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The maxim goes that brands should should share every review they get - even the really, really bad ones.
The logic for this argument stems from the hypothesis that the customer is always right, and that having negative reviews, publicly displayed for all to see on your website or on sites such as Trip Advisor, ensures customers get a true, honest picture of your product or service, enabling them to make an informed decision prior to committing to purchase.
The argument continues that it's the way you handle your negative customer reviews that makes all the difference. Do you comment back online in a timely fashion with an appropriate response? Or do you reach out to the customer and contact them to better understand and address their issues.
To a greater extent all of the above, I would contend is true. Customer reviews are incredibly important as over 90% of customers will actively seek out your reviews before making a purchase decision. It is also incredibly important to respond to customer reviews and even contact that customer if they are completely unhappy with your offering.
However, I have seen too many hotels, restaurants, bars over the years work tirelessly to build a reputation only to see it come crashing down around them with a poor review. The impact can be both financially damaging but mentally damaging to the brand owners as well.
Is it possible that the customer isn't always right?
In short - yes.
There are many occasions when the customer get's it wrong. But they know they have the power to exert untold damage on a brand by writing a scathing review.
One incident I am reminded of occurred when a client of ours received a shocking review which lambasted the brand and the service. The complaint was a serious one, which was posted for all to see. Whilst they scripted a carefully crafted response and reached out to the complainant, it took over a week to contact the customer to discuss their review and another week before they could prove that the customer was wrong by sharing CCTV footage; whereupon the complaint was swiftly removed and normal service was resumed.
The point is, however, that the business had to endure 2 weeks of false accusations against them, which effectively rendered them guilty until proven innocent.
Innocent until proven Guilty
At Two Elephants, we not only care about delivering honest, independent reviews and ratings for the products and services our clients offer, but we also think the playing field needs to be level, with brands being given the opportunity to review all customer comments before being shared across websites and social media.
That's why at the heart of Rating Star, our review platform, we ensure all our clients get the opportunity to not only comment on a review but contact the customer prior to all reviews being posted.
The result might still be a negative review is shared, but at least both sides have the chance to discuss the review and ensure the review is honest and true.
We give the brand back more control
So if you're looking for a customer rating solution that enables you to review your customer reviews and ratings with your potential customers, please get in touch.
With Rating Star everybody wins. The brand gets honest feedback and an independent rating. The brand gets the chance to vet the customer responses before posting. The resulting reviews all can have associated brand responses and any disputed reviews can be dealt with before going live, ensuring your prospective customers get an accurate representation of your product or service offering.
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