LANDSCAPE & GARDENING
Business Clinic
MARKETING
THE GUILD OF MASTER CRAFTSMEN provides the public with skilled, local tradesmen you can trust.
If you see the Guild emblem you can be sure that you will be working with a trusted tradesman who is highly skilled, reliable and accountable.
01273 478449 |
theguild@gmcgroup.com
Why customer feedback matters
I’M sure you will aready be aware that for a business to thrive, it’s essential for it to move with the times. Understanding why customer feedback matters is crucial in today's digital market- place. Just consider the fates of retail giants such as BHS, House of Fraser and Mothercare in re- cent years – not quick enough on their toes to compete with online stores, they have simply vanished from the high street.
And it’s not just about where someone chooses to spend their hard-earned money. In the digital age, the customer truly is king (or queen). This shift has come about through the ‘voice’ they have been given through social media chan- nels. Online reviews and feedback are today’s version of old-school word-of-mouth recommendations, and although the medium of com- munication may have changed, they are still the very lifeblood of small businesses like yours.
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So if you haven’t started fully en- gaging with the customer feedback facility on your Find a Craftsman profile, here are some compelling reasons why you should…
The figures speak for themselves Online reviews and ratings of busi- nesses on sites like Yelp, Facebook, Google and TripAdvisor have the power to shape customer be- haviour. According to research by conversion optimisation specialists
invespcro.com, 90% of customers read online reviews before visiting a business. Not only that, but 88% of your potential customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Further, 32% of those quizzed read between 4–6 reviews before making up their mind about the company.
Taking the rough with the smooth OK, the same research found that if a business has negative reviews, 86% of people will hesitate about buying from them (or in your case,
hiring them). But while it’s tempting to think you’d be better off without any feedback in that case, custom- ers will take an even dimmer view of your company if they can’t rate the service they’ve just received.
And the key word here is hesitate. You’ve not lost the lead entirely, they’re just weighing up their op- tions. There’s room to turn things around. Also, in the digital arena, everyone fully expects to be able to give their opinion on absolutely everything – from the movie they’ve just watched to the pair of gardening secateurs that has just arrived from Amazon. So it arouses suspicion if the option isn’t there.
Troubleshooting with grace If someone has a valid reason to complain, the way you handle the communication – whether on the profile section or some other digital forum – can be turned to your advan- tage. Think about it: being defensive isn’t going to help sort the situation
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