Your success in gathering a solid repertoire of great reviews begins with you asking your customers for the review itself. In this article, we’ll provide some tips on when best to request a review and what you can say.
Only you know best how you interact with your customers. Some communication approaches are very formal and use Sir and Madam, while others are quick and relaxed and call folks Dude or Buddy. There’s no right or wrong method, and without a doubt, you have fine-tuned your approach over many years. Finding the right moment to ask a customer for a review can require a little bit of planning for smooth execution.
Timing
The point at which you’ll want to ask your customer for permission to send them a review request is probably near the end of the sales transaction. With that said, it might not be ideal to make it the very last item. If the customer is at your sales counter, it might work well to ask while you are processing their credit card. If you are with the customer at their vehicle to demonstrate a remote starter installation, explain how a new radio works or review window tint guidelines, you can request permission after asking if they have any additional questions.
Finishing the interaction by thanking them for their business and letting them you know are available to answer any questions is a nice touch. This closing takes the focus off the review request and helps to reassure them that they have chosen the best company to do business with.
Wording
Given the amount of spam email and text messages we receive, it’s important to let your clients know what to expect when they receive a review request. As we stated, each salesperson or consultant has his or her distinct approach to interacting with a client. Here is one basic suggestion that you can mold to suit your business style:
We’ve found that reviews on Facebook and Google have been very beneficial. Would you mind if we sent you an email or text message with a link to our social media sites so you can post a review?
If they say yes, confirm which format they want (email, text message or both) and make sure you have recorded that information accurately. We also suggest double-checking that you have recorded their first and last name accurately. Receiving a review request where the customer’s name has been misspelled sets the wrong tone for the experience.
Some people don’t like posting reviews or may be very protective of their contact information, so don’t be surprised if a customer says they’d rather not. Thank them for considering the option and move on with your process.
What To Do Next?
If your customer has agreed to post a social media review, make sure you enter their contact information into Evalu8 accurately. Different companies will have different processes for requesting reviews. You may want your staff to send the review request as soon as the client leaves the store, or you may send them as part of the end-of-day process. You can plan and evolve this process as it suits your business.
If you are the business owner, discussing the best way to approach asking for reviews and managing the information is a great topic for your weekly or monthly team meetings. You will likely find that your approach evolves, and sharing different experiences with your staff can be very helpful.
We hope this article was helpful. If you have any questions about using the Evalu8 system, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Evalu8 support team by sending us Support Ticket using the blue Contact Us tab at the top of the Administration page. If you aren’t an Evalu8 client yet, you can reach us by selecting Learn More from the main page.
