<p>You can use your reviews to support your customers in their purchasing decisions, monitor the internal performance of particular brands or stores, for example, to better understand your <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/how-to-improve-your-brands-customer-experience" target="_self">customers' experiences</a> and, finally, boost your conversion rates</p><p>In fact, adding customer reviews to your website can massively increase conversions, especially when they are displayed on product pages. People are 270% more likely to buy a product with five reviews compared to one without any reviews. Our work with the hair and beauty company Salon Services also revealed that customer spending rose by 294% when reviews were showcased online.</p><p>This is all well and good, but how do you get customers to leave reviews in the first place?</p><p>We’ll dig into how you can encourage your customers to leave reviews, progressing them to become brand ambassadors, and how Feefo can help you when it comes to displaying and promoting your best, most reliable reviews.</p><h2>Encourage Your Customers</h2><p>As you may have seen from our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/customer-reviews" target="_self">Complete Guide to Customer Feedback</a>, we have seven top tips to encourage your customers to leave reviews. These are:</p><ul><li>Make sure your email stands out in a full inbox</li><li>Thank people for their time before they go to leave a review</li><li>Dare them to be honest, either in a cheeky or more formal way</li><li>Draw attention to what you want them to talk about in your emails</li><li>Tap into their sense of social responsibility</li><li>Use humour and show off your personality whilst remaining professional</li><li>Encourage sympathy by telling them how hard you worked</li></ul><p>While not all of these will work for your brand, it is worth considering how you can utilise some of these tips to get the reviews rolling in.</p><p>Outside of these points, it is also important to consider <em>when</em> to ask for a review. Make sure you are asking your customers for reviews at strategic moments throughout their journey because if you ask at the wrong time, it could result in some negative criticism.</p><p>Customer relationships naturally ebb and flow, so make sure you identify these “moments of happiness” when contacting them for a review. For example, this might be after they have re-purchased a product, tagged you in a post on social media or referred another customer to you.</p><p>Finally, it is always important to follow up on your request if you haven’t heard back straight away. You may have to request a review more than once, but this doesn’t mean it will result in negative feedback for chasing them, as long as you follow up politely and with the understanding that everyone leads busy lives.</p><p></p><h3>Treefo</h3><p>At Feefo, we work with trusted partners to fund tree-planting projects in response to the reviews that you, as a business, collect. You can showcase your sustainability efforts, encourage feedback and give the planet a helping hand.</p><p>The project, <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/features/treefo" target="_self">Treefo</a>, is simple. Your customer feels good for contributing to the planet and they trust your authenticity and want to continue supporting your business.</p><p>As we know from our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/business-insights/the-quest-for-authenticity-verified-reviews-and-sustainability" target="_self">Quest for Authenticity report</a>, 81% of customers feel that companies should do more to improve the environment, and two in three consumers think brands that make a public promise to be sustainable are more trustworthy.</p><p>By adding Treefo to your Feefo subscription, you can incentivise your customers to leave a review and build the trust they have in your brand. Win-win!</p><h2>How to get your reviews noticed</h2><p>There are a number of ways to make sure your reviews get noticed, both onsite and offsite.</p><p>Displaying customer reviews across your website can help build trust in your brand and convince even the most stubborn visitors to click that ‘buy now’ button. So, with as many as <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-retention/consumer-trends" target="_self">96% of shoppers seeking out reviews</a>, the key is to make it as easy as possible for your customers to find them – from your homepage right through to the checkout.</p><p>Read our full guide on <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/best-practice-website-integration" target="_self">how website integrations can help your customer reviews get noticed</a>, which will break down where and how you can display reviews across your site.</p><p>In terms of how you can promote your reviews offsite, there are a number of ways to achieve this, but the most prominent options are your social channels and email marketing.</p><h3>Social Media</h3><p>With there being such a varied and captive audience across every social channel, there could be a completely untapped marketing strategy if you aren’t already sharing your positive online reviews across them.</p><p>While Facebook has its own rating and review system, they aren’t verified reviews, so creating your own content and assets that promote your verified reviews is going to be more beneficial in building trust with potential customers.</p><p>How should you promote your reviews across your social channels?</p><p>Once you have collected your strongest reviews and testimonials, the first stage will be to create the content and visuals that are going to go with your social media post.</p><p>Don’t fall into the trap of copying out the whole review - just pick the essential parts that are going to grab the audience's attention. Similarly, with your visual assets, you could include a video testimonial or a bright static image that highlights a key quote to make sure you draw them in to find out more.</p><p>It is important to also thank the customer for their review. As we know from our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/navigating-the-negative-report" target="_self">Navigating the Negative report</a>, 69% of people are happy to continue their purchase with a brand if they can see that a company has acknowledged a poor review, apologised and offered a solution.</p><p>Another way that you can share your positive reviews across your own channels is by reposting customer reviews. With X (formerly Twitter), this is a lot simpler, as you can simply retweet any reviews you are tagged or mentioned in. With your Meta channels, such as Facebook and Instagram, more thought will need to be put into how you share this.</p><p>Finally, use a social media calendar to make sure you are striking the right balance between organic content and cross-promotion. Sharing too many reviews can make your brand look overindulgent, but not sharing enough could mean you aren’t making the most of the platforms.</p><h3>Email Marketing</h3><p>Introducing reviews into your personalised emails is a great way to engage your subscribers and make them feel valued. You can prove other customers, like the ones you are emailing, have had positive experiences with your brand, especially when you are launching a new product or service.</p><p>Another way you can use reviews in your outgoing emails is by tailoring the content to specific customers based on their needs or interests. For example, you can use these reviews to directly address a concern by using social proof that puts their minds at ease.</p><h2>Feefo Feedback Request Manager</h2><p>According to our Consumers Trends Report, shoppers don’t always trust what they see online – 72% of them worry about fake feedback. Invite-only reviews, which are guaranteed to come from your genuine customers, are a great way to support prospects as they decide whether to buy from you.</p><p>With our <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/features/feedback-request-manager" target="_self">Feedback Request Manager</a>, you can step into the shoes of your customers and schedule review requests that align with their convenience. The invite-only approach guarantees heightened engagement and will instil a stronger trust in your brand.</p><p>Find out <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/how-feefo-reviews-can-work-for-your-business" target="_self">how Feefo reviews can work for your business here</a>.</p>

