Launching a campaign to get customer feedback can be intimidating. You want to deliver the best possible product or experience and learning to better serve your customers is essential. But where do you start? With a simple customer survey.

Remember, surveys are only worthwhile if they’re designed to have the customer answer as honestly as possible. Whether you’re talking to your customers in person or sending an email, asking the questions below can help get their honest opinions.

 “Where Can We Improve?”

Don’t ask yes-or-no questions. Assume you can improve, since it’s more than likely true. Every business has weaknesses, and you can discover them faster when your customers tell it like it is. “How can we do better?” is another way of phrasing this question. Encourage open-ended responses.

“What Would Keep You from Recommending Us?”

This question is another chance for them to open up about any problems they may have experienced. The true test of customer loyalty is whether they will become your brand ambassadors and recommend you to their family, friends and neighbors.

An answer to this might give you insight into why this isn’t happening, and what you can do to make it right.

“Will You Call Again/Come Back?”

When will you see your customers again? This will help them understand that you aren’t just looking to make a sale — you’re interested in building a relationship. Did they enjoy their experience enough to come back again? It’s a good test of the quality of your product or service.

Follow Up!

If you’ve put your customer feedback to good use and changed something about how your business operates as a result, tell them! Send them an email or announcement and share how their openness has helped you grow as a business.

When your customers show you loyalty through their honesty, it pays to follow up.

Once You Have a Pool of Happy Customers …

When you receive some honest customer feedback, why not make it public? Accrue Reviews will help you gain insight from your customer list, but most of all, we help you boost ratings on the sites that matter and privately respond to the customers who need relationship-mending intervention.

 We are here to help you keep your business’ reputation at a 5-star level through mobile-friendly review requests that connect you with your best customers.

What are the best customer service tips that every business should know?

As business owners quickly realize, the key to success is not just about them, their product or service — it’s about the customer. There are six ways you can make sure both your team and your customers enjoy a productive, positive relationship.

1. Listen Closely

Too often, many business owners and employees think they know what the customer is saying the moment they hear the first few words. After all, you’ve heard it all before … or have you?

It’s important not to assume you have a complete idea of the scope of their problem before they tell you what it is. This makes the customer feel ignored and unimportant. Instead, listen to what they say. Ask as many questions as you need to. The more you listen, the more the customer feels understood and the more their frustration dissipates, even before you’ve started trying to solve their problem.

2. Work on Clear Communication

Say what you mean and mean what you say, especially when responding to a customer complaint. But this is important even before the customer complains.

In your marketing materials and in person, make sure you don’t use jargon or euphemisms — use clear, concise language that has only one possible translation. You want to make sure you are as upfront as possible. This will not only set client expectations and ward off customer problems, it will establish a business track record of transparency and trust.

3. Always Say Thank You

In person or online, make sure you always say thank you to your customers. It might seem obvious and simple, but one of the most powerful customer service tips is to realize that the customer has a choice to go elsewhere, but chose your company instead. Recognize this and say thank you.

Your customer will appreciate your gratitude, because plenty of businesses forget to mention it.

4. Invest in Employee Engagement

Not only are you asking your employees to serve your future customers, you’re expecting them to be your brand ambassadors. If you treat your employees badly, you might as well be treating your customers badly, because that is the effect it will have.

Invest in the training and programs needed to keep your team on board and excited — it will provide a tangible return.

5. Give Your Time

As a busy business owner, it’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to expedite everything. You have learned that efficiency is what separates good from great, so you are on a mission to save time and maximize your energy.

That is a good plan for everything in your business but customer service. Sometimes, you need to slow down to understand, appreciate and build relationships. If your customers feel like you’re rushing, or doing just enough to check the task off your list, that can sink you.

6. Make it Easy for Them to Give Feedback

Above all else, you need to be in tune with your customers. There is no way to apply customer service tips if you are sending your customers on their merry way without checking to make sure they’re satisfied. And if they aren’t, they may post a negative online review.

