Online interaction between companies and their customers, a lot of times, falls short. With all the current technology, customers’ expectations are high, so much so, that responding to their inquiries and comments, beyond being a responsibility to your customers or another item to check off your to-do list, should be seen as a way to keep your reputation intact and your business afloat.
Ignoring Bad Online Reviews Could Harm Your Small Business
Did you know that close to 52% of customers who leave a negative online review for a business, expect to receive a response within seven days? According to ReviewTrackers, this is what they concluded when they conducted a survey on this topic, with a sample of 152 people.
Businesses are looking to attract more customers, and more importantly, retain the ones that they’ve so carefully managed to engage with. So, if companies are always looking for ways to innovate and surpass their customer’s expectations with new products and services, why wouldn’t they want to do the same when it comes to customer support?
Customer support has taken different shapes ever since we started using the internet as a standard way for businesses and customers to communicate. Now businesses can provide customer support via email, their website, social media, and by responding to online reviews.
Take Advantage of Customer Feedback to Grow Your Business
So, we know customers are expecting a response, especially when it comes to their negative reviews, but it doesn’t stop there. When customers expect a response, they want it within 60 minutes, according to another survey conducted by Convince & Convert. This means that the longer it takes you to respond, the more anxious customers will get and the more likely to be upset when they realize that, not only is the response taking a while, it might not even come at all.
This approach, or lack thereof, can cost you valuable customers because, think about it, if a customer is taking the time to leave a review, they are trusting you with their opinions and over 50% of them expect you to value that enough for you to do something about it. A timely, well-thought out and a respectful response, is not just what they deserve as customers, it’s a way to increase customer satisfaction and prevent bad comments from spreading and affecting your reputation. Plus, customer feedback is an incredibly valuable element that helps you improve and grow your business. Isn’t that what every business owner wants?
