Something often overlooked (or forgotten entirely!) by businesses is the power of a glowing review.

In the same way we all check out the reviews before clicking ‘Buy Now’ on selling sites like Amazon … we look when we want to hire a business to provide a service, too.

Because we trust the opinions of others more than those of the business owner. A few positive sentences can have more influence on consumers than an entire website and will help your business grow.

However, many business owners still consider getting reviews too difficult. So, here’s our FIVE-STEP guide to making it easier.

1 Consider at what point in the customer journey you ask

Getting reviews should be a regular part of your customer journey process. But you must train your team to ask at the right time.

Decide which of the following touchpoints would work for you. You don’t have to choose one—a combination often works best.

2 How to ask

There are several ways to approach your clients:

• In-person

• Over the phone (or via text)

• Through a reviews page on your website

• Via an email blast, personal email, company email, email signatures

• Via social media

• On receipts/invoices

3 Reduce the friction points

If leaving a review becomes a hassle, your customer will be less likely to do it. So make it as easy as possible. Here are some ideas:

• Include multiple options so they can choose which platform they prefer.

• Include a link directly to the page to minimise the number of steps they must take.

• Give them a prompt so they know what you expect (e.g. "Will you leave a comment about your recent experience with Tracy?”).

·         A template saves time. You can use a variety of formats, and with some, all they have to do is choose a star rating for each of a series of questions (i.e. Evri use this method).

·         If they think they don’t have the time to write one, they won’t. But if you address this when you ask them (e.g. “It will only take 2 minutes"), you’ll manage their expectations.

4 Follow up and respond

Accept that you may have to ask more than once!

Everyone gets busy, and your clients may need a reminder to give a review if you’ve already asked them previously. 

Don’t badger them, though. Send a gentle reminder, as they may have forgotten. And be assured that despite your concerns about being intrusive on their time, a BrightLocal study showed that 76% of those asked were happy to leave a review.

5 Respond to every review

This is especially applicable to the negative ones!

Mistakes sometimes happen and can result in a client leaving a negative comment.

Take the time to respond positively and try to find a resolution, as it will help your business in the long run. Customers are humans, too, and they react positively to empathetic and compassionate customer service.

The key is to make getting client reviews part of your systems and procedures so that each staff member knows it’s non-negotiable. Incentivise and reward them for each positive review they receive … this will encourage them to reach out for more!