As a follow up to last weeks post on using customers as a marketing resource, I want to provide some guidelines on how a company might take advantage of this great resource they have – their customers. Customer feedback on products and services, as a part of a company's online reputation, can be hugely beneficial in marketing those products and services. Best part is customer feedback monitoring does not require a large budget or resource allocations; just a set strategy, consistent processes, and the heart of customer service that makes businesses successful.
First, if you question whether customer reviews make a difference, consider:
- 70% of online customers say they trust posted customer opinions
- 24% of small businesses say an online review had a positive impact while only 4% reported a negative impact
- 88% of consumers perform internet research before they buy a product online
You also get to directly identify happy customers who can become primary influencers. As for negative reviews, ask yourself about some of the more confrontational consumer or business experiences you've had that were resolved to your liking – did that solidify a longer term commitment for you?
Policies and Procedures: To make this manageable and successful, be sure to establish a procedure for addressing feedback. First, be consistent with customer service across the enterprise (online and offline), i.e., leverage what already exists internally as a starting point. Just make sure to keep the customer experience and the goal of converting a repeat customer in mind.
Also, given the power/cost of 'space' on the web, be sure to publish customer-centric feedback policies for customers to see. Let them know you are listening/engaging to help them. Just make sure that you keep it KISS (keep is simple sam) for employees and customers. This is what a process could look like at the highest level:
If you still need to be sold, consider these benefit bullets and then contact me – there is so much unlocked potential in your customers:
- Converting unhappy customers creates repeat business and advocates for recruiting new customers
- Working through resolution processes allows companies to learn about and prevent issues from happening in the future
- While not all issues can be resolved – a few negative reviews will make positive reviews look more realistic
Have folks out there initiated similar strategies? How have initial or long term results looked? Any improvement suggestions for the high level process?
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