Strategies to maximize positive feedback and minimize negative impact. Delve into data-driven tips for building a stronger online reputation.
Online reviews are more than just star ratings.
They offer insight into how your customers feel in real-time–a glimpse of your business performance and success.
Let’s delve into specific and tangible strategies for using topic sentiment analysis and review data to harness the full potential of your reviews, maximizing the positive while minimizing the negative.
Reviews do a lot for your business. Positives confirm what your teams are doing right; negatives, though hard to receive, highlight areas for improvement.
Topic sentiment analysis goes beyond merely categorizing reviews as positive or negative. Instead, it dissects reviews to understand the actual sentiment behind specific aspects of your business.
Let's say you run a restaurant. Sentiment analysis of your reviews could reveal that customers love your food (positive sentiment), but are frustrated with the wait times (negative sentiment). This deeper level of insight allows you to:
It highlights more than just the overall mood of your customers' feedback, it highlights the why behind their feelings.
However dedicated you are to the customer experience, unfavorable feedback is inevitable. You must be prepared to handle bad reviews on behalf of your business. Some effective strategies include:
Invest in a support system to handle negative customer interactions. Set up multiple channels for communication, including phone, email, chatbots, and social media, and be sure to monitor your GBP Questions & Answers section.
While smart monitoring and set response systems can continuously oversee all communication channels, you don't want to leave everything in their hands. Automation enhances the customer experience, but your team is the backbone of your operation.
Ensuring your teams are well-trained and empowered to resolve issues quickly is key to gaining customer trust. Communication is one of the top-mentioned topics in negative reviews for both the Automotive and Residential Real Estate industries. To increase your chances of getting more positive reviews/turning a bad experience around, equip your team with the right strategies.
Prioritize responding to negative reviews quickly—we suggest within 24-48 hours to show customers that you care about their experience and are willing to make improvements based on their feedback.
To streamline this process, consider setting up automated review alerts. They provide instant notifications for new reviews, putting you in the best position to handle any negative feedback promptly.
Utilize sentiment analysis to look for patterns in the topics that most frequently appear in negative reviews. Identify what your business is doing well and what needs improvement based on what your customers are actually saying.
For example, the Multifamily Reputation Index identified maintenance as the #1 topic mentioned in negative reviews across the multifamily industry. This means that maintenance practices are not meeting resident expectations. Multifamily operators looking to minimize negative reviews should work to improve the maintenance process, repair completion time, and overall communication methods to improve their reputations.
Positive reviews are key to an outstanding online reputation. To get more for your business:
Utilize automated SMS or email review requests post-sale to encourage happy customers to leave a review. A personalized "thank you for your business" or "we'd love to hear how we did" message can be highly effective in activating the voices of your satisfied customers.
While customers are more likely to leave reviews when disappointed with their experience, being proactive about asking every customer for a review encourages happy customers to leave a review when they otherwise would not.
Use topic analysis to uncover the most positively perceived aspects of your business. For instance, if the analysis reveals "friendly staff" as one of the top positive sentiment drivers, incorporate this insight into your marketing materials to promote your business and more review volume. Easy examples include staff spotlights/social media takeovers or featuring customer quotes, stories, and testimonials on your website.
Craft personalized review requests and responses to keep your customers engaged and encourage participation.
In responses, avoid using screen names or first initials. This gives your business credibility and makes your responses more authentic.
In review requests, craft personalized content/messages that work to encourage desired feedback. Call attention to the elements of the customer experience you want to highlight in reviews in your requests.
If you’re running a campaign to promote breakfast at your B&B, send a request that reads "We're glad you enjoyed your stay! We'd love to hear more about your experience with our breakfast buffet.” Intentional requests generate intentional responses.
The key to success lies in viewing reviews not just as feedback, but as opportunities. To give your business a competitive advantage, you need to harness your reviews' full potential, not just manage them. By embracing data-driven strategies, businesses can create a cycle of improved customer experiences, increased positive feedback, and sustained growth.
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