How to Make the Most of Online Reviews

Last year, a study by Cone found that four out of five consumers have changed their mind about a purchase based solely on negative information found online. However, the same study also found that 87 percent of those polled agreed that a positive review confirmed their decision to purchase. Clearly, online reviews are “word of mouth” on a global scale.

Here are a few tips to help you harness that power and use online reviews to showcase your customer service, improve the customer experience and even drive sales.

Coping With Negative Reviews

When it comes to online reviews, only one thing is certain: Someone, somewhere, isn’t going to like your product. But while four out of five consumers may change their mind based on a negative review, there are things you can do to turn a negative into a positive.

Stay calm and professional

Typically, the first instinct of anyone when faced with a negative review of themselves or their product is to lash out. “How can so and so say that about us? Doesn’t he/she know how hard we worked, the kind of resources we devoted?” Well, the truth is, no, he/she doesn’t know. All a disgruntled customer knows is that the end result wasn’t to their liking. Lashing out and getting defensive makes you and your company look like a petulant child. Instead, take a deep breath and turn that negativity into something positive. How? Try to . . .

Engage

According to a study conducted by RightNow, 68 percent of consumers who posted a negative review on a social networking or ratings/reviews site after a poor holiday shopping experience got a response from the retailer. Following that contact, 34 percent deleted their negative reviews, 33 percent changed their mind and posted a positive review and 18 percent became loyal customers –and even bought more. Think about that for a minute. By simply responding to a negative review in a mature, empathetic and understanding manner, you may be able to turn a unhappy customer into a fan!

Engagement with naysayers shows you put your customers first and fully understand the value of the customer experience. So be sure to make the effort. Respond to negative reviews. Tell customers you “hear” them, that you understand where they’re coming from, and thank them for taking the time to issue such constructive criticism.

Appreciate the learning experience 

If you listen, you will learn.

Social Media Increasingly Important for Customer Service

Although social platforms are still a long way from replacing traditional call centers, a new study from Sitel provides statistics supporting what I wrote about a year ago: Social media is becoming increasingly important for customer service initiatives.

Sitel, a customer care outsourcing company in the UK, asked 1000 people between the ages of 16 and 64 about their customer service preferences. The results of the survey indicate that more and more consumers (especially younger ones) expect be able to find answers to questions or resolutions to complaints online.

Among the key findings in this study:

Using Social Media to Build Customer Trust

Marketers know that customer relationships are vital to business success, and we also know that trust is at the core of all those valuable customer bonds.

What we’re trying to figure out now, though, is how we can use today’s digital marketing technologies to develop and nurture that trust relationship.

Without question, social media channels offer us an exciting variety of new customer touch points. But, savvy marketers recognize that every one of those interactions is an opportunity to build –or break –trust.

Earlier this year, research showed us that retailers can actually turn unhappy customers into brand advocates (the equivalent of mending a broken trust relationship)–if they listen and proactively respond to complaints on social media sites.  We also saw how social media provides opportunities to enhance customer service (and boost trust).

Now, a new study from Pitney Bowes Business Insight gives us even more perspective, as it deep dives into exactly how these various touchpoints drive lasting consumer relationships.

This study, titled The Role of Trust in Consumer Relationships, was conducted by the ECSP Europe Business School, which interviewed 20 senior marketers in order to gain a deeper understanding of the importance that organizations place on customer trust, the benefits they’re looking for, the way they measure trust and the management policies they put in place to influence it.In addition, ECSP issued an online consumer survey of 1,000 UK and 1,000 US residents.

Interestingly, the results revealed that trust can drive up to 44 percent of customer loyalty in a brand. In addition, the survey found that this overall trust was most influenced by (in order of importance):

Social Media Integrates Customer Service with Marketing

Marketers are using social media to connect with consumers in new ways.

But, amplifying brand messages shouldn’t be the only goal. We also need to recognize that social media provides valuable opportunities to enhance customer service, as well.

Heidi Cohen deep dives into this issue in her recent post at ClickZ, How to Integrate Customer Service Into Social Media Marketing. As Heidi explains, social media has changed customer service from a support function to a new extension of marketing. She then goes on to outline a dozen ways that marketers can use social media tactics to support customer service and extend their marketing efforts.

Among my favorites on Heidi’s list: