Review can make or break a business's success or failure. A review that is positive can help a startup get traction. But a bad review can ruin it. G2Crowd and Capterra, two of the most popular review platforms for business software, have proven that reviews can have a snowball effect. The first review is the most difficult, but it sets the stage for future growth. With less effort, the impact of the second review grows. Bad reviews can slow down this snowball.
Customer service reviews
Customer service reviews can be a great way for customers to give feedback about how they interact with companies. They provide valuable feedback to the reviewers and can be used for improvement. A review should detail everything that happened, including the strengths and limitations of the company. Reviews should be friendly, and they should address the entire customer experience. Reading reviews that highlight only a few aspects of a company’s service is not helpful.
Anecdotal reports
Anecdotal reviews are not written by third-party reviewers but by customers. Such reviews can be helpful because they are more personally-oriented and allow users to relate to the content more readily. These reviews can sometimes overemphasize data points. Anecdotal reviews on services are useful to those who are considering a specific service.
Direct solicitations to review
Sending customers post-purchase emails is one of the best ways to solicit customer reviews. Post-purchase emails are the best time to get customers excited about new products. But the best time to send solicitations depends on the type of product. If you're soliciting customer reviews for seasonal products, send the emails seven working days after the customer received them. This is because the product only has a limited lifespan.
Fake reviews are not to be trusted
Avoiding fake reviews on services is a key part of building trust online. If only real customers leave reviews, it will ensure that your marketing and sales efforts target genuine customers. Fake reviews can be hard to spot but there are ways you can avoid them.