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How to get your customers to leave online reviews

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<h3>Increasing Facebook conversions and click-through rates - Andertons </h3><p>Andertons Music Co. is a family-run musical instrument retailer with more than 50 years of experience serving the UK and overseas.  </p><p>As part of its digital strategy, Andertons has been trialling the effectiveness of paid Facebook adverts and, more notably, product retargeting. Due to having an enormous product catalogue and the restrictions on targeting in Facebook’s native advertising platform, costs were beginning to exceed the key performance indicators (KPIs) the business had set.  </p><p>If Andertons was going to start effectively using this channel, it needed a solution to ensure its ads were more relevant, engaging, and targeted. The ads needed to increase click-through rate (CTR), reduce spend, and ensure a positive return on ad spend (ROAS).  </p><p>After implementing Advertising for Facebook with Feefo and split testing against ads without, it reported:  </p><ul><li>151% higher conversion rate on ads </li><li>190% increase in overall conversion value </li><li>30% higher return on ad spend (ROAS) </li><li>11% reduction in cost-per-click (CPC) for ads featuring Feefo reviews </li></ul>

Digital Marketing Manager, Andertons 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/andertons" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Collecting content based on customers’ happy memories - British Airways Holidays</h3><p>British Airways Holidays (BAH) was looking to boost customer advocacy and trust in its brand. As part of its reviews strategy, it saw the value in focusing on the small moments that make a holiday. So, it wanted to collect genuine User-Generated Content (UGC) that it could use in its advertising campaigns.</p><p>Content was collected by adjusting a questionnaire sent out for ratings and reviews. Extra questions and functionality were added depending on the holiday the customer had taken, too. This structured way of collecting the content meant it was filterable, and the most relevant could be chosen for use in BAH’s marketing.</p><p>BA Holidays has now dropped stock images previously used and instead dips into its own pool of UGC for content - giving a more authentic and trusted feel to the messages.</p>