One of the best proactive customer service tips is to follow up with a request for feedback. This is where Accrue Reviews can help. If the feedback is positive, you get a high rating on public sites and some insight into what you do best. If it’s negative, you get the chance to respond to the customer’s complaint before it goes public.

Talk to Accrue Reviews today about how we can help you implement a feedback and review-generation program for your business, and start applying our customer service tips today.

Negative online reviews don’t have to hurt your business, but they could. And that’s what’s scary to many business owners.

You’ve poured your heart and soul into building your business, and it can be painful to have a few disgruntled customers say bad things about you online, possibly discouraging potential future customers from patronizing your business. It doesn’t seem fair, especially if their criticism is ungrounded.

It’s frustrating when you’re working on a targeted digital marketing strategy and bad reviews keep popping up. You can get sick of the naysayers having more of an impact than your happy customers.

But what can you do?

A Couple of Bad Reviews Aren’t the End of the World

It’s true that 84 percent of people trust online reviews as much as a personal recommendation. So when they see a negative review on a business profile, they’ll take it seriously. But having a couple bad reviews won’t derail your entire company. In fact, having a few bad reviews among many positive ones could make you seem more legitimate — having all 5-star ratings can look suspicious, as if they might be fake.

If the percentage of bad reviews to good is minor, don’t panic. All business owners will have to deal with a few complaints at some point, but if you’re really worried, your best defense is a good offense. Get those positive review numbers up with our help!

If You Have Lukewarm Endorsements, it’s a Little More Serious

Here’s an issue you may not have considered before: You don’t have a ton of bad reviews, but you have quite a few meh ones. By this, we mean a large percentage of people are giving you only three or four stars at most. Why?

It’s important to read each of these reviews closely. They don’t hate your business, but they’re not in a huge rush to come back. Is there something you could do to change their mind? It’s best to treat these reviews as if they are one-star reviews. If prospective customers check out your reviews and see that you’re bordering on mediocrity, they’ll pass over you just as quickly as if you have a stream of negative online reviews.

If You Have Hordes of Angry Customers, You Need to Take Charge, Now

Of course, a lot of negative online reviews will make even the calmest of business owners start to panic. Where did you go wrong?

Your first mistake was likely hoping your happy customers would seek you out and leave a review of their own volition. No matter how happy you made someone, this is a rarity. You need to prompt them to talk about your service and capture their good feedback!

On the other hand, it’s not as hard to imagine an angry customer furiously typing their feelings, and if you have a bunch of those posted publicly, it might be time to put a system in place so you’re able to intervene before your reputation is damaged. We can help.

Are Your Marketing Claims Lining up with Your Reviews?

On your website or in your marketing materials, you probably make certain claims. “We’re the most reliable plumbing contractor in town!” or “We have the best sushi in the county!”

You might not come right out and say it, but all marketing has one intention: to get your customers to choose you over the competition. And one of the top ways those customers will determine if you’re worth their time is by checking out your online reviews. Are your past customers backing you up, or backing off?

If you claim to be the most reliable plumber around, but you have three reviews that say you never returned calls or didn’t show up on time, you have a problem.

If you claim to have the best sushi, but multiple reviewers say they could take it or leave it, don’t expect your marketing efforts to have much of an impact.

The bottom line: Your online reviews are the litmus test for your business and your marketing efforts. Do your customers agree with your unique selling proposition? Do they want to come back?

Don’t let negative online reviews bring you down, but don’t let them take down your business either. Find your brand ambassadors who are willing to sing your praises, and do it by using our automated system to accrue more positive reviews and address the negative concerns offline. Schedule your demo with Accrue Reviews today!

Online reviews in the digital age are integral to business success. The opinions of your past customers aren’t just briefly considered by future customers — they are actively sought out. Reputation management is less a luxury and more a necessity when it comes to modern marketing and business presentation.

But it’s not enough to just know this. You need to have the detailed arguments to back up the business case for investing in reputation management. Reputation management services like review generation add value to your company.

What Customers Say About You Matters

Up to 88 percent of consumers report that online reviews are one of the factors they consider when making a buying decision. And 40 percent of people form an opinion after reading one to three reviews. So all the time you spend telling your prospective customers you’re great? It doesn’t matter — they want to hear it from someone who can corroborate your story.

