Gaining insight into your customers' true opinions goes beyond simply sending out satisfaction surveys or asking the Net Promoter question after each interaction. For your company to truly embody customer-centric values or achieve an optimal market fit, it must operate on a foundation of customer feedback. This blog will reveal the first 3 commonly misunderstood truths about customer feedback. These insights can guide you as you establish and integrate customer feedback systems that benefit your customers and provide you with valuable insights to propel your business forward. The next 3 truths will be discussed in our upcoming blog post.
Truth 1: Small Businesses Approach
Small businesses thrive on building personal relationships with their customers, making it a great foundation for requesting customer reviews. Experts suggest small companies encourage customers to leave reviews to boost their reputation. However, responding to customer reviews incorrectly can harm the relationship with customers. Just like in any personal favour we do for family and friends, customers like to feel their actions have been recognized. Therefore, small businesses must pay special attention to reviews that mention the names of anyone in their team. Acknowledging and thanking customers for feedback can enhance the relationship, build loyalty, and boost the business's reputation. Experts recommend that small businesses approach customers with care when requesting reviews and respond to reviews promptly and professionally. Small businesses can improve customer satisfaction and foster a loyal customer base by prioritizing customer feedback.
Truth 2:Outdated Practice of Deleting Customer Reviews
Customers who leave negative reviews often do so in the hope of preventing others from experiencing the same disappointment. If your business receives a negative review, it's crucial not to delete it. Instead, take the opportunity to rectify the situation for the customer and respond to their feedback. Sometimes, customers may publicly thank you on the review site if you can resolve their concerns satisfactorily. By doing so, potential customers who read the exchange can feel reassured that your business is committed to delivering excellent customer service. Deleting negative reviews is an outdated practice that can erode customer trust and credibility, whereas responding to feedback constructively can help build long-lasting customer relationships.
Truth 3: Knowing When to Ignore Feedback
It's natural for customers to feel frustrated and want to punish a business when they've had a disappointing experience. In some cases, the relationship may already be beyond repair. However, it's still worth attempting to address the situation professionally, as other potential customers are likely watching. When responding to feedback, remaining calm and maintaining a human tone are essential. Avoid using aggressive language or formal jargon that may come across as dismissive. However, there are situations where it's best to simply ignore feedback that isn't related to a direct experience with your brand. You can protect your brand's reputation by exercising good judgement and being selective with your responses.
Final Thoughts
Understanding the Motivations Behind Customer Reviews.
Contrary to popular belief, customers don't typically leave reviews to help a company improve solely. According to research from Trustpilot, people write reviews for various reasons, including venting their frustrations after a negative experience, praising a company after a positive experience, and feeling empowered by expressing their views. Additionally, customers may leave reviews to gain recognition for their knowledge or tastes or to feel a sense of belonging and contribute to a community. Ultimately, these motivations serve the customers themselves, with any benefits to the company being coincidental. Even when leaving positive reviews, customers are primarily fulfilling their psychological need for self-expression and affirmation of their beliefs and values.
- Discover more about Customer Engagement Strategies
- Find some tips on e-Commerce Strategies
- Looking closer at Omnichannel Support Strategies
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