Today, customer opinions matter more than ever, especially for small businesses. Whenever a customer has a negative or positive experience you can share your opinion through reviews which can in turn influence the purchasing choices of future customers.
Many users often compare the reviews of various competing brands to decide and choose the company with the best feedback profile. Precisely for this reason it becomes essential to know how to best manage this activity to improve the online presence and reputation of your company.
Scenario 2024
The trend of consulting online reviews isn't slowing down. A study conducted this year by Customer Alliance which analyzed the trend in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France and Italy revealed that:
• 91% of people read online reviews once a month.
• 46% of people are willing to pay more for a service from a business/brand that has received positive online reviews.
• 52% of participants expect a minimum score of 4 out of 5 before considering a service. This expectation sets a high level of competition, underlining the importance of not only collecting reviews, but also achieving high ratings.
• 70% of people say that companies' responses to reviews influence their purchasing decision.
• The sectors most affected by this phenomenon concern temporary offers and the horeca sector (where experience is everything).
How to manage fake reviews
One of the most widespread problems in this context is certainly represented by fake reviews. With the advent of artificial intelligence, the processes for processing automated reviews have been simplified, resulting not only in the proliferation of content whose origin is false, but also difficult to recognise.
Chatbots can process fake reviews in large quantities and make them available in a very short time: hence the proliferation of factories that produce fakes on a massive scale.
These AI products are sold online in a very prolific market. Tripadvisor's 2023 Transparency Report reported the removal of 1.3 million fake reviews in the previous year. 72% were discovered before being published. Of the removed posts, 24,521 were associated with paid review companies. Nearly half of these came from six countries: India, Russia, the United States, Turkey, Italy and Vietnam.
In 2022, Amazon also blocked more than 200 million suspicious reviews and Google, in the same year, blocked or removed a total of 115 million fake reviews of hotels, restaurants and companies.
On the one hand there are the large technology companies trying to give their contribution to the battle, with internal coalitions and "cleaning" operations. On the other hand, governments also act on their own initiative for stringent regulations. Europe was among the first to move in this direction.
Transform criticism into opportunities
Let's see some tips on how to best manage reviews:
1. Distinguish between constructive and unfounded criticism
Not all negative reviews are the same, and not all deserve the same response. Some reviews may be the result of unrealistic expectations or misunderstandings, while others may provide useful feedback.
Constructive criticism is that which offers a clear and detailed explanation of what the user thinks went wrong. This type of feedback is valuable because it provides specific information; on the other hand, some reviews may seem unfounded or unfair. In these cases, it is important to maintain professionalism and respond courteously, trying to clarify any misunderstandings.
2. Respond quickly
The first thing to do is constant monitoring: a timely response is essential when it comes to dealing with negative reviews. A delayed response can be seen as disinterest or indifference. Therefore, it is important to monitor reviews regularly and respond to any negative feedback as soon as possible.
3. Invite for a private discussion
For complex or sensitive issues, it may be appropriate to invite them to discuss the issue in private, this will allow you to address the issue more thoroughly and demonstrate your dedication to solving your clients' problems.
4. Formulate personalized responses
Avoid standard or canned responses and leave room for specific, personalized responses that directly address the issues raised in the review. Even positive reviews deserve a response. This shows gratitude for the time customers took to write the review.
8. Build credibility
Contrary to what you might think, a mix of positive and negative reviews can actually improve credibility. A set of reviews that present only the positive side might seem suspicious to some. Negative reviews, if handled properly, can demonstrate that reviews are genuine and are always addressed proactively.
Future scenario
The world of online reviews is and will always be a growing tool. However, this type of behavior must be actively encouraged, since people are not as likely to evaluate an item positively as they are negatively.
For this reason, it is important to encourage this practice with possible rewards that are offered after writing the review such as discounts, coupons, gadgets, free products, etc.
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