One of my first clients was a little inn in Newport Beach. We worked hard to create a culture of exceptional experiences for travelers. Since the property had no pool, no bar, no concierge and no valet, we found ways to offer other more personal touches. That led to our clients raving about their experiences to their friends.
In 2003, new customers began telling us that they found us on TripAdvisor. Even with just 26 rooms, the number of recommendations kept growing.
In 2005, TripAdvisor named the Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel one of their 10 Hidden Gems in the U.S. Referrals continued to grow and led to some amazing stats that I’ll share at the end of this post.
Yes, word of mouth for your business is hard to predict. But when positive, third-party reviews add validation to marketing your product or service, magic happens.
In fact, word of mouth is the most precious gift customers can give you (after their money, of course).
Nowadays, you might call it word of text as online reviews are exploding.
Here are the top three types of online customer reviews:
Product reviews. Amazon was at the forefront but now product reviews are common among online retailers. A day after the product arrives, an email is sent to the customer with a link to a form asking for their opinion. The best forms have radio buttons to make grading quick and easy like:
Fit:
- Runs small
- True to size
- Runs big
Surveys. Similar to a review, a survey often asks how the brand, service or store can do better. Answers are longer and more free-form that come from questions like:
- What items or actions pleased you the most?
- How could we make it easier?
- Who serves you best here?
- Checkout is always a tough area in retail. How would you change our checkout process to make it better for our shoppers?
- We try to provide everything that our shoppers need. What, if anything, have we not provided that you would like us to provide?
Enter to win. This type of feedback is often used as a substitute for a mystery shopper. It offers the chance for a prize to the customer who makes the effort to fill out the form. Netpromoter is probably the best known in retail. Customers respond to just this one question, How likely is it that you would recommend [company name] to a friend or colleague? with a 0-10 point rating.
All three of these types of reviews can be useful to improve your operation, but you need a critical mass to get a fair view.
So how do you get more reviews? Ask.
Ask on your Facebook page, on your restaurant menu, or on your shopping bag.
Ask in a follow-up email, during a phone call after you’ve delivered the product, or on your own webpage.
Just ask.
By the checkout desk at The Grand Mauritian Resort is a 6’ sign with a headline that reads, We Are Curious. Below the headline they ask for their guests to post their reviews and upload their pics from their smartphones right there on Facebook, TripAdvisor, Twitter, YouTube and they have a QR code to post on their website.
It works. And their word of text is spreading.
What about the Bay Shores Peninsula Hotel I mentioned at the start of this post? With a 97 percent positive rating, they are number 1 out of 17 hotels in Newport Beach, California; that’s over competition including the Marriott and other big players.
They also received a Certificate of Excellence in 2013, and are the number one best-reviewed hotel in Orange County, California. That’s out of 350+ hotels from Laguna Beach to Disneyland.
The power of customer reviews makes their story pretty impressive, don’t you think? You can do the same.
Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor®, has helped thousands of businesses in hospitality, manufacturing, service, restaurant and retail since 1994. His clients have ranged from multi-national luxury brands to small business mom and pops. With over thirty years experience beginning in the trenches of retail and extending to senior management positions, Phibbs has been a corporate officer, franchisor and entrepreneur. His speaking presentations are designed to provide practical information in a fun and re-memorable format. His newest product is SalesRX, his online retail sales training.
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