It’s no secret that customer reviews can prove pivotal to the ongoing success of a business. But just how important are they and what platform should your company integrate? Well, this month we talk about just that.

Before we get into the one of the best platforms out there, it’s good to understand why customer reviews are important in the first place. The five key things to consider if you’re not in this space are below.

Customer service and understanding

Reviews can help you understand overall customer satisfaction as well as highlight areas for improvement. Both positive and negative feedback can confirm or identify if a customer journey or service is working or not.

Furthermore, it provides a platform for customers to engage with your company. By efficiently resolving any issues that consumers faced, creates a positive experience for the customer, keeping your focus on their needs as well as displaying you as a business that listens and acts.

Credibility

With online reviews a mainstay in today’s world, and have been for quite some time, customers will no doubt look at what others have experienced, impacting their own journey. Word-of-mouth recommendations still play a part, but review sites allow customers to share their experience online with just a few clicks. By not having a review platform could sway a customer if they were unsure as there’s no other proof of purchase.

When a business has already received online reviews, it encourages other visitors to leave their own feedback too. Just the appearance of several reviews seems to be enough to give new customers the incentive and confidence to submit their own opinion on a particular product or service as well as the increased chance of being a returning customer.

Respond

When a customer takes the time to leave a review for your business, it’s worth giving them some time back with a response. The positive ones are easy of course, with a simple ‘thank you’ enough that can go along way and create loyalty to your business. It shows you care. Positive online business reviews are worth a great deal and can offer your business benefits that a simple marketing campaign can’t. They keep working long after the online review has been posted.

The not so nice reviews though should be treated the same. Do not ignore them. Respond in the best way possible, providing a solution or just taking on board what they say that could improve your business down the line. They may not come straight back, but if they do and can see their previous issue has been rectified, you could win a new customer. Reviews left untouched could show you either don’t care or have time for your customers, or that you’re an unresponsive business.

Improve online rankings

Did you know reviews appear to be the most prominent ranking factor in local search? It helps businesses rank well, especially with Google My Business, and tells Google you are a genuine business. Encouraging customers who have had a positive experience to leave a review is key to this, so make sure you promote your review platform to get the most benefit.

Have a nose at the competition

Don’t just concentrate on your own reviews, but check out the competition too. What are they doing in the review space? If they have a platform, how are they performing? What are their customers saying? How can you potentially do things better? It’s worth keeping an eye on this engagement as if you have a review service, they’ll certainly be keeping tabs too.

So, what review platforms are out there and which is the best to use?

It’s a good question. The answer is there are a lot of different platforms to use, but only a few that have positioned themselves as market leaders in this field. UK sites from the Google associated list include:

bazaarvoice.com/uk
bizrate.co.uk
ekomi.co.uk
feefo.com
reviews.co.uk
reevoo.com/en
trustedshops.co.uk
trustpilot.com
verified-reviews.co.uk

The one we will focus on is Trustpilot. The platform has grown to be the market leader with over 144 million written reviews of 626,000+ websites and counting. As a consumer myself, I have often used the platform before making a purchase.

Being a licensed Google Review Partner, the Trustpilot software has various methods of review collection processes, allowing you to automate review emails and reminders, while also making it easy to respond to reviews, display reviews on all social media platforms and integrate with all the major eCommerce sites. Even the TrustBox widgets come in a variety of sizes and options (and are customisable) for you to easily display.

Some of the biggest furniture retailers in the UK are using the platform too, so you know it’s a service your audience will be well versed to using. Some examples include:

• ScS – TrustScore of 4.8 from 359k reviews
• DFS – TrustScore of 4.8 from 230k reviews
• Bensons for Beds – TrustScore of 4.3 from 229k reviews
• Furniture Village – TrustScore of 3.8 from 35k reviews
• Carpetright – TrustScore of 4.6 from 96k reviews
• HSL Chairs – TrustScore of 4.9 from 10.5k reviews

If you’re already using a customer review tool, then that’s great and make sure you are utilising it for maximum benefit. If you’re not, then what are you waiting for? Give your customers a voice.