The Demise of Online Reviews: Should Your Business Be Relying on Online Review Sites?
For years now everything we book or buy seems to be backed up by a review of some sort. In the early days you could rely on the authenticity of the reviews you read but following reports in the press yesterday about the rise of ‘fake’ or ‘paid for’ reviews, can you really trust what you read anymore, and as a business do you want to be associated with a site that could mean you are unwittingly involved in fraud and deception?
Businesses in the UK rely heavily on product and service reviews for repeat business but you do have other options besides these online sites where you have little or no control over what appears. How will you know whether the feedback is from an ex-employee with a grudge or a genuine customer, the short answer is that you won’t and that can be very frustrating, especially if you are making changes based on that feedback.
One big step you can make is to take the feedback solution into your own control, proactively seeking feedback from genuine guests to your hotel, restaurant or shop and making them live on your own web page. How? By using a feedback system on site, where you can actively monitor usage, celebrate your successes (or review your flaws) in real time and look out for suspicious behaviour.
At We Love Surveys, we have a wide range of options for you to collect feedback on site, from our quirky Buzz Box to our bespoke Prism feedback application, the choice is vast and completely flexible. And, it will be more cost effective than actively listing your business on every review site now available.
With built in misuse controls and real time responses you can start to understand the experience of every customer, not just those who are inclined to review on third party websites.
Director Helen Dargie said today: “It is vital to realise how important it is for businesses to take control of their customer interactions; we aren’t saying stop using sites like Trip Advisor or Trust Pilot altogether but to conduct your own research too so you get a balanced view of all people, not just those who are inclined to review online.”
To take control of your feedback today, get in touch for a low cost (or even free) proof of concept trial!
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