In a recent article from Econsultancy: Bad reviews improve conversion by 67%, which referred to a study undertaken by Reevoo (a provider of impartial product reviews, ratings and price comparison) called Bad Reviews are Good for Business, they found that “68% of consumers trust reviews more when they see both good and bad scores” and if customers don’t see ‘poor’ reviews “30% suspect censorship or faked reviews”. To add extra power to this, when prospective customers actually read bad reviews they 67% more likely to convert into a real customer than the average prospect.
How does this work? Well, if we think about it from the customers perspective it’s all to do with thinking about what could go wrong and minimising risk, something I wrote about in my last post: Sometimes great customer service only needs to be easy and familiar.
So, why given this compelling data, do not more companies look for and publish bad reviews or feedback?
From my perspective, I think it is because not many people like criticism and most people are afraid of it, especially if it is emotionally charged and not necessarily constructive. However, if you are brave enough to look for it and really listen to it then it can offer perspective and incredible insight into how you, we, our businesses have not met expectations and where we can improve.
It was Alexander Pope that said:
“To err is human; to forgive, divine.”
Therefore, bad reviews can be signs that we are human but it can also give us the opportunity to show how we respond in the event something does go wrong.
For me, that’s one of the most important opportunities that we have in life and in business.
I think that we must accept that we will make mistakes. But, the most important thing is how we respond to those mistakes to fix them. Check out: Wow! Customer Service: How to lose or win a client for life in 3 easy steps for two contrasting responses to responding to a bad experience/review.
