If you are a Business Owner, you might have known how critical customer reviews are for a Business.
Consumer reviews are essential in the digital space for online buyers to consider your product or services over your rivals.
Before the Evolution of the Internet, things were different; people would make their purchase decisions with rich advertisements and word of mouth.
But, after the internet, the complete purchase behavior has evolved, and consumers started doing their research online about the pros and cons of a product before opting for it.
Therefore, if your business could win more positive reviews, even a half-star rating, it is a definite win more than your competitor.
So, how, as a business, could you improve your positive reviews? It is unaffected by asking them. Am I correct?
But when to ask is vital, and we cannot ask a customer for a review when they are not happy with your product or service, which will worsen your reviews and not improve it.
So here are few tips on how to ask a customer for reviews to grow your online reputation.
How to ask for reviews
Ask when the customer is happiest with your service.
Suppose you are looking for a positive review from a customer. In that case, the consumer must have received extraordinary service from you and should be ready to take up another service with you. It is essential for a business to not only have positive reviews but to have given positive experiences.
But, I agree that even 5-star hotels get a critique.
So, always make sure your customer is happy. A great tip is that it is advisable to ask for feedback about your product or service, and if it is excellent, then ask them to give you a review online.
Just a thought. Pick a way that best works for your business.
Ask Right After the Service
If you are asking for a review, make sure it is right after the purchase. Trust me; it will be an excellent review most of the time because of the below reasons.
1) Customers can remember how they felt about the purchase, which could come out well as words.
2) Customers know that you will read the review right after they finish, so they will write a fantastic review to make you feel good. (LOL, I have done this a lot of times)
Above all, always have an Ipad ready so that you could ask them to do it right away. No service is as excellent that they go home and write a review.
Do not leave the customer Unhappy.
I realize it is not easy to convert an unhappy Customer to a Happy customer. Still, it is our responsibility as business owners to find alternatives to create a positive experience, bare minimum neutral expertise that could help us avoid a negative review.
For Instance, If you have ever purchased on Amazon and are not happy with the product, they will give you a no-questions-asked full refund. In that case, even though you are not satisfied with the vendor of the product, you will not stop making purchases from Amazon.
I am aware, not all businesses are as big as Amazon to give a full refund, but an offer code that a customer could use on their next purchase could work sometimes, but always come up with a creative solution because a negative review could impact your overall rating.
In Conclusion, Online reputation management for Small businesses is crucial as it directly impacts Sales, so always try to create the best possible experience for your customers. And, for some people, it might sound uncomfortable to ask for a review, but always remember that your competitors have already started doing it, so try to find an Online Reputation Management Agency to work it out for you.
