Positive Online Reviews: With the existence of the internet worldwide, most of the business entities seeking larger and diverse customer base are available online and leaving no stone unturned to earn the faith of people and add them to their business activities to generate more business.
There are multitudinous facets that are at play here that determine the success and popularity of any business. The sort of times we are living in, we trust word of mouth more than any other source. That is why we tend to trust any particular website for products or services based on the reviews posted by the customers of that website.
We get to make up our mind based on the pros and cons suggested by these customers of any product which are quite favorable if you are dealing with an online business entity for the first time. Hence, it becomes necessary that your website bears positive reviews from your customers so that the new visitors can put their trust and money in your business.
Now the question arises, how do you generate positive online reviews for your business?
The following 25 important ways to generate positive reviews will help you a lot to generate more business:
Website Design
The imperative thing is that your website must be designed in such a way that your customers be able to navigate through your website conveniently. It must not be a hotchpotch of all the things which causes nothing, but confusion. Products and services belonging to different categories must be arrayed aptly.
All the necessary details of any product must be mentioned along with the product itself. The interface of the website must be appealing to the eyes and not dull which does not offer any excitement.
The layout of your website must be in accordance with the types of products and services you are offering.
Full-fledged Range of Products
If you are dealing with certain types of products and services, then your preference should be to keep an all-encompassing inventory of the type of products and services that you are offering.
If you are keeping only a meager amount of products then you are likely to disappoint your customers because they won’t be able to get all the related accessories from your online platform, and they will be compelled to turn to some other business.
To generate positive reviews from your customer, you must keep and maintain an inventory of all the pertinent accessories for your products so that when the customers come to your platform, they have a one-stop solution to their needs.
Initial Gesture
Just like good gestures are important when you are dealing with someone in person, the same way, gestures are also important when you meet someone online as well.
Whenever a new customer signs-up on your website with their details, congrats them on signing-up successfully and send them a welcome email or message or both so that they realize that you value their presence.
Once, the customer has recovered its order, send them a “Thank You” email to exert positive impression.
Customer Handling
Though customer handling seems more like a real-life experience, it is equally important in case of online businesses as well. Furnish your website with a conversation prompts where customers can post their queries and get instant replies to their answers.
This prompt will help you to converse with your customers through the mode of chatting where you can ask for their requirements and recommend to the relevant products or services. This way you should also be able to convince your customer to buy your services and assure them of not matchable after sale services.
You can make many customers this way and positive reviews can be generated based on healthy and productive conversations between you and them.
Explain Features & Specifications Adequately
This is the most important aspect of doing online businesses which determine whether or not a customer is going to your services. Even if you are visiting any shop, you would want the sales guy to be bold and explain all the features of the product you are about to buy in detail.
You should also be serving your customers the same way. If you are selling some products then explain the features and specification of those products in an adequate manner so that the customers know what sort of product they are buying and whether or not it meets their needs.
Similarly, in case of services, explain the customers about your services and how they will make their lives more convenient. In every business, out and out transparency is indispensable to gain the trust of customers and be certain that they are going to be with you for a long time.
Explicit Terms & Conditions
Some business indulges in malpractices and tends to keep hidden terms and conditions so that they can leverage it at a later stage for their own benefit by not delivering what they are supposed to provide. This is completely wrong.
No one likes doing business with companies that are not true to their customers. It only makes the customers lose interest. It becomes more important in case of an online business where you cannot actually see your customers; you get to deal with them only through your words.
When dealing with customers online, be explicit about your working terms and conditions whether these are related to the sales part or after sale services even if some of them find bit offbeat.
Dedicated Departments
Companies with at least 20 employees should have dedicated departments for different processes. If you are running an online business, then chances are that you are keeping a good number of employees who work in different departments.
Find them a space on your website and mention their names and designations under their departments. It shows that you are a responsible company and work with proper hierarchy, and if a customer feels that they have got concern related to some particular department then they can contact that department and have their query resolved.
