Businesses are doing their customers a favour when they decide to open up their website to public reviews.
Some operators will demand that consumers open up an official account with them in order to enjoy this feature, while others will be happy to leave this area up for open public consumption.
Whatever approach the enterprise takes in this setting, they should adhere to sound principles when viewing this information on their own site.
Keep All Good & Bad Reviews Online
The very first port of call for businesses who see reviews published on their own website is to keep them up live and visible. If constituents start to recognise that their negative feedback is looked over and edited out of the domain, then they will rightfully feel aggrieved. That can lead to further scrutiny if that information is published through social media channels, so it is always best practice to keep the entire range up and available. It demonstrates transparency if nothing else for the consumer base.
Highlight Positive Feedback Through Testimonial Content
There is a school of thought that says positive reviews are a form of advertising. If this is indeed the case, why not draw further attention to it and elevate their standing to the stature of a testimonial? Especially when they come through local sources and speak about the product or service in glowing terms, that can be the type of content where marketing campaigns are designed around. Publish this in big bold font and make it front and center of the site’s profile.
Allow Users to Rank The Reviews
It is always helpful for businesses to allow the reviews to be multidimensional. This is where some fun features are introduced. Asking questions like “was this review helpful?” can ensure that the leading items are sent to the top. The same can be said for filtering processes that elevate the most positive or most negative comments according to the demands of the visitor.
Removing Illegitimate Comments
Although it is important for businesses to take the good with the bad when it comes to reviews on their website, there are occasions where some editing is required. If the opinions are in contravention of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 where the terminology is abusive and uncivil then that can be taken down. The same can be said for bots and illegitimate ratings that are released by dubious sources. In this event, operators are advised to reach out to the relevant authorities.
Encourage Involvement
At the end of a product or service description, or within specified adverts that are placed on the website, it is good practice to encourage visitors to get interactive with reviews. This will help to provide a consensus from participants and ensure that those who might be on the fence about leaving their feedback do indeed take the time out to give their opinion on the matter. It is a strategy that helps to highlight the positive appraisals without deviating from their responsibility for the bad examples.
Take The Process Seriously & Earnestly
Ultimately this form of feedback is vital for businesses that want to make improvements and deliver on engagement with their consumer base. Treating the subject seriously is where businesses make positive steps forward and ensure that complaints, questions and comments are given a genuine platform. There will always be outlets that leave this activity for outside sites and apps, but running an in-house platform helps to showcase that the company wants these views to be credible.
Summary
Customers who leave reviews on the website of businesses are doing so because they are motivated and willing to share with the general public. Of course they have the ability to head to Facebook, Google, Kevsbest! and Tripadvisor among other apps to detail their opinion, but operators can encourage that community spirit and freedom of information when they utilise that tool for their own purposes.