Digital Marketing & Content Manager, British Airways Holidays 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/british-airways-holidays-and-feefo-take-on-new-experiences" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Improving customer experience with reviews and insights - CV Villas</h3><p>Luxury tour operator CV Villas used to send printed questionnaires to customers at the end of their holiday. But this was a laborious task and only covered certain destinations.</p><p>The company needed a review provider and solution to gather feedback from every destination it offered and for each part of the customer journey - not just the end.</p><p>Feefo’s Feedback Request Manager allows CV Villas to automatically send review requests at multiple stages of the customer journey. Customers now receive opportunities to review their experience after they’ve booked their trip, whilst they’re at their destination, and when they return back home.</p><p>Today, the company now has a complete view of its customer experience, all generated automatically through feedback requests. And traffic to its website has increased by 26%, and conversions increased by 31% since working with Feefo. If you were to express that in terms of increased revenue, you’d see the power of the insights you can get simply by asking customers for their thoughts.</p>

General Manager, CV Villas 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/cv-villas" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Perfecting advertising with the help of customer feedback and AI – Iceland</h3><p>British frozen food retail giant Iceland wanted an efficient way to tap into the business insights contained within customer reviews.</p><p>It recognised that identifying any issues would allow it to improve its service. But it also saw the potential to use the feedback to inform its messaging, increase customer engagement, and ultimately drive more sales.</p><p>Customers were asked to provide reviews on every aspect of the company, including customer service, its online processes, home delivery, and product preferences.</p><p>With an accurate understanding of the issues that mattered most to their shoppers, Iceland could set about using what they’d learned to create highly targeted marketing campaigns.</p><p>Iceland was set up with our Customer Sentiment Insight tool. Using powerful AI technology, it automatically analyses the content of Iceland’s customer reviews. And it gives a clear and accurate view of what is happening within the business in real time.</p><p>This, in turn, made it easy for Iceland to start targeting unique ad campaigns to suit customers.</p><p>Iceland has also used the insight gathered from all the Feefo feedback and insight to successfully guide the direction of its marketing activity and trial new services. For example, 99% of Iceland’s customers believed that the home delivery service was excellent. With this information, Iceland was able to promote this unique selling point to customers who weren’t aware of what the home delivery service entailed.</p>

Customer Response Co-Ordinator, Iceland 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/iceland" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Improving perceptions and driving sales – Kia</h3><p>Kia Motors UK led the industry by becoming the first to harness the power of consumer opinions from verified customers.</p><p>It knew the perception of the Kia brand was lagging behind the transformation in its vehicles over the past few years. This was affecting sales and revenue. And it saw owner reviews of its latest models as a more effective way of speeding up the change in brand perception than traditional advertising methods. Kia also looked to ratings and review collection methods to help get on consumers' consideration lists for new car purchases.</p><p>Feefo provided car reviews from verified owners that were integrated across the Kia UK site. Visitors to the site could read reviews and filter them by groups of similar consumers e.g. families with children. They could also get rapid, trustworthy answers to any questions or concerns directly from a community of engaged car owners.</p><p><strong>The results</strong></p><p></p><p></p><ul><li>Bookings of test drives increased by 300% when reviews from verified car owners were read</li><li>Visitor engagement soared, with a 280% increase in average time spent on site and 2.4x more page views for visitors who read community-driven Q&amp;A</li><li>The new online community of Kia car owners, powered by Feefo, has been growing rapidly, with 64% of all reviewers opting in to answer car-related questions for prospects and new buyers</li><li>Kia also benefited from rapid market feedback on its new car models, which gave them a better understanding of genuine Kia owners' views</li></ul><p></p><p></p><p>Kia was using its reviews to drive people to its showrooms, where its salespeople could do what they did best - sell.</p>

