A review is a piece of feedback that lets you know what you are doing well and what needs to be fixed. If your boss gives you an annual review, you take that critical feedback and make yourself more employable and effective.
What would happen if you just ignored that review from your boss?
You would likely shoot out the ole resume in search of a new job. It just doesn't make sense to ignore feedback, especially if it concerns your profession. Customer reviews are the same as annual reviews. Your customers, the people who buy your product and give you their money, took the time to give you feedback about their experience. That feedback should be analyzed and implemented to improve your company.
However, many companies out there, most likely your competitors, do not treat reviews as an essential role in their operations. If they ask for reviews, it is only because they have seen other companies do the same. On the other hand, some companies use feedback, but they never bother to respond and thank the customer for sharing their experience.
Both of these scenarios have led to most people being skeptical about whether or not retailers and companies take their reviews seriously. This leads to no reviews being left by the customers, which leads to no way for you to know if your company is performing well or subpar.
You can and should change that view for your company by responding to every review sent your way.
The feedback you receive will be like a Clint Eastwood movie. You will get your customers' good, bad, and ugly experiences. The bad reviews will most likely be the most beneficial. However, do not ignore the good stuff or the ugly, mean comments. Respond to all of the reviews to show that you acknowledge your customer's opinions.
Make sure your responses to all the reviews are displayed to everyone. The goal here is to use your customer's feedback to better your operations and show potential new customers that you genuinely appreciate their opinions. Private messages might feel more personal; however, they are hidden from the public.
Do not end your quest for better customer service with your responses. Responding to a customer's review will only get you so far. If you really want your customer to know that you value their feedback, you will need to show them that you are changing your ways to accommodate them better. This will tell your customers you are taking their reviews seriously and will also help your company grow. Many of your customers might have some valuable suggestions to help improve your company. Do not dismiss any tips or strategies before you have studied them and made the determination that they would not benefit your company.
How is it Beneficial to Respond to Every Review?
When you take the time out of your daily operations to respond to your customers' reviews, you are setting yourself apart from your competitors. This is helping your company build a brand. Every company has a brand, and you want your brand to be one that values its customers.
Online shopping is slowly taking over the retail game. Even most in-person stores are giving their customers the option to make their purchases online before going to the store to pick them up. When people shop online, they have more time to research their products. Many consumers read the reviews before making an online purchase. If they scroll through your reviews and see them all unanswered, they are likely to label you as an "anti-customer" company.
To ensure that this doesn't happen and that you have a good reputation, you will need to respond to all reviews in a place that all potential customers can see. Consumers today are experts at shopping online, so they will be able to notice an automated response from a thoughtful one. Make sure that you are writing a genuine response to these reviews.
In the digital world that we are living in, consumers can get the one product they want from many different companies. Numerous websites solely aim to allow customers to shop from thousands of different manufacturers. The chances that you are the only one who sells a specific product are low.
What will be the deciding factor when consumers choose the best company?
The answer is cost; however, you surely have competitive prices. This means that the company that can separate itself from the others will get the customers. Your good reputation for value customer opinion will lead hundreds, thousands, and even millions of consumers to your products.
This is all an easy feat for a small to mid-sized company. What about the large, multi-continental companies?
When you receive thousands of reviews daily, replying to them is not going to be a simple task. Pair that with the fact that you are not using a "reply to all" approach, and you couldn't possibly respond to all your customer's reviews.
Certain websites or applications that help you track and sort through your customer reviews will help make this task easier. Once again, you will not be able to respond to all, but you can sort through and find all the bad or problem reviews that need a genuine response. Most consumers look for bad reviews to help decide on a product. Seeing your response and possibly a change in your operations ensure this issue does not happen again will help their decisions. You should also add in some "Thank You" responses to the good reviews to show you not only care about the bad ones.
The one thing you need to remember in all this is that customers will buy the product you sell. If they weren't, you wouldn't be in business today. Are you going to let yourself be the company that gets looked over by your lack of responses, or are you going to be the company that takes the throne of your industry? The answer should be easy to make; hopefully, this article has opened your eyes to why that is.
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