often judged to be ‘authentic’ and ‘organic’ rather than soulless PR.
Readers can garner intricate insights
Exactly because these reviews are typically seen as representing customers’ genuine views rather than the company’s marketing spiel, people can rely on these reviews for finding out about details that the seller could too easily have played down or essentially swept under the carpet.
For example, a particular smartphone might come with a powerful processor and high-definition screen, but what about the battery life? Does that really live up to what the manufacturer has advertised? If such issues do fester, some customer reviews could pick up on them.
Even negative reviews can work out surprisingly well for the company
Of course, your company might sell products but not necessarily make all — or possibly even any — of them. As a result, if someone were to buy that earlier-mentioned theoretical smartphone from you and openly complain about its battery life, you could be largely or entirely off the hook.
Unfortunately, negative reviews can have a very different impact if they touch upon products you do make — or, for that matter, aspects of any services you provide.
Imagine that someone does comment negatively about the business itself. If this review is posted on a site where you are able to directly reply, we encourage you to do so. Remember, though, to keep your response professional — whether it will be public or only seen by the disgruntled customer.
Start by acknowledging the customer’s complaint in an emphatic manner. If the problem appears to be all down to a misunderstanding on their part, politely provide information that may suffice for putting the customer at ease. If the issue is your fault, you could offer to rectify the issue for free.
For you, the key objective with all of this is to show that the problem resulted only from an honest mistake. Through taking thoughtful action in this situation, you could potentially turn the dissatisfied customer into a much happier and loyal one for the future.
Contact us for more advice
Would you appreciate further tips on how to garner customer reviews in the right way? If so, feel free to reach out to Webahead Internet’s team of digital marketing specialists.
