Customer reviews are more popular and influential than ever before. According to BrightLocal research, in 2020, 60 percent of consumers said they ‘always’ or ‘regularly’ read online customer reviews when browsing for local businesses. In 2021, that number jumped to 77 percent! Meanwhile, in 2021, only 2 percent said they ‘never’ read customer reviews. The statistics are clear, and that’s why we’re covering this important topic in a multi-article series.
So far, we’ve discussed the research on why online reviews are so powerful for your franchise and 20 customer review websites that franchise owners should know about. Now we want to help you boost the number of online customer reviews you have from happy customers so more prospects will discover your franchise and try your business.
Why Do Customers Leave Reviews?
Before we get into strategies for encouraging online reviews, we first want to think about why customers leave reviews in the first place. This way, we’ll understand the factors that motivate someone to leave a customer review.
Of course, the top motivator for leaving a review is if the customer has a positive experience with your business. Beyond that, research indicates that the following factors make a person ‘likely’ or ‘highly likely’ to write a customer review:
- The business went above and beyond to ensure you had an exceptional experience (88%)
- You initially had a negative experience that was turned into a very positive experience (80%)
- You know that the business is fairly new (77%)
- You know that the business is family-owned (74%)
- The business has a low average star rating, and you don’t think it’s deserved (73%)
- You know that the business has very few reviews compared to its competitors (62%)
- A member of staff suggested you leave a review (57%)
- You received an email or SMS text message from the business requesting you leave a review (53%)
The data indicates that the best way to get online reviews from happy customers is to provide exceptional service. Customers also leave reviews because they are motivated to help businesses (for example, new and family-owned establishments). Finally, some people leave reviews simply because they’re asked! Let’s explore this idea below.
The Best Way to Get a Customer Review? Ask for One!
Do you ask for online customer reviews? According to the same BrightLocal research, 17 percent of consumers say they haven’t been prompted by a business to leave a review in the last 12 months. That’s a missed opportunity because the odds are quite high that you WILL get customer reviews if you ask for them!
- 12% percent of consumers say they left a review every time a business prompted them to do so in the last 12 months.
- 23% of consumers left a review more than half of the time went prompted in the last 12 months.
By not asking, you’re missing out because many customers WILL leave a customer review when you ask them! If you provide an exceptional customer experience, your odds of getting reviews go up even more.
10 Simple Ways to Encourage Online Customer Reviews
We’ve examined why customers leave reviews and the importance of asking for them. So now, let’s dive into the strategies you can use to encourage more happy customers to leave reviews.
1. Train Your Staff to Ask
Depending on your business, the best time to ask for a customer review might be immediately after the product or service is delivered or when the transaction is completed. Research also suggests that the personal aspect of being asked by staff can encourage more people to say yes.
2. Send an Email
You may send a quick email after the transaction if you have the customer’s email address. Personalize whenever possible. Even if you’re using an automated system, you should be able to insert details like the customer’s name, the date they did business with you, and the product or service they purchased. In addition to thanking them for their business, ask for a review and leave a link. Since you have more room in an email, if your business is on multiple review sites, you can include links to each so the customer can choose the one they are most familiar with.
3. Use Text Messaging
Business text messaging is becoming increasingly common and is a highly favorable method of communication for today’s consumers. BrightLocal found that there has been a 7 percent increase in businesses asking for reviews via text in the last year alone (from 20 percent to 27 percent total). When sending your text, make sure to include a link to the review platform of your choice because the convenience will boost the number of people who follow through.
If you don’t use business text messaging, it’s time to get in on this growing trend! Clarity Voice FranchisePhones includes SMS/MMS messaging and the ability to make calls and send texts from your personal phone while displaying your business number. Franchisees can learn more here.
4. Add a Message to the Receipt
Another effective way of soliciting more reviews from happy customers is to include a message on the receipt or invoice. But don’t stop there. Train your staff to alert customers by telling them about the message or circling it on the receipt.
5. Create “Leave Us a Review” Cards
A similar offline method for getting more online customer reviews is creating physical cards to hand to customers at the end of a transaction or placing them in the bag with their purchase. The card can encourage reviews on a platform of your choice. If you use a link, make sure it’s a short link so it’s easier for people to type into their browser.
6. Make a Call
Another personal way of asking for reviews is to call the customer on the phone. One benefit is that you can strike up a conversation about how the service was and get their feedback verbally before you decide if it’s wise to ask for a customer review. Using a business phone system that connects to your CRM, you can add notes to the customer file while you chat.
7. Use In-Store Signage
If appropriate, you can also leverage in-store signage to get more reviews. Include a QR code, and the customer can scan it to be taken directly to the review profile of your choice. (Note: You can use this QR code strategy on any physical methods we’ve mentioned, including receipts, invoices, and cards).
8. Request Reviews on Social Media
Don’t forget your social media channels as potential places for soliciting reviews. If you have a regular social media calendar, you can include a post every couple of weeks to ask for reviews. Perhaps you could even highlight one of the things we talked about that encourage reviews, such as the fact that you are a new or a family-owned business or that you don’t have many reviews, so you need help from your loyal customers.
9. Try a Device In-Store
Customer-facing businesses can also consider having a dedicated location in the store where they have an iPad or tablet set to their chosen review site. While waiting for services or after completing the transaction, encourage customers to head to the station to post a quick review.
10. Have a Process
The above tips are all methods of asking for reviews, but we want to end this list with the reminder that the best way to encourage online customer reviews is to make sure you have a process for asking for them. Identify the best times to ask for reviews and the best methods for you and your customers. Document the process, train your employees and make sure everyone follows through to improve your results.
Happy Customers + More Customer Reviews = Business Growth
Customer reviews greatly impact your franchise’s growth because they are a magnet that pulls in new customers. So, of course, when using the strategies above, you’ll want to target repeat, happy customers who have the best things to say about your business.
But what happens when you get a negative customer review? Chances are it will happen to your business at some point, and we want you to be prepared. Our next article will discuss what you should do to monitor your online reviews, including handling negative ones. Until then, contemplate the ideas in this article, and make a strategic plan to ask for and solicit more online customer reviews for your business.
