A fact of selling products online is that your target customer is savvy about the Internet. As such, your customers are well informed about discussion forums and ratings sites, and they are posting their opinions about your company to those sites. Prospective customers are also using the Internet to research your company’s reputation. Therein lies the big question: How can you put your best foot forward, and ensure that prospective customers are reading positive opinions, reviews and ratings when making purchase decisions?
Many venues exist for customers to post their opinions online: sites like dpreview.com, notebookreview.com, avsforum.com, photo.net, ratings sites like ResellerRatings.com, Epinions,
Bizrate, and of course, the BBB. You don’t have to be passive about the process though. Here’s how to control the process and maximize your ratings:
1) First choose a resource where you want your customers to write reviews. Discussion forums are not recommended because they offer the least control. You could choose a shopping engine, like Bizrate, if you advertise your products there and want to display high ratings there as well. Or, you could select a site like ResellerRatings, which maximizes your control over customer feedback, as compared to all other sites. ResellerRatings offers features that are not found on any other resource: the ability to identity reviewers by their invoice number, the ability to contact reviewers to resolve disputes (reviewers can edit their review at any time), post a public rebuttal comment in reply to a review, and flag reviews for evaluation under terms-of-use policies for possible removal.
2) Steer customers toward your preferred ratings/reviews resource and encourage them to write reviews. ResellerRatings offers an exit survey popup window to solicit reviews at the point of sale (on the invoice/thank you page), as does Bizrate. You can also include a link to the review survey form in your order confirmation e-mails. It’s better to direct your customers to write reviews at a place that you have some control over, and give them that outlet that they need. Otherwise, you run the risk of them starting a damaging discussion thread about your company at a random discussion forum that you can’t control.
3) Take an active role to monitor customer feedback. Contact customers to resolve any complaints. Post public rebuttal comments with your side of the story in reply to reviews, but always be open, friendly and helpful in your replies. Be clear that your end goal is resolution, and that you value this and all other customers.
By following these guidelines, you are well on your way to successfully influencing customers’ opinions online, and to best managing your customer-relations process.
Scott Wainner is founder & CEO of All Enthusiast.
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