How To Get Company Reviews

Read Time: 4 minutes

When you are faced with two companies that offer the same job, product, or service, you want to know which one is more reliable. What do you do? Naturally, you’ll want to find out more about each company to make an informed decision. You’ll trust your friend’s word on his/her experience with a company, or perhaps you’ll look to other people’s recommendations. Interestingly enough, a  recent study on consumer reviews revealed that 91% of consumers trusted online reviews just as much as their friend’s personal recommendations. This shows just how significant reviews are in building a company’s reputation. Company reviews can boost your rankings or even lower them, so it’s important to get them right!

Where To Get Company Reviews

There are several sites consumers can place reviews on. Having a variety of sites with reviews about your company can help spread the word to consumers as different people visit different sites to see reviews. You can also include some reviews on your own site.

• Company Review Sites

  These are websites specifically dedicated to reviews, and provide a platform for people to post reviews online. These are usually posted by individuals, so it is important to remember that everyone’s experience is different, and this will affect their review. For example, you may have a customer who claimed that her meal was delicious, whereas another customer might have thought the same meal wasn’t satisfying. Sometimes it’s just personal preference! This is why it is important to get as many different reviews as possible, so that people can gain a broad perspective of your company. The more reviews you have, the more credible your company seems. Websites such as Glassdoor, Google My Business, and Yelp Reviews are well-known sites that you can use to gain more company reviews.

• Testimonials

  Testimonials are found on the company’s own website. These are usually positive reviews from customers displayed to promote the company. Customers often find these quite reliable, since they must gain the reviewer’s permission to display their review (meaning that they often provide some identification of the reviewer to prove reliability). However, do not be tempted to purchase reviews or make up your own ones – you can easily be caught, ultimately tarnishing your company’s reputation.

How To Encourage Customers To Leave Reviews

Whether it’s online or in person, every review counts, and there are hidden opportunities everywhere. You just have to put in the effort to find them! Here is a list on how to encourage customers to leave reviews.

• Ask For Them

  While this might seem obvious, this is one of the most effective ways to get more reviews. A lot of customers are unaware of how reviews work, and some just don’t think of leaving reviews once they’ve been satisfied (or dissatisfied) by a company’s service. Take the time to ask customers personally for their opinion, and you might find that most are willing if the process is easy.

​​​​​​

• Make It Quick

  Have a review system set up and ready for your customers. Make sure that you will not inconvenience them by taking up too much time – a lengthy review process will put off customers instantly. If you are doing business with a customer in person, have a device on hand with a review form open and ready, and make sure that you are prepared before asking.

• Review Widgets

  If your company has a website, it is not complete without a review widget. This will prompt a customer to leave a review online while they’re browsing your website! At Connectica, we provide  responsive review widgets that work seamlessly on every device, encouraging your customers to leave reviews easily. ​​​​​

Create A Consistent Online Presence

A well-known company will have a great online presence; whether it is social media, blogs or a good website, the key to maintaining a good presence is through constant effort. Here are a few ways to encourage reviews:

• Responses​​​​​​

  A recent study on company responses by Cornell University shows that when companies respond to bad reviews, their positive reviews can increase. Giving responses not only provides customers or employees with individual attention, but also shows that a company is willing to investigate the matter to resolve any complaints. This in turn makes them more reliable, and the more online interactions there are, the more exposure you get. Though responding to negative reviews is very much recommended and encouraged, you want to be careful not to drag it out. Respond to the negative review with contact details to take it offline.

• Social Media

  Check with social networking sites. According to a business study survey done by Corra, 88% of customers had made a decision to refuse a company’s service based on a review they had seen on social media. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter allow people to chat freely about their experiences, and these kinds of reviews often give more intel on the company in comparison to more controlled company websites.

• Connections

  The more connections you have, the better chances of getting business, and therefore a better chance for reviews. There are also more business-related social media sites such as LinkedIn that can give you connections to employers, employees, and other businesses. Get in contact with a former employee and chat to them for a more in-depth review or see who might be looking for your company’s services!

Now you know the basics on how to encourage more reviews and build your reputation. At Connectica LLC, we provide review services for your company’s website, so that you can encourage customers to leave a review quickly and easily. If you want to learn more, feel free to contact us.