Reviews are no longer optional for businesses. It’s common for customers to seek out reviews on various websites when shopping for products, looking up restaurants, or seeking consultations on services.
A majority of customers read reviews before they make an online purchase because they want firsthand experience with a product or service and rely on other customers to learn more about not just their purchase, but their experience with the business.
Positive reviews can show you’re a trusted business and help customers when making a buying decision. Negative reviews, however, can show areas that might need improvement and give you insight into what you need to work on.
No matter how great customer service is, a business is bound to have at least one negative review. It’s expected, and customers view companies with no negative reviews to be less credible!
Reviews Influence Consumers’ Purchasing Decisions
When it comes to purchasing decisions, many people use customer reviews as a deciding factor because it is considered a source of social proof—a concept that consumers adapt to what other people are doing—and taken as a word-of-mouth recommendation.
It’s important to consider all aspects of your business from the customer’s experience when it comes to writing reviews.
When consumers look at reviews, they want the nitty-gritty details that also factor into their buying decisions. Not only do you want to ensure your products or services are high quality, but the customer service should be consistent, personalized, and empathetic.
Featuring reviews and ratings on your website is beneficial as customers are more likely to purchase from a company that displays reviews on its website. This can be added directly to your website and displayed for individual products or services or you can embed Google reviews onto your page.
3 Proven Ways to Encourage Customer Reviews
Reviews are critical when consumers are deciding whether or not to purchase from a business, so here are a few ways you can encourage customers to leave reviews.
Automated Review Requests
You can automate the review process to handle review requests. Once created, it can be triggered during any process that you choose during setup. So you can have a thank you message followed by requesting a review, highlighting the importance of feedback. This can be used for follow-up emails, SMS messaging, or online booking systems.
Enable Reviews on Platforms
Your website shouldn’t be the only place customers can leave reviews. There is a higher chance customers will be active on other websites, so give customers options. Make your business available on various platforms like Yelp, Google Business Profile, and even Facebook.
Facebook is a popular social platform where people can engage with businesses but also share their experiences, and when someone reviews your company, their review may appear on their friend’s newsfeeds and encourage them to take a look at your page.
Simplify the Review Process
The customer experience should be streamlined and efficient from beginning to end, and that includes reviews. Simplify the process by providing the ability to leave reviews on your website.
For a more interpersonal method, we offer Review Portal services, a custom portal for your business that customers are directed to through a QR code that is placed on your website or any marketing material of your choice, like business cards, door hangers, and flyers.
Our Review Portal gives customers the ability to rate your service one to five stars and directs them to the next step based on their response. Positive reviews present customers with a link to review sites like Google and Facebook.
This simplifies and personalizes the review process for all customers who engage with your company and gives you the ability to screen negative reviews. The Review Portal improves reviews by screening negative responses, so if someone were to select a star rating that is three or under, it would direct them to submit a feedback form that only goes to you.
For more information, book a discovery call to speak with one of our representatives and learn more about our Review Portal services to streamline your business reviews.