Positive reviews directly lead to action; 23 percent of customers head right to your store after reading sparkling online reviews.

Maybe the newspaper was all business owners had to worry about a few decades ago, but today, what anyone posts online could completely change the perception of a company in the eyes of the public. And whether it’s negative or positive, it will directly affect the success of your business.

Online Reviews: A Key Piece of the Puzzle

It’s hard to start a reputation management campaign if you don’t have a reputation to begin with. That’s part of the rationale behind using an online review generation service. What better way to establish a stellar digital image than proactively getting public reviews from your best customers?

The best review generation tools (aka Accrue Reviews) offer you a way to speak with your distressed and dissatisfied clients directly. That way, their negative take doesn’t go public before you’ve had a chance to intervene.

Feed Your Marketing Machine

Another great benefit to getting online reviews is that you can use them for marketing. Sharing testimonials on your social media pages and your website is a powerful way to get the word out about what you can do for your customers. Public content is up for grabs, so feel free to use online reviews to feed your marketing machine.

Build Trust — It’s Invaluable

When a business has a number of online reviews, the customer perceives it as transparent and trustworthy, especially when the vast majority of the reviews are positive. Credibility is important, especially in an age where data security is one of the top concerns of the buying public. Honest reviews are essential to building trust with your target audience.

It Drives Local and Organic Search

Finally, online reviews add value by driving website traffic. They make it more likely that your business will show up in search engines for the services you provide, because every review adds content published with your name and industry information. It’s a great way to boost your organic and local search traffic, and drive your business forward.

Use Accrue Reviews to get the online reviews your business needs — schedule a demo today.

Online reviews are important for your digital reputation. After all, 91 percent of shoppers read them and 84 percent trust them just as much as a personal recommendation. Thus, the opinion of strangers on the internet could dictate whether your next prospect becomes a customer.

The fact is, one or two negative reviews won’t carry much weight when compared to the hundreds or thousands of positive reviews you are aiming for on your digital profiles. But to dilute the power of bad feedback, you need to quickly accrue a large volume of good reviews. Below are four of the best ways to quickly boost your digital reputation.

1. Talk to Your Best Customers

Every quality store, restaurant, contractor, etc., has its best customers. You know — the ones you consider more friend than client. Your best customers are your brand ambassadors.

While it might seem strange to ask them to share their opinion online, they will be more than happy to do so if they are focused on your business’ success! As consumers, they know how powerful online reviews are for decision-making and if you provide value to them, they will make the effort to give back to you.

2. Use the Best Method for Your Customer Base

If your target demographic finds you on Google, don’t waste time trying to get online reviews elsewhere. Ask your current customers how they heard about you, whether through Facebook or Yelp, and make that platform your priority, especially if you have a couple of negative reviews you need to balance out.

3. Make Your Campaign Timely

Don’t wait months before asking your customers for reviews! Request a review soon after they’ve completed their interaction with your company. This way, the impression they have of you is still fresh in their minds and they can remember the details that will make the difference.

4. Use an Efficient System

It’s a lot of work to individually send a review link to every customer. And how do you make sure you have reviews on all the platforms you prefer, like Google, Facebook, Yelp and more?

We have an answer. Our system allows you to send out review requests to your customer list, direct them to the sites you prefer they leave reviews on, and if their feedback is negative, it doesn’t get posted! Instead, the system parks the negative review so you have a chance to reach out and mend the relationship before their negative feedback is posted for the world to see.

Does it sound like Accrue Reviews is the solution you’ve been waiting for? Call us today to learn more, or sign up for a free trial. We’d love to show you the power of an effective online review management tool and how it can boost your business.

User-generated content isn’t just a catchphrase. It’s the new way to market, especially if millennials are on your list of targets.

User-generated content, or UGC, is any content about your brand created by a customer. Typically, this content lives online and is designed to recommend or endorse your company’s product or services to others.

