Online review management services matter now more than ever. Why? Because when users Google customer reviews, they trust the results that appear. Online statistics show that 93 percent of customers trust online reviews and use them to guide their purchase decisions.
But in light of those reviews, not all are created equal. Reviews hold more sway in some industries than others in driving customer decision-making. If your business belongs to one of these industries, you might want to consider the benefits of customer testimonials and start leveraging online review management services to collect customer testimonials.
This post discusses the top seven industries that are widely impacted by customer reviews and testimonials. We also delve into why customer testimonials are so crucial for these industries and why they need to collect customer testimonials to remain competitive.
But before we do, let’s go into why customer testimonials and reviews are essential for every business, regardless of industry.
Why Customer Testimonials Matter
Company reviews by customers are a powerful tool that can impact purchase decisions. With 89 percent of consumers making an effort to read reviews and 79 percent trusting those reviews as much as personal recommendations, it helps to have happy customer testimonials work for you.
Aside from offering social proof, reviews and customer testimonials on your website can benefit your business in a number of ways, including:
- Strengthening your sales pitch
- Establishing trust
- Connecting you with other customers
- Adding credibility to your business
- Creating opportunities to improve your products and services
Moreover, customer service testimonials and other reviews show that your customers are engaged with your business. According to Gallup Research, engaged customers generate 23 percent more revenue for the business than those who aren’t. For these reasons, you must learn how to ask clients for reviews to start leveraging the power of reviews for your business.
Top 5 Industries Where Reviews Are More Important Than Ever
Now that you’ve seen how advantageous happy customer testimonials can be for your business, let’s look at the different industries where customer reviews are needed the most.
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Hospitality
The hospitality industry is built around receiving and entertaining guests and is all about customer service. There are thousands of hospitality businesses in the U.S., across food, travel and tourism, recreation and lodging. All of these businesses boast the quality of their customer service to give them a competitive edge, which is why a customer service review has such a high impact on the industry.
Reliability and quality of customer service are among the top drivers of trust in the hospitality industry. Customers rely on information they get from previous customers to qualify how reliable and trustworthy a business is, which is why dozens of review sites, like TripAdvisor, Yelp and Expedia, exist.
Seventy-two percent of travelers will spend time looking for a helpful customer service review before they book their services. The top reasons why consumers lose trust in hospitality businesses include surprise fees, poor customer service and a reputation for being unreliable – all of which are ready information customers leave in a customer service review. And with customers more likely to leave reviews after a bad experience, readers will undoubtedly come across these details when they Google customer reviews.
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eCommerce
The pandemic has accelerated the growth of the eCommerce industry. According to the UN Council on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the global eCommerce industry jumped to $26.7 trillion in 2020. Over the same period, the eCommerce share of retail sales jumped from just 11 percent to 14 percent in the U.S. Experts agree that more consumers will look to the seamless purchasing options available online in the coming years, with retail eCommerce sales forecasted to grow 13.7 percent in 2021.
Despite the apparent rise in popularity of the eCommerce sector, there is still an inherent distrust in online transactions among savvy shoppers. This is why customer reviews and testimonials are crucial in eCommerce. Consumers seek out as much information as possible through company reviews by customers for reassurance about their purchase and to eliminate suspicion. Eighty-two percent of consumers say they specifically seek out negative reviews on products for this purpose. But when that search leads to positive customer service testimonials, customers will spend 31 percent more on their purchases.
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B2B Services
The modern business-to-business (B2B) landscape is as competitive as ever. Through the power of the internet and modern technology, the rollout of newer products and services seems to be at an all-time high. And with the overabundance of similar products and services, more and more companies are focusing on solving customer pain points and enhancing the user experience to gain a leg up on the competition.
The B2B buyer’s decision-making process has never been easy. It used to involve a thorough research process of sorting through search results, reading outdated reports and looking at product demos that are inherently biased. Today, all a potential customer needs to do is read through company reviews by customers to understand a product or service.
And with 90 percent of buyers more likely to make a decision after reading a trusted review, learning how to ask clients to write reviews should be a priority for any B2B business owner.
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Healthcare
Whether you’re a small practice or a large hospital system, businesses in the healthcare industry have become largely impacted by online reviews. Studies show that an overwhelming 90 percent of patients now use review websites to research medical providers. A separate PatientPop survey showed that over 70 percent of patients use the information they get from review sites to select a healthcare provider.
Many healthcare businesses today find themselves in need of a review management service. Given that an overwhelming percentage of patients now use reviews to find a healthcare provider, not many businesses know how to ask clients to write reviews. This growing trend presents an excellent opportunity for reputation management agency providers everywhere to leverage their online review management services.
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Trades
Skilled laborers and tradespeople rely on their reputation to get hired for jobs. In the past, they thrived through the recommendations of their customers. But in the age of the internet, Google customer reviews have become the new word of mouth. People rely on the internet to find the information they need to hire skilled professionals. And during their search for information, they will most likely find helpful customer reviews examples detailing everything they need to know.
Customers use the information they find through customer reviews examples as a basis for grading credibility and overall quality of service. With 84 percent of customers trusting reviews as much as a personal recommendation, tradespeople can’t afford not knowing how to ask clients for reviews.
How To Ask Clients for Reviews
Given how important reviews are for many industries, asking clients for reviews has become a necessary task every business should undertake for online reputation management. There are many ways you can do so, as shown by the different channels through which to generate customer reviews examples below.
Reach Out Via Email
Review request email campaigns are one of the most effective ways to ask clients for reviews. Studies show that as much as 70 percent of helpful customer reviews come from post-transactional review request emails. This is a great way to lend authenticity to reviews you receive, given the recency of your interaction. Most companies automate the process by using email marketing software with a client review template, usually in the form of a survey.
Place “Add a Review” Sections On Different Pages On Your Website
“Out of sight, out of mind” is an adage that talks about people forgetting things they don’t see. And when it comes to leaving reviews, they usually leave it until later to do so. In this case, you won’t let them. Displaying “Add a Review” sections on different parts of your website makes the request more visible, which in turn increases the likelihood of your customers leaving reviews.
Ask For a Review After Interacting With Your Customer
Many people consider asking for reviews in person to be an uncomfortable experience – but it doesn’t have to be. On the contrary, it can be a pleasant interaction and could increase the likelihood of your getting a review. Ask simple questions like “How did you feel about our service today?” or “Was our booking process easy for you?” If you get a positive response, follow up by asking them to share their experience online by leaving a review.
Request a Review Through SMS
Requesting a review could be as easy as sending a text. With over 92 percent of all internet users using their mobile devices to access the internet, it’s no surprise that SMS gets the highest open rates. According to research, text messages are opened 98 percent of the time. This means there’s an excellent chance that a client will click on a link to a survey or client review template sent through SMS.
Use a Review Management Service
If you don’t have the time to generate and manage your online reviews, then get a reputation management agency to do it for you. These review management service providers offer a done-for-you service that streamlines the review generation process so you can concentrate on other more critical aspects of your business.
Conclusion
While reviews and testimonials may be critical for the industries above, they certainly matter for any business regardless of industry. When done right, leveraging reviews offers a wide range of benefits and creates a positive impact on every brand’s online reputation. For this reason, and many others, businesses should prioritize review generation to gain a competitive edge online.
Do you need help generating reviews and managing your online reputation? Partner with Rize – your go-to reputation management agency. From review generation and monitoring to online reputation management and repair, Rize offers comprehensive ORM solutions to help you build a positive online presence. We do more than just serve up a client review template. We offer a personalized approach to help you find a service that fits your needs. Get in touch with us today for a free consultation.
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