In case you haven't realised it yet, it's the age of customer service. In the new online economy, the customer is king. That doesn't mean that the customer is always right, but it does mean that you should always listen to the customer. Customer service is more important than ever because of the digital age and word-of-mouth, social media and online customer reviews. Consumers are much more likely to share their experiences with their friends through social media.
The times we live in enable us to tell a large number of people quickly and easily what we’re working on. Potential clients trust online reviews from people they may or may not know. As a result of this trend, companies are under pressure to deliver an excellent customer experience.
Why online reviews are good for your company?
Research showed that customer reviews have a positive impact on a company's sales. Buyers nowadays look for reviews before making a purchase. Everyone wants to get confirmation that they are going to make a good purchase. Here are some statistics about online reviews:
- Saurage Research found that 84% of Americans first research online customer reviews before making a purchase.
- Research by MyCommerce.com found that 63% of shoppers are more likely to make a purchase when a website has online reviews.
- The same study showed that consumers trust reviews from other customers 12 times more than product descriptions.
Besides increasing sales of a product, positive reviews have other benefits. When many online reviews are linked to your website, it ensures better online findability through search engines. Moreover, online shops often see an increase in customer satisfaction. Customers now get more information, making them less likely to make a mis-sale. Online reviews can ultimately prove to be an effective form of advertising. It is a way to build trust with your customers.
Negative reviews that move your company forward
Negative reviews can also help your company move forward. How? For example, you can be alerted to a potential problem before it gets worse. Negative online reviews often provide concrete feedback from buyers and give you quick insight into areas for improvement of a product or service. Moreover, negative reviews combined with positive reviews provide credibility. Positive reviews alone are often a bit more unlikely and therefore more implausible. Research shows that reviews in general, even negative reviews, can increase sales. Reviews help build trust, credibility and customer respect.
How can your company benefit from online reviews?
By now, it's probably clear to you that reviews can help your company move forward. But how do you make sure you get reviews and benefit from them?
- Display reviews on your own website. This gives you control over the review process and allows you to react quickly to any negative reviews. If you don't have reviews on your own website, look around on other review sites. Who knows, reviews might be posted there about your company.
- It is also a good idea to regularly ask customers about their experiences with the product. For example, including a quick link in a confirmation email can already help.
- Responding to negative reviews? Then make sure you don't get emotional and delete the conversation. Ideally, you should be allowed and able to send the customer a message privately to resolve the issue.
- Do you engage with a dissatisfied customer? Then show that you care about your customers and want to solve the problem. Often other consumers can read the negative reviews, if you respond well to them it can have a positive effect on other consumers.
- Bring in more customers? Use positive reviews as testimonials. Consumers tend to believe reviews in advertising. Use this to your advantage by making customer reviews part of your marketing strategy.
In short, online reviews are very important for the success of your company. This is a process over which you largely have no control. All you can do is make sure your product and service are top-notch. If you get this done, people will have no choice but to leave positive reviews.
Monkey Vision Tip: Want to grow your customer base even further? Use your existing customers to reach more customers. For example, you can use a 'Tell-a-friend' campaign, where existing customers are rewarded if they ensure that an (un)known customer becomes a customer.