Head of Customer Communications, Kia Motors UK 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/how-feefo-helped-kia" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Increasing transparency with reviews - LV= Insurance</h3><p>LV= had a mission - to become Britain’s best-loved insurance company. Its first step to achieve this was to simply take the time to make sure its customers’ voices were heard. And heard not just internally but by prospects and current customers alike. So, it decided adding independent custom reviews to its website and using them in marketing campaigns would show a confidence in its products and transparency in its business.</p><p>In an industry low on trust, this approach of opening up to unedited customer comments was a bold one. But as well as boosting transparency, the company saw it would also:</p><ul><li>Increase search engine rankings through the keywords in the reviews</li><li>Maximise the benefits of Google, enhancing its paid and natural search engine ratings</li></ul><p>To help make this leap, LV= called on us to help collect and analyse the reviews it needed.</p><p>LV= ran an A/B split test of emails, and those that included Feefo reviews saw an increase in click-through rates to quote from 53% to 67%. And test for Home Insurance that included Feefo badging had 28% more conversions. This led to a 1.5% increase in sales figures.</p><p>In addition to these results, the wider brand perception LV= has benefited from is immeasurable. The public now perceives the company as open, honest, and caring about its customers.</p><p>LV= also uses the insights it gets from the invitation-only, verified customer reviews to improve its customers’ experiences with it as a company. For example, customer reviews have led to a change in the reduction of requirements for additional customer documentation - a commonly highlighted irritant in its feedback.</p>

Senior Digital Engagement Manager, LV= 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/lv-brings-transparency-back-to-finance" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Improving conversions and reducing bounce rates - Mazda Motors UK</h3><p>Founded in 2001, the Kent-based car company has a network of over 120 dealers.</p><p>With UK car owners among the most knowledgeable in the world, Mazda recognised the importance of establishing credible, independent reviews of its cars and dealers. These reviews would act to reassure customers during the purchasing process and build brand trust. So Mazda needed to have third-party impartial reviews that would have credibility with potential customers.</p><p>Since putting its reviews strategy in place, Mazda has seen a significant improvement in its digital performance. From a platform perspective, its website bounce rate improved by 8%. The company has seen additional SEO improvements too - with an increase in the number of keywords entering the top 10 positions. It’s also seen a platform conversion rate improvement of 7%.</p><p>As well as benefiting from confirmed customers’ post-purchase reviews, Mazda also found our Surveys tool particularly useful. It’s used it to gain greater insights from its customer base and support Mazda’s digital strategy.</p><p>The insights collected from customer feedback have also helped Mazda validate its omnichannel strategy and identify future requirements for its dealer network. This includes the need to have independent reviews of Mazda vehicles, which the company can then display across its national and dealer websites to provide customer dealer, brand, and product reassurance while browsing online.</p>

Omni-Channel Retail Manager, Mazda Motors (UK) 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/mazda" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Defining effective performance indicators - Meon Valley Travel</h3><p>An award-winning travel company, Meon Valley provides a full travel support service for leisure, business, and emergency assistance travel. Its customers range from private clients to global brands.</p><p>Other than the ‘thank-you’ letters it regularly received, Meon Valley had no accurate performance indicators or a clear view of how its service was perceived by its customers.</p><p>The company needed a comprehensive way of collecting customer reviews. It wanted to connect with its customers. It wanted to track and improve sales performance and find out if it was actually delivering the exceptional customer experience that it promised.</p><p>The switch to Feefo’s verified-only model increased the reviews Meon Travels was getting ten-fold.</p><p>It was able to feature the real opinions of genuine customers on its site, as well as in its Google search ads too. Displaying their Feefo star rating in their Google ads significantly contributed towards a 24% increase in click-through rates This helped to build trust in the Meon Valley brand amongst prospective customers and greatly improved ad performance. This, in turn, led to a 23% increase in sales.</p><p>The quality of customer reviews is now used to help measure sales team performance. And the insights gained have been used to inform future improvements to the sales process.</p>

Group Marketing Manager, Meon Valley 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/meon-valley-travel" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Boosting confidence in your brand - William Russell</h3><p>William Russell is an independent provider of international insurance for expats, families, and businesses. It knew it had a good reputation for customer service within the insurance industry. But it recognised it wasn’t doing enough to persuade new customers that it was the best choice for specialist expat insurance.</p><p>The company knew how much time people spend researching, comparing, and looking for reviews and recommendations. So, it needed to introduce customer reviews on their websites.</p><p>Product pages are now supported by reviews, helping improve William Russell’s visibility in Google’s search results. And click-through rates have been boosted by 170%. It’s also seen a 31% rise in the number of website users generating a quote online and a 253% increase in qualified leads.</p><p>Members are now more engaged too. This boost in confidence has resulted in higher conversion rates online – with average daily conversion rates increasing by 71%.</p>

