Review Management 101 – Part 2: After the sale – Engaging and Asking for Customer Feedback

Review Management: The Art of Increasing and Maximizing Your Positive Online Reviews

It goes a long way to ask a customer, “How did it go?”. It shows you want to know, it shows you care. It’s also a big leap for some business owners who fear asking or exposing themselves to negativity. This is a new world and the customer experience does not end with the sale. Asking for feedback is an absolute must for business owners as well as Step #2 in our Review Management Series.

Customer Feedback: Keeping it Short, Simple and Seamless

For many business owners, the end sale is the ultimate goal. There’s no better feeling than when a brand new customer buys a product and in turn becomes a life-long client. Many business owners may also believe that after the sale, the work is done. But, there are several ways to optimize customer engagement and boost your brand’s visibility even after the customer has left the store, leaving them with a positive impression and enticing them to come back with and experience amazing customer service. One of these ways is by engaging and asking for feedback online. Feedback and online reviews are one of the best ways to scale your local search engine optimization ratings on search engines like Google, lend credibility to your business and mission and solidify your place at the top of your industry. And, the process of asking for feedback doesn’t need to be long or complicated. Read on for some best practices in engaging with the customer after you’ve made a sale and asking for direct feedback online.

Why should I ask for feedback?

As a business, you should always be improving and looking to explore new possibilities. Constructive feedback is the best way to understand what’s working and what isn’t and how you can continue to deliver your best in every interaction. Asking for feedback also makes the customers feel valued, important and involved. There is true vulnerability, humility and authenticity in asking for genuine feedback and your customers will feel closer to your business and your mission because of it. You are communicating that you care about how the customer feels and that they are playing a direct role in helping your business get better.

The key to asking for feedback, however, is to actually use it. There’s no value in generating reviews if you don’t implement the feedback for the next sale or customer experience. Be consistent in reviewing your feedback and take each review seriously, showing your customers you’re listening and working for them. Even negative reviews will help your business change, grow and improve.

Other benefits in asking for feedback

Customers are inundated with products, services and advertisements for them almost every second of every day. So, how do you break through the noise? You guessed it: asking for feedback! When a customer leaves a review, you are making an impression that will allow them to remember you for the next time around. Staying top of mind is crucial for businesses trying to make a name for themselves. In addition, if a customer can easily recall a positive experience they went out of their way to leave a review for, they’re more than likely to recommend it to someone else as well. Word-of-mouth marketing still trumps most forms of digital advertising and content marketing. New customers that see other happy online reviews will feel more confident in using your business and buying your products.

When should I ask for feedback?

In short, you should ask your customer for feedback as soon as possible. Getting a customer to leave a positive review while the sale is still hot and the customer is still happy is crucial. The longer you take to ask for feedback, the stronger the possibility they’ll forget about the positive interaction entirely, or worse, forget to visit your store the next time around or share their experience with others. Closing the engagement gap quickly will help let the customer know you truly valued the experience as much as they did and that you care to hear their thoughts.

How should I ask for feedback?

On the customer’s side, the review process should be quick, automatic and as painless as possible. No one likes filling out long online forms or being forced to hit multiple character or word counts. As a business, you’d want to avoid being too pushy as well. Feedback is great, but asking for too much and asking too many times may turn the customer off from coming back or worse, lead them to write a negative review. Always opt for the simpler route, which is asking for a line or two of feedback and gently pushing once if you don’t hear back from the customer the first time around. Luckily, there’s a way to automate this process so the entire review and feedback cycle is taken out of your hands. You’ll be free to focus on daily business operations while still earning that crucial feedback as seamlessly as possible.

Using Review Monkey

If you want more reviews but don’t know how to go about actively encouraging them from your customers, you can definitely benefit from a simple, effective and automated review feedback process. That’s where Review Monkey comes in. Review Monkey’s advanced software helps you generate more positive reviews while getting ahead of the negative ones before they’re posted. Review Monkey implements a review funnel for every completed service by sending an automated request for feedback. If the customer reports a great experience, Review Monkey asks for feedback and sends a gentle reminder text or email if needed. If a customer had an issue with the service, Review Monkey politely asks them to share their experience, allowing you to amend the issue before the customer leaves a formal review. Review Monkey also holds and tracks a database of your previous reviewers, so you can continue to optimize your visibility.

You’ve established the how, when and why in your review process, so let Review Monkey automate it with the right tools. This will help you close the customer feedback process loop and increase your positive reviews without having to lift a finger. Try Review Monkey for Free

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Tags: Customer Experience, Customer Service, Review Management,