Why reviews matter

Research by Deloitte shows that 81% of people read reviews. 97% said it had an impact on their choice, and when asked what the most trusted form of information was, reviews were tied first place with recommendations from family and friends.

Whilst it can be surprising that online reviewers seem to have so much power, surprisingly it’s the number of reviews, rather than what is said in them, that seems to matter most.

Recent studies by the Association for Psychological Science found evidence that when given a choice between two products, people would choose the one with more reviews, even if those reviews were negative.

So you don’t have to worry about those negative reviews – what users want to see is that multiple people have used your company. They’re searching for experience and longevity, as well as positive feedback.

Whilst we’re passionate about transparency, and giving reviewers the opportunity to share their experience, we also ensure that the system can’t be tampered with. As such, only users who have used reallymoving can leave a review. If you do receive a negative review, you can discuss it with your client, and hopefully leave them in a happier state.

How to make the most of reviews

People are busy, and time is limited. Which means your customer is only likely to leave a review if they’ve had a brilliant experience or a terrible one. We’ve tried to limit this by offering entrance into our quarterly prize draw when people review.

What can you do?

• Ask happy customers if they’d be willing to review and let them know they’ll receive a feedback link from reallymoving.
• Proactively use your reallymoving Partner Dashboard to send out feedback surveys to clients and chase up responses.
• Go the extra mile with small gestures that will set you apart.
• Discuss issues with unhappy customers and try to work out an agreement.
• Reply to negative reviews in a professional and reasonable tone, explaining the issue clearly. Potential customers will often judge based on business responses.
• Let staff know that customers often review – ensure they’re giving their best.
• Deal with customer expectations upfront so there is no confusion or disappointment down the line. What do they want from you?
• Learn from negative reviews – the only time negative reviews start to become damaging is when multiple reviews refer to the same issues over and over again.

Using reviews

Think of negative reviews as free customer feedback, something you’d struggle to have insight to when using surveys or other ways of learning how people feel about your company and your service.

If negative reviews keep bringing up the same problems (or the same names) then it’s worth having a discussion with your team – why are these issues occurring and can they be fixed? If they can’t, then alerting the customer ahead of time to expect certain problems will stop them being disappointed. If certain staff members are mentioned consistently, use this as a way of opening a discussion about their manner or service style.

Reviews are invaluable in helping you improve your business, negative ones especially.

When it comes to the positive reviews – share them! Promote them on social media and let people know you’re making customers happy and offering a great experience. You can also tag reallymoving and we'll be happy to share your great reviews.

You can also display your reviews on your website using our reviews widget (just click ‘Link to your reviews’ in your dashboard) so you can show off just how well you’re doing and give any potential customers an immediate impression.
 
If you’d like more information on what you can do with reviews, or replying to negative feedback, have a chat with your reallymoving account manager.