Policy Services Manager, William Russell 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/william-russell" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Using NPS® to increase loyalty - Flight Centre Canada</h3><p>Flight Centre Travel Group is one of Canada’s largest travel retailers. And it focuses on the leisure, corporate/business, luxury, and group travel markets - and lots more in between.</p><p>It’s always had a strong commitment to service and has consistently been great at delivering it. The problem was Flight Centre didn’t have a way of proving it, though.</p><p>So, the company needed a centralised, automated process to gather and analyse customer feedback. It could then use this to promote, maintain, and build on its service excellence.</p><p>The review invitation sent out for Flight Centre Canada includes a Net Promoter Score® (NPS) question.</p><p>Recognised around the world, <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/features/nps" target="_self">NPS</a> is something a company can measure and then act on by asking customers what seems, at first sight, to be a deceptively simple question:</p><p>‘How likely are you to recommend the company to a friend or colleague?’</p><p>All the customer has to do is tick a scale from zero to ten - with zero ‘being not likely at all’ and ten being ‘extremely likely’. This allows us to place the customer into one of three categories. Promoters - your most loyal customers. Passives - people who have had a good experience with you but aren’t totally loyal and could be tempted away by your competitors. Detractors – people you’ve let down and who may tell others about their bad experiences.</p><p>Analysing your NPS results can then help you measure your customers’ loyalty, fix problems your customers may have had, and develop strategies to move up your NPS scale.</p><p>Flight Centre Canada’s NPS scores bear witness to what it already knew. It’s great at delivering the service its customers want and expect. In fact, its NPS scores are amongst the highest in the travel industry. So, the company now uses its NPS feedback to promote itself to customers - old, current, and new.</p>

Customer Experience Manager, Flight Centre Canada 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/flight-centre-canada" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Improving brand awareness - Beko</h3><p>Beko is the UK’s best-selling home appliance brand. Despite this, Beko felt it could improve brand awareness and public perception of quality. So, it decided it needed to collect and display ratings and reviews on its website.</p><p>Beko also saw this as an opportunity to drive sales conversion and gain customer insight. It understood that implementing verified ratings and reviews would bring more potential buyers and a greater level of trust. It also looked to strengthen customer engagement and that offering opinions and ratings on product pages could reduce the need for shoppers to go elsewhere.</p><p>Gaining an increased insight into the sentiments of its customers was another factor for Beko. Collecting a large amount of ratings and reviews would allow it to measure customers’ concerns and gather feedback about its products.</p><p>Soon after appointing Feefo, Beko had access to a wealth of reviews about its products, which it displayed on its website. Armed with these reviews, Beko launched a £6 million advertising campaign which was co-branded with Feefo and included its product ratings.</p><p>Since implementing reviews on its website and in its advertising, conversion uplift doubled. Image and quality perception issues have become a thing of the past, too. It has also scored its highest-ever points on YouGov’s weekly brand tracker for these factors.</p>

Brand Marketing Manager, Beko 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/beko-comes-up-squeaky-clean-with-feefo" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><h3></h3><hr/><p></p><h3>Providing a better user experience - First Intuition</h3><p>First Intuition is a classroom and online training supplier specialising in accounting certifications.</p><p>Customer service is at the heart of everything for First Intuition. Providing a bespoke and flexible personal service is one of its key USPs, something that stands the business apart from competitors. First Intuition sought a way to showcase this differentiator while simultaneously improving its user experience as well as boosting traffic and sales.</p><p>To improve the experience of First Intuition’s website visitors, the company displayed verified reviews from Feefo prominently on every single page of the site. This gave new and existing customers a trusted source of information about the service and encouraged them to spend longer on-site and visit more pages, before converting.</p><p>We also helped First Intuition achieve Google Seller ratings to drive more qualified traffic to its website.</p><p>By displaying genuine customer reviews on site, First Intuition saw an uplift of 32% more page views per session and a 10% increase in time spent on site, year-on-year. First Intuition also found this trusted information helped to retain users, and in the first month of integration, site bounce rates decreased by 18%. </p><p>Other results First Intuition has seen include: </p><ul><li>87% increase in website conversions</li><li>36% increase in click-through rates (CTRs) on AdWords</li><li>135% increase in first-time visitors</li><li>18% bounce rates decrease</li></ul>

