The four biggest myths about customer reviews on the web

Customer ratings are still not taken seriously enough by companies.It doesn't matter if we are looking for a good restaurant with a great Sunday brunch in our neighborhood or if we are urgently looking for an insurance broker or lawyer who can give us competent advice. 72 percent (Bitkom Research) of all consumers are guided in their consumer decisions by reviews on the Internet. Nevertheless, many companies have not yet taken advantage of their customers' feedback. One reason for this is the prejudices that many people have about opinions on the Internet. Provenexpert.com lists the biggest myths of online customer reviews.Myth 1: Customer reviews come naturallