What are your customers saying about your company online? Are they leaving positive or negative reviews? Are you finding it a challenge to generate new reviews on a consistent basis?
Although it sounds challenging and time consuming, there are basic steps you can take to ensure that a large number of customers take the time to say nice things about your company via online reviews.
Don’t overthink it. Instead, use these three strategies to your advantage:
1. Provide Great Service
There is no replacement for great customer service. From the moment you make first contact until the moment you receive final payment, the customer should be your top priority.
When you provide top notch service, there’s a much greater chance of two things happening:
- Your customer will be happy with the end result (thus coming back for more in the future)
- Your customer will leave a positive online review, which helps your business grow (and point others toward your company)
A dedication to customer service doesn’t guarantee a positive review, but it definitely helps.
2. Ask Nicely
There will always be people who enjoy leaving online reviews, both good and bad.
Conversely, there will always be people who never think twice about this, unless they’re given a push in the right direction.
This is where you come into play. It doesn’t matter if you own a restaurant, plumbing business, or pool repair company, don’t hesitate to ask your customers to leave an honest review on Google, Yelp, and any other platform where you have a presence.
3. Check In After 24 Hours
This doesn’t work for all small businesses, but it’s perfect for some.
Take for example a landscaping company. Give the customer 24 to 48 hours to admire their project, and then reach out to ensure that everything is okay. You can ask questions like:
- Did everything turn out the way you had hoped?
- Is there anything else we can help you with at this time?
- Do you have any feedback to share?
It doesn’t matter if you ask these questions online or over the phone, you should always follow them with a prompt to leave an honest online review. Taking the time to check back in may be the final push the person needs to take action.
One Last Thing
Get into the habit of responding to all online reviews, both good and bad.
Thank those who leave a positive review, and do whatever it takes to make things right if you receive a negative review.
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