What exactly counts as UGC and why is it one of the stealth marketing tools your brand needs to succeed online and off right now?

What Qualifies?

Anything your customers create — that’s what counts as UGC. It could be an elaborate video review of your product posted and promoted across YouTube. Or it could be as simple as a recommendation on Facebook — a comment posted on a friend’s status.

Whether they write a news article, give you a shout-out, take a picture or share a story, when your customers create digital content about your brand, it is technically “user-generated.”

Why is UGC so essential to effective marketing?

It’s Authentic

Modern shoppers love transparency. They want to know that they’re getting a good value for their money, and that they’re getting exactly what they expect. Authenticity is good for business, and what’s more effective than customers saying, “I bought this, here’s what I think!”

A third-party positive review counts more than anything you’ll say about your own product. Traditional marketing isn’t as appealing to the next generation, and this is where UGC can have a big impact.

It’s Cost-Effective

Think about the huge investment it takes to create a TV ad. Count the cost of paid media campaigns. What about the price of a 10-second radio ad? Marketing budgets can quickly get out of hand, but UGC is cost-effective, mainly because it’s free.

You don’t have to pay (and you shouldn’t pay) your customers to tell other people what they think. All you need to do is encourage UGC and let your customers take the wheel. No marketing directors needed!

It Powers Your Social Media

UGC provides an endless stream of powerful fodder for your company’s social media channels. The power of the screenshot is real! You can save or repurpose UGC as you see fit, though you may want to ask the creator first just to make sure it’s OK.

When your social media channels are full of your happy customers’ reviews, you don’t have to say anything on your own behalf. They speak for you!

Your UGC Campaign

There are so many ways to encourage an outpouring of user-generated content, especially when you’ve taken the time to craft a quality product with a specific target demographic in mind, and you have the loyal fans to prove it. Between contests, other types of promotions or partnerships with other brands, it’s possible to plan a campaign that excels at boosting UGC about your company.

However, one of the fastest ways to accrue user-generated content is by soliciting positive reviews from your dedicated customer base. If you haven’t yet made this a priority, Accrue Reviews can help you get started!

Boosting your profile with positive online reviews is how Realtors draw clients in. But your friendly demeanor, industry expertise and smooth efficiency is what keeps them happy. To get them interested in your services, you need to make sure the presentation is on point! It starts with taking a good, hard look at your online reviews.

You’re Getting Reviewed, Whether You Like It or Not!

At least 62 percent of prospective home buyers reported that if a realtor has excellent online reviews, they are more likely to contact them. Regardless of how you feel about online reviews, your prospective clients will look you up to see what past clients have to say! According to a ZipRealty survey:

• 84 percent of people trust online reviews just as much as a personal recommendation.
• 51 percent of people use search engines to find their real estate agent.
• 43 percent of people who received a word-of-mouth recommendation would do an Internet search to learn more about the agent before contacting them.

Positive online reviews aren’t a vanity metric — they can determine how many clients you get!

The Most Important Platforms

Which platforms are the most important for Realtors?

Here are our top recommendations:

• Google My Business: Often this is the top result that shows up when users search for you online. You should have a local office business page to show you’re a local agent. Setting up a GMB page isn’t difficult, but it does require address verification, so it can be a process.
• Facebook: Your realty business page needs reviews! When your past clients recommend you on Facebook, that highlighted link to your page will be the first thing their friends click on.
• Zillow: It’s where your prospective client is searching for their new home, so it’s where you should be waiting to greet them. Make sure your profile is optimized and you have plenty of positive online reviews alongside your name.

When Should You Ask for a Review?

Once your new client has closed the sale, you have a window of time to ask for a review and add them to the list of happy previous clients. Some agents prefer to do this right after the closing, when they’re about to part ways. You can also give them a follow-up call or email a couple of weeks later. Ask how they’re settling in, then request feedback on your services.

Instead of simply directing them to the platform of choice, when you use Accrue Reviews, you can send a personalized link. They’ll input their rating and comments, and if it’s 100 percent positive, it gets posted online. If there is any negative slant, it stays private and is directed back to you. This allows you to control the information posted online and gives you a chance to fix any problems with this client relationship!