It generates positivity among the customers and they respond likewise to your website while posting their reviews.
Offer Discounts
Ever thought why people opt for online shopping and other services? The answer is they get handsome discounts there. If possible, you should also render your customers with discounts and complimentary services because people like such gestures.
If you are a new startup and do not have any resources to provide such services, then you can also opt for giving out prizes once in a while to the customers who have been spending a lot with you.
Products Comparison
We are all in the habit of comparing products before making any decision of buying, same goes with those buying online. Try to render your website with this feature or provide links to other website selling similar products and services so that customers can make up their mind before making any purchase.
Customers will definitely visit your website because you are providing them with the comparison option as well which most of the websites don’t. It will show that you are not a conservative mind and believe in healthy and competitive business prospects.
The window of Complaints
This is one thing where most of the companies lack. They do have complaint windows where customers can file their concerns, but the customers do not get adequate responses or responses in time, which is likely to disappoint the customers and they stop dealing with such companies.
If you are providing any complaint registration service to your customers, make sure that you respond to them in a timely manner. It will surely replete your local business with positive online reviews.
Timely Response
When we visit any government or private office, ask any query and do not get any response at all, it turns us off and we tend to abhor their services. This should definitely not be the case with you.
Whether your customer is asking any query, placing an order with you, registering any complaint or wants to track their shipment, all these aspects of an online business must be answered with a well mannered timely response.
If you a want to make the customer experience better than you can also send written response of yours through email and an SMS corresponding to the query asked along with assurance over the phone as well.
Provide Necessary Accessories
This one sounds more like complimentary services, doesn’t it? Well, yes it does. If a customer is buying any product form your website then look into the scenario and see if you can provide anything additional with that order.
For instance, if a customer is buying a book, then you can send bookmarks with that order; if a customer is buying a cell phone from your eCommerce platform then you can think of packing it with a phone cover.
Similarly, if you are providing services such as packing and moving services, assure your customer that all the material will be packed with more than sufficient amount of bubble wrap and additional security tape to ensure the safety of their belongings.
Hence, by indulging in such practices, you can always provide more than your customer hopes for and be their one-stop solution for such needs.
Multiple Payment Methods
You do not want to disappoint your customers by dealing with only limited payment methods supported by some select banks and merchants. With the availability of so many banks and other financial platforms, people have got myriad ways they can make their payments.
To reach and gain diversity in customers, you should provide payment services for as many platforms as possible. It will only make doing online business for your customer's convenience.
Shipment Tracking Option
Once an order has been placed, the next thing a customer seeks is to be able to track their shipment so that they know when to expect the delivery of the same.
Although an intimation message is sent to the customers about the delivery date, it can get delayed due to any reason.
In order to not give your customers willies and render them with uncertainty about the delivery of the product, furnish them with this service.
Easy Return Policy
If you buy a product online and it does not match your expectations, you decide to return it, right?
What if the return policy of the company is too complicated that you end up keeping the product and stop dealing with the company?
Well, this should definitely not be the case. Assure your customers that you keep simple and easy return policy for the customers if they want to return their purchase.
Mention the entire procedure of returning any product in short and simple language so that the customer is able to comprehend you properly.
Follow up with your Customer
Just like we adore the gesture when someone says to inform them if we made our destination alright before embarking on a journey, the same way customers also like when their company calls upon them to ask whether they have received their product and it matches their expectations.
It shows that the company is dedicated to delivering quality services and the same thing goes in the online reviews posted by customers.
After Sale Services
Every company sells products and services, what are you doing differently that people opt for you? It is the after sale services that play an important role in any business.
To maintain the trust that your customers have invested in you, ensure that you are rendering them with all the necessary details about the services with no hidden charges.
Assure your customer about your infallible after sale services that will keep their products up and running for a longer time and it will definitely enhance your customer base.