Marketing and Operations Manager, First Intuition 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/first-intuition" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Retaining customers through the use of reviews - Heath Crawford</h3><p>Independent insurance broker Heath Crawford needed to give prospective customers confidence in the industry-leading service it provides. So it had to find a way to collect feedback that it knew was genuine.</p><p>Gathering real reviews from genuine clients has been an excellent way to enhance the company’s reputation in the industry. And it has helped build a reputable brand that people can trust. It’s been a fantastic way for Heath Crawford to learn more about their clients to help inform their business decisions, too.</p><p>Its NPS® results bear testament to the impact these business decisions, based on genuine feedback, have had on the company. It has scored a ‘world-class’ 86 compared to an industry average of 79.</p><p>Prominently displaying Feefo feedback on its website has given prospects a reason to buy. It has also played a big part in helping it retain existing clients. Heath Crawford maintains an impressive 94% customer retention rate.</p><p>There’s also been a 59% year-on-year increase in web traffic.</p><p>It’s also grown by 13% since simply asking its customers what they think.</p><p>Not only that, the company has also won a Feefo Platinum Trusted Service Award, our highest accolade, four years in a row.</p>

Director, Heath Crawford 

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/heath-crawford" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>Strengthening customer relationships - Astutis</h3><p>With over a decade of experience, Astutis is a leading health, safety, and environmental training business. It also offers consultancy services to organisations around the world.</p><p>It wanted to collect feedback based on real, personal experiences from its customers. Without it, there was no way of identifying what aspects of the business customers liked and what areas needed improvement.</p><p>Competitors in the same space were using open review platforms, where anyone can leave a review - regardless of whether they’d used to company or not. Consequently, some struggled publicly with issues caused by fake feedback. So Astutis chose a verified-only review platform, like Feefo, where only confirmed customers are invited to leave reviews.</p><p>Astutis could now have real-time conversations with its customers. Each month, the company reaches out to customers who have provided feedback and thanks them personally for their reviews. This has enabled the business to develop closer customer relationships, as well as retrieve further, more in-depth feedback and insights for case studies and testimonials.</p><p>Since partnering with Feefo, Astutis has been using the insights it’s learned to make considerable changes to the content of its products and shape how its services look today. It’s also created a new job role to monitor, analyse, and communicate feedback with the wider business to help ensure the company can further strengthen customer relationships.</p><p>The results speak for themselves. There’s been a 30% increase in online courses, and sales have grown by 5%.</p>

Global Head of Marketing and eCommerce, Astutis    

<p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/astutis" target="_self"><strong>Read the case study</strong></a></p><p></p><hr/><p></p><h3>In summary</h3><p>Getting stars and quotes play a considerable role in what reviews can do for your business to help it stand out from the crowd. But with the right <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/features/collect-reviews" target="_self">review provider</a> behind you, customer feedback can deliver insights you can use strategically across your company to give you the competitive edge needed to succeed.</p>

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<p><span><span>In an era when three in four people say they avoid advertising altogether, what information do consumers trust? Customer feedback.</span></span></p><p><p><p>Feedback provides so much more than social proof, though. If you’re not currently collecting ratings and reviews, or you are but feel like you could get more from them, you’re in the right place.</p><p>Here’s everything you need to know about customer feedback, the benefits it can offer your business, and the right software to moderate it.</p><h2>Why is customer feedback important?</h2><p>Here are four key reasons why you should be collecting, showcasing and analysing ratings and reviews:</p><h3>1. To support your customers</h3><p>According to Feefo’s 2019 Consumer Trends Report, 96% of UK consumers use reviews in some way and 64% read them before making a purchase. But shoppers don’t always trust what they see online – 72% of them worry about fake feedback. Invite-only reviews, which are guaranteed to come from your genuine customers, are a great way to support prospects as they decide whether to buy from you.</p><h3>2. To boost conversion rates</h3><p>Adding customer reviews to your website can massively increase conversions, especially when they are displayed on product pages. In fact, people are 270% more likely to buy a product with five reviews than one without any reviews. <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/customer-stories/salon-services" target="_self">Our work with the hair and beauty company Salon Services</a> also shows that customer spending rises by 294% when reviews are showcased online.</p><h3>3. To monitor internal performance</h3><p>By analysing the customer feedback you receive, you can keep tabs on how well each branch, store, and member of staff is doing. Tools like Feefo’s Insight Labels make this easy, as you can track reviews by categories like staff names, branch locations and product types.</p><p>Using reviews in this way allows you to spot products and services that should be improved or stores that require further investment. You can also use positive reviews to motivate staff by rewarding those who receive excellent feedback.</p><h3>4. To understand your customers’ experiences</h3><p>Collecting and analysing feedback across the entire customer journey can help you dig deeper into the experiences of shoppers, their loyalty to your brand, and so much more.</p><p>Feefo’s Customer Sentiment Insight tool uses AI to automatically identify themes in your reviews. If topics like ‘delivery’ are constantly mentioned in a negative context, this will be highlighted to you, so you can find out what’s going wrong and how to make it right.</p></p></p>