Jumpstart Your Online Reputation Management Campaign

Accrue Reviews can help you appear just as effective, personable and friendly online as you are in real life! It starts with taking the positive feedback from your clients and posting it where it matters.

With our automated system, you can immediately start building positive online reviews on all your and your prospective clients’ preferred platforms. Get started today with a free trial!

Are Facebook reviews easier or harder to get? Are they more or less powerful than a Google or Yelp review? Should you prioritize Facebook over other review platforms?

If you’re asking any one of these questions, you’re probably a business owner who is at least slightly aware of the power of Facebook. Maybe you use it yourself, or you’ve had a customer or two tell you, “I heard about you on Facebook!”

While there are plenty of pros and cons to social media use in general, one fact is certain: It’s a great way for businesses to connect to local consumers. Facebook reviews are slightly different than Google or Yelp reviews, in a way you can use to your company’s benefit. How?

For Your Customers: They’re Already Used to It

From the customer’s standpoint, it’s so much easier to leave a Facebook review. Why? Because they’re already on the platform.

They don’t have to make sure they’re logged into the right Google account. They don’t have to create a Yelp profile. They’re already logged in on their phone, so when they get your push request to leave a review about their experience, it’s seamless.

This means they’re more likely to leave a review, and the data backs that up. BrightLocal’s Consumer Review Survey 2016 catalogued the ways in which consumers choose to recommend local businesses. Facebook led all platforms at 47 percent, with Google coming in second at 25 percent, Twitter third at 22 percent, and Yelp coming in fourth at 16 percent.

Your Customers Are Searching for You on Facebook

That brings us to the next point: 68 percent of consumers are searching for your business on Facebook. They don’t just use search engines. After all, they’re already on the social networking site, so why not see if the business has a presence there before deciding to patronize it?

Encouraging customers to leave Facebook reviews is a great way for you to stay active on the platform, communicate with the past happy clients who leave you feedback and overall present a complete image to your prospective customers.

Something Google and Yelp don’t have is an entire networking site connected to their review platforms.

For Your Business: You’re Already Used to It

On Yelp or Google, the method by which the business responds can be confusing — you need to make sure you’re using the right account and it’s hard to keep the conversation going with the reviewer. On Facebook, you enjoy the same benefit as your customers — you’re familiar with the platform. It’s easy to log in and respond to reviews because you’re used to it.

Your Facebook Page Shows up in Search Engine Results

Another misconception some business owners have is how to get these Facebook reviews seen by customers who aren’t on this social networking site. You’ll be happy to know that Facebook reviews show up in organic search results and give your business page a star rating the user can see without clicking to the platform.

And even if they do view your public page without being logged into a personal account, they can see your top reviews and get an idea of what people are saying.

Ready to Get Started?

If you’re just starting out collecting online reviews for your business, Facebook reviews are ideal to begin with, but even more effectively, you could use Accrue Reviews and work on building up all platforms at once. Call us today to learn more and let’s get that first review posted!

You can use online reviews to fill up your Yelp, Google and Facebook profile and get the good rating customers look for, but that isn’t where the benefits end. In fact, it’s where they begin.

When you get creative, you can use online reviews to enhance your business image both on and offline, and in both direct and indirect marketing capacities. Below are four methods you can use to mine reviews for business-building and upward growth.

1. Look for SEO Keywords Your Customers Use

Search engine optimization is necessary for small businesses competing locally, and a great SEO strategy is built on keyword research. What keywords are your customers using to describe your company and your services? These are probably the same keywords prospective customers are using to search for what you offer.

2. Create Graphics for Your Social Media Pages

Is there a particularly poignant positive online review you simply love? Take your hardcore fans and make them famous. Use their quote as the text for a creative social media graphic and share it across all your social channels.

This is helpful because even if the review was on Google, your fans on Instagram will see that a loyal customer loves what you do. It’s an effective way to make a cross-platform push to generate a buzz around your brand.

