Everybody knows that online reviews matter, and they matter a lot. But did you know that according to Yelp a one-star increase in your overall rating can lead to a 5-9% increase in revenue? So on the flip side, poor reviews can and will negatively impact your bottom line.
What causes a poor review? Poor customer service is the number one reason people write bad reviews followed by problems with the product and policy issues.
Here’s what we learned about online reviews:
According to Podium:
- One negative review on Yelp can cost you 30 customers.
- 72% of customers will take action only after reading a positive review.
- 92% of users will use a local business if it has at least a 4-star rating.
- Customers are likely to spend 31% more on a business with excellent reviews.
According to :
- Only 53% of people would consider using a business with less than 4 stars.
- Positive reviews make 91% of consumers more likely to use a business, while 82% will be put off by negative reviews.
- Businesses with negative feedback within their top reviews are likely to lose potential customers to competitors with better online reputations.
So how do you get positive reviews? A proven way to get positive online reviews is by delivering exceptional service to your customers. One way to do that is by providing your customers with faster service.
When it comes to service speed and online review, Yelp says:
- Faster service equates to better reviews.
- Reviews that mention “fast”, “quick”, “prompt”, or “speedy” consistently get higher ratings. Following that logic, it should come as no surprise that reviews that critique service as being “slow” get lower ratings. And by lower, we mean closer to 1 star.
- In our fast-paced world, customers have become accustomed to speed. In fact, when it comes to restaurants, customers prefer speed over quality. Among 5-star reviews for restaurants, Yelp says that “fast service” is mentioned 4 times more than “great taste.”
Imbibe is a platform that centralizes all types of guest feedback/reviews, so business owners and/or their online reputation manager can quickly and directly handle customers’ social media comments. A wealth of information, they say that:
- 20% of negative feedback for restaurants was due to slow service or, especially between starters and main courses.
- Another main complaint was watching other customers, who ordered after them, enjoy their meals while they still waited.
- Overall, restaurant goers focused on lagging efficiency and poor staff attitudes in their negative reviews.
Currently the top industries for online reviews include, restaurants, grocery stores, medical, clothing stores, hotels, entertainment, automotive, hair and beauty, pet services, and car dealerships. But that list continues to grow, which means all local business should be monitoring their online reputation to ensure it’s a positive one.
If your company is short-staffed, you are less likely to deliver stellar service. Don’t let an overworked staff result in poor reviews. If you find yourself short staffed, you should consider partnering with a Flexible Staffing Company like GigWorx.