<h2>Using feedback to connect with your customers</h2><p>There are several ways you can use reviews to build better relationships with buyers and improve their loyalty to your brand:</p><h3>1. Create a personalised experience</h3><p>Whether you’re trying to convince your customers to take advantage of an offer or you’re asking them for their honest feedback, you need to speak to them as individuals. Our Feedback Request Manager allows you to build and design feedback campaigns, so you can ask the right questions to the right people at the right time.</p><h3>2. Respond to all feedback</h3><p>Write a review takes time and effort – so when people leave feedback be sure to thank them (whether good or bad!). While we recommend responding to as many reviews as possible, you’ll want to prioritise negative feedback, as this gives you the opportunity to repair broken relationships. You may even be able to turn those one- and two-star ratings into five stars.</p><p>When responding to negative feedback, get in touch with the customer privately so you can fully understand their situation and fix any issues. Once you’ve done as much as you can, respond to the review publicly, so other potential customers can see you provide an excellent service, even when things go wrong.</p><p>For more tips on how to reply to customer comments, check out our<a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/responding-to-reviews-guide" target="_self"> complete guide on dealing with positive and negative feedback.</a></p><h3>3. Tell people when their feedback made a difference</h3><p>Customer reviews should help inform any changes you make to your business. And when you improve something thanks to that feedback, it’s important to let people know.</p><p>Whether you’ve increased the responsiveness of your customer service team or fixed a problem with your website, use your marketing channels to show customers you listen to all feedback – good and bad.<span><span></span></span><span></span><span></span></p>