3. Borrow Content for Website

As long as the customers consent, you can use their reviews as testimonials on your website. If your prospects wind up on your page due to a referral or a paid ad, they’ll immediately see what others have to say, and it’ll be positive! This is a powerful way to draw website visitors in and garner trust from the first interaction.

4. Inform a Winning Business Strategy

Finally, mine your reviews, both positive and negative, for ideas on business strategy. For instance, your happy customers are going to tell you exactly what you do that solves their problem. Maybe you’ll decide to make this the focus of your business going forward, especially if you see trends.

For the naysayers, while you may not agree with their negativity, maybe they’re highlighting some areas you could work on improving for your customers. Either way, it’s possible to use online reviews as a learning tool.

Accrue Reviews Can Help

You don’t just want quantity, you want quality. Accrue Reviews can help with both when it comes to online reviews. In order to use online reviews to your benefit, it’s important to generate them in the first place. Using our software, you can reach out to your customers right after your interaction and get their feedback. If they’re happy, the world will know. If they’re not, you get a chance to make it right beforehand.

Negative online reviews are commonly looked at as the bane of the small business’s existence. In reality, bad reviews actually have the potential to help — possibly more than they hurt. They offer real, tangible advantages, as long as you know how to leverage the hidden positives inside the negatives.

Below are the top five reasons your business needs negative online reviews.

1. Give Me the Bad News First

When customers are scanning a company’s online reviews, they’re definitely checking out the top 5-star ratings, but believe it or not, it’s more likely that they’re looking for the negative. They already know nobody is perfect, and they’re looking for what your weakness is, and if it’s a deal-breaker!

If there are no bad reviews in your profiles, this isn’t good news — it’s suspicious. Consumers will immediately start to think about the authenticity of all the good reviews, and whether they can trust your online image.

2. It Adds to Authenticity, Increasing Trust

On the flip side, when there are a couple of bad reviews sprinkled among the good, it can build trust with your audience. Not that you should go looking for bad reviews, but don’t panic when you get one. Use it as motivation to keep collecting good reviews, and remember — customers want to know both the good and the bad.

What’s most important is to encourage all reviewers to be honest. You might have one loyal customer who loves everything you do, but isn’t so happy that you’re closed on Sundays. Encourage them to share what they wish you’d change along with a positive message. This makes the good review that much more authentic.

3. It’s Hard to Be Your Own Worst Critic

You might think you know everything there is to know about where your business needs to improve, but it’s not so easy to be your own worst critic.

You can take bad feedback and dismiss it, or you can learn from it. Examine the comments and see if there is any truth to them. What could you change or improve on? Let your bad reviewers be your business coach and try to improve.

4. Contrast = Motivation

If there’s a nasty review posted about your wonderful business, sometimes it can create a contrast effect. Your past happy customers see the terrible review and they’re immediately flabbergasted. How could such an awesome business have such a bad review? It’s impossible!

You might think your business will tank from one bad review, but don’t fret — it might be the motivation your fans need to step in and help out by adding positive reviews of their own.

5. You Get a Chance to Be the Hero

Consumers like it when you respond to negative comments with care. It can be a welcome surprise to the consumer when the bad feedback is met with patience and a desire for improvement on the part of the business, even if it seems like the reviewer is being irrational. When you respond with deference to customers who have had a bad experience, you’re showing a commitment to integrity that builds a positive image online.

Also, responding to negative online reviews gives you a chance to show the original negative reviewer that you aren’t giving up! You have the opportunity to salvage a customer relationship.

Bad Reviews — Good for Business?

While negative online reviews can offer insights for the business owner, this is only the case if your past customers are actually leaving reviews. If your Google My Business page is empty, you aren’t benefiting from positive or negative reviews, which is a major missed opportunity.

Wouldn’t you like your customers to leave reviews and to be notified when there’s a bad review you need to look at? Not only does Accrue Reviews help with volume, we help support quality as well. We can keep bad feedback private until you’ve had a chance to address the issue with your customer offline. It’s a great way to get some of the benefits of negative online reviews without the bad publicity. Get in touch today to learn more!