As you’re reading this post, it can be stated with almost 100% certainty that you’ve also read reviews online, intentionally, for a product or service you were seeking to purchase. You’ve likely even left one. The power of reviews is no mystery to most of us on the internet or in business. This is so much so however—that the rules and decorum around managing customer reviews have indeed changed.

How? Customers have gotten more savvy. One of our group’s newest members, and a growing expert in business risk, Guy Kennedy of The Craft Agency, recently did his own deep dive into this arena and decided to use his presentation time today to update us on the topic.

Including a series of specific samples, cautions, and tips—the most important takeaway was this:

Your customers are increasingly aware of the monetary value that their free review provides you—and of your intent to monetize it.

With this level of customer hyper-awareness, it’s much easier to wade into the realm of what could be considered tacky, off-putting, or even exploitative behavior—in the shopper’s eyes.

Since most thin-skinned operators who fight customers in the reviews are long-gone or hobbling on their way out—the bar has been raised further. Some fresh tips Guy shared that he found most relevant were these:

• Don’t address or dispute any aspect of a complaint directly in a review. This opens the door to more back and forth, which will hurt your business credibility. Only indicate that you are connecting or would like to connect with the client to help them directly.
• Don’t ask directly for reviews. Customers may be compelled to give information that is inauthentic, or also may feel like they are doing you a genuine favor that you you’re acting entitled to by virtue of them using your service, when that wasn’t part of the transaction. It may dissuade them from returning.
• Positively, the best way to promote organic customer feedback is to reach out 3-7 days after service completion to check on the experience and that everything met expectation, and to respond personally either with action or otherwise, based the feedback received.
• Clients who engage in intimate customer service experiences, knowing you took just a little extra time to see and hear them on a personal level are often most likely to leave a positive review.

With this newfound knowledge, we in the group look forward to earning more authentic 5-star reviews and engaging with our clients on a higher level.

Visit us next week to connect with local professionals and hear more great presentations like Guy’s. You can also become a member to eventually deliver one of your own!