If you want to remove complacency and drive improvement, you have to embrace reviews—the good and the bad
Andy Cullwick is head of marketing at First4Lawyers
Most customers no longer walk down the high street and through your door—they do it virtually. And before they do, the likelihood is they’ll have read about you online.
A recent survey by Reputation found that 90% of consumers now check reviews before making a purchase. Another found 79% of us trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from family and friends.
Supermarkets such as Morrisons and Sainsburys even invite customers to review their groceries now. But while they may be everywhere, how many businesses actually take the time to respond?
It’s easy to ignore reviews, but in doing so, you miss a golden opportunity to increase awareness of and trust in your brand.
If you want to remove complacency and drive improvement, you have to embrace every post—the good and the bad. What’s important is what you say back.
No comment? No way
For our recent whitepaper, ‘Making your customers happy’, we surveyed 100 law firms about their approach to customer service and, in particular, online reviews.
It found that less than a quarter (24%) responded to every review, 31% only on an ad-hoc basis, and 13% only to positive reviews. One in 20 did not respond to any at all.
You wouldn’t ignore someone sat in reception, whether they’d come in to commend or complain about your business, and in today’s online world, the same courtesy must apply. There’s no shortage of r