Work upon Your Existing Reviews
It is only by working on our shortcomings that we learn and progress in our lives. If you are running an online business then chances are that you already have some reviews for your erstwhile and existing customers.
Existing customers must have been satisfied with your services, that’s why they are still with you and must be given away positive reviews about your business. Erstwhile customers are not with you and their negative reviews must be pinching you.
The wisest thing is to mull over these negative reviews and determine where you lacked that these customers were compelled to leave such reviews. Work upon these factors and your shortcomings of any and transform these negative reviews with positive reviews of your future customers.
Social Media Sharing
A goodish amount of the world population is available on the internet and most of them are on social media platforms.
To get connected with the larger customer base, provide a social media sharing button on your website so that customers buying your products or services can share their purchase with their friends on various social media websites which ultimately accumulate more customers for you.
In addition, you can offer some extra benefits to the customers sharing links to your websites on various social networking platforms.
Keep Things Simply
No one likes complex and complicated things as it only makes the situation worse. To serve your existing and new customers in a proper manner, provide all the information in simple language so that a customer with any sort of educational background is able to understand the information aptly and adequately.
The same concept should be applied to every aspect, whether you provide product information, terms and conditions, return policy, or any other necessary information.
It will not only furnish your customers with explicit and precise information but also be significant in attracting more customers. More customers accumulated based on transparent business activities mean more positive reviews.
Mobile Friendly
No one likes to sit on a laptop or desktop computer if all the necessary work can be performed on a smartphone. That is why most of the business entities present online is working on providing mobile-friendly content so that the smartphone using customer base can be harnessed and added to the business.
It is evident that if you are running a business, you are also looking for ways to increase your customer base. To leverage the customer base offered by smartphone users, it is paramount that your content is mobile friendly so that smartphone users can access it.
It will definitely take your customer base to new heights and result in more reviews which could be a motley of negative and positive responses. Get inspired by the positive ratings from the customers and work on the negative ratings to improve the facets where you think you are lacking.
Ask Your Customers for Reviews
It will often happen that customers place their orders, get those products delivered, and don’t bother about posting their reviews about the services and the products.
As we have already discussed that you should call your customers for follow-ups and inquire them if the products they have received is as per their projection, take this opportunity to do some rapport building and ask the customer to share their valuable feedback on your website.
Keep following this practice and you will eventually be loaded with a hatful of reviews of which most will be positive, because you have been quite nice to your customer during this follow-up conversation.
Better Customer Relationship
Once you are done selling your product and making that follow-up call, the relationship between a seller and a buyer does not cease here.
Now comes another important part. Keep in touch with your customer by various means such as SMS service, email, and telephone. Keep them informed of your latest products and services and other interesting and enthralling aspects related to the same.
Most of the people do not like getting troubled by companies for promotional purposes, so also bear in mind that these interactions must be once in a while, and not very often because it might result in irritating your customers.
Provide Your Contact Details
It is the concern of every customer that they have contact details of their buyers so that in case they run into any problem with the product or service provided by those buyers, customers can contact them.
Hence, in order to be approachable by your customers, provide your contact details on your website, such as your email ID, telephone number and if it is possible, provide the physical location as well of your office to assure your customers that apart from being available online, you have an offline office as well.
Express Gratitude
Now comes the thanking part where you express your gratitude to your customers for believing in you and taking your services. This step is indispensable to any business activity.
You must be humble towards your customers and make them believe that you value their presence and cherish their business activities with yourself.
If possible, send a “Thank You” card with every order you deliver. This gesture is a proven method to attract customers to amplify your customer base and improve customer relationships.
The story does not end here. We can write more about such methods that can provide you with elating positive responses from your customers and keep your morale up always, but certain parameters restrict us.
Among the other methods, most of them depend upon the type of business you are running. It is only by keeping in mind your business activities and prospects that you can also opt for some other methods.
But whatever sort of business you have, the above mentioned golden points are likely to give your business an edge over your competitors and take you to the topmost rung of the business ladder that you are trying to climb.
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