<h2><span>How to choose a customer feedback platform</span></h2>
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<p>If you want to make the most of your customer feedback, you need the right platform. Every platform offers something different, so it’s important to pick one that’s right for your business. Here are some key considerations to think about:</p>
<h2>Choose whether you want to collect open vs. invite-only reviews</h2>
<p>One of the biggest decisions to make is whether to opt for an invite-only platform like Feefo, where you only get feedback from verified buyers, or an open platform, where anyone to leave feedback about your business whether or not they’ve purchased from you. Here are the benefits and drawbacks of each:<span></span><span></span></p>
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<h2>Invite only platform:</h2>
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        <p>Beat the fakes - No one can post fake reviews on your website, as only genuine buyers are invited to leave feedback.</p>
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        <p><span>If someone visits your website but doesn’t engage or make a purchase, you can’t collect feedback from them (unless you run surveys).</span></p>
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        <p>Trust your data - With real feedback from real customers, you can be sure that fake reviews aren’t skewing your <span>data – so your business decisions are always backed by valid insights.</span></p>
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        <p><span>As only real buyers can leave feedback, you may collect fewer reviews than you would with an open platform.</span></p>
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        <p>Win more customers over - People are 15% more likely to buy when reading a verified review over an anonymous review. They want to hear from customers who have genuinely interacted with your brand.</p>
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        <p><span>You must proactively reach out to customers for feedback – Feefo makes this easy with an automated email or text message that we send to each of your buyers.</span></p>
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        <p>Streamline the feedback process - Customers don’t need to sign up or log in to leave a review, because their feedback is tied to a specific sale or interaction, so you already know who they are. This means they can share their thoughts with you quickly and easily.</p>
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<h2>Open<span> platform:</span></h2>
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<table class="styled-table">
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      <th><strong>Benefits</strong></th>
      <th><strong>Drawbacks</strong></th>
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        <p>Get lots of feedback - With an open platform, anyone can search for your company and leave a review – so you may be able to collect more feedback faster.</p>
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      <td><span>Anyone can leave feedback, even if they haven’t interacted with your brand or purchased from you. This opens the door to fake reviews from competitors and spam accounts, which can put your reputation at risk and skew your data.</span></td>
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        <p>Hear from non-buyers - If someone visits your website or branch but doesn’t make a purchase, they can still leave feedback about your brand.</p>
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      <td><span>Flagging and removing fake feedback is challenging, as it’s difficult to spot a fake review from a real one unless the writer gives proof of purchase.</span></td>
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      <td><span>Open review platforms tend to operate like comparison sites, which means you risk losing potential customers to competitors.</span></td>
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      <td><span>Customers often have to create or sign into a profile to leave a review, which is time-consuming and may put them off giving feedback.</span></td>
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<h2>Decide where and how you want to display your reviews</h2><p>The best way to show off your positive feedback is by using widgets that work for your company and industry.</p><p><a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/features/collect-reviews" target="_self">Review platforms</a> offer different widgets and products, so establish what you’d like to achieve with your feedback before seeing what’s out there. That way, it will be much easier to narrow down which platform is right for you.</p><h2>Check the moderation rules</h2><p>Even if you’re using an invite-only platform, you may still get a review that is inappropriate from time to time – for example, one that contains bad language or is talking about the wrong product. In cases like this, you need to be able to flag feedback. A good, trustworthy platform will have clear moderation guidelines to determine whether a review should be removed or not.</p><p>Businesses should not be able to remove any review they want. If that worries you, it shouldn't – 52% of consumers become suspicious if there is no negative feedback on a product or service they want to buy.</p><p>Make sure you read a platform’s moderation guidelines before signing the dotted line. You can read Feefo’s moderation guidelines <a href="https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/5707407/Websites%20Pdfs/Review_Moderation_Guidelines.pdf" target="_blank">here.</a></p><h2>Getting more customers to give feedback</h2><p>Follow these key tips to encourage buyers to leave a review:</p><h3>1. Make your invitation enticing</h3><p>We all receive dozens of emails every day. Ensure yours stand out with a clear subject line and a message that incentivises to your customers to leave feedback.</p><h3>2. Thank people for their time</h3><p>Everyone likes to feel appreciated. Thanking someone, even before they have gone through with providing feedback, puts them in a position to do as you ask.</p><h3>3. Dare them to be honest</h3><p>People love sharing their opinions with others – it can feel extremely freeing. Use that to your advantage by daring your customers to leave an honest review about you. Encourage them in a cheeky way, or you can keep to a formal tone.</p><h3>4. Draw attention to what you want them to talk about</h3><p>This is especially useful if you require feedback regarding a particular product or service, or if you have recently launched something new. In your email, use the key words you want your review to focus on in a bid to guide your customer in the right direction.</p><h3>5. Tap into their sense of social responsibility</h3><p>We all want to feel like we are making a difference. Reviews give people the power to have an influence, so they provide a great opportunity for you to tap into the need for social responsibility.</p><h3>6. Use humour</h3><p>Humour is always a great tactic, especially if something has gone wrong. Maintain your professionalism, but also show your personality (if that's part of your brand image and tone). Customers are more likely to engage with a brand they can relate to.</p><h3>7. Encourage sympathy</h3><p>Tell your customer how hard you’ve worked and what efforts have gone into getting them the right product. You could even name a member of staff that made their experience possible. Tell them that your business depends on their happiness and that it starts with them giving you feedback.</p><h2>Start collecting customer feedback, your way</h2><p>At Feefo, we’re proud to be a trusted, invite-only review platform. That's why over 6500 brands trust us to help develop their <a href="https://www.feefo.com/uk/business/resources/customer-experience/how-to-improve-your-brands-customer-experience" target="_self">customer experiences</a>. Get in touch with our team today to find out what we can do for you.<span></span><span></span><span></span></p>