There's no doubt that positive customer reviews are an extremely effective way of getting new clients (some businesses report that 80% of their new clients come from their reviews). And the more customer reviews you have, the more effective this is (in fact, businesses with 5 or more reviews on WOMO get more than 10 times as much traffic as those with only 1 review). But there's another important reason to ask your customers for reviews…The mere act of asking for feedback, tells customers that you're a business that cares about their satisfaction… which in turn, makes them think better of you and feel more satisfied with their experience. It tells them that you're actually listening, that you care about them and want to make sure everything went well for them.
Businesses need to overcome their shyness in asking customers for reviews. It's time to put your ego aside, demonstrate you care, and stand behind your service!
If the customer's experience was positive, remembering the service and articulating it will actually reinforce these feelings and make them recognise the effort that goes into getting everything running smoothly. And because they're feeling grateful for your service, they'll usually be more than happy to leave a review for you (especially if you tell them how important this is to your business).
On the other hand, if their experience was not so perfect, the fact that you've asked for feedback makes them remember that you're a real person (not an abstract business), that you're trying to provide a great service, and although things a few things might have gone wrong, you're trying your best. Not to mention, if the question uncovers dissatisfaction, you now have a chance to rectify things and turn them into a very happy customer.
It's time to stop being shy and realise that asking customers for feedback actually increases customer satisfaction. In fact, not asking for feedback is like running your business with your head in the sand.
If you're not proactively asking for feedback, you're either missing out on the marketing opportunity of positive customer reviews, or not paying attention to things that need to be impoved.
With online customer reviews having more and more influence on purchasing decisions, businesses should not be shy about asking customers to share their feedback online. Having a strategy to encourage and build positive reviews can become a significant part of your marketing program, will help to insulate the business from the occasional negative review, and can play an important role in getting your business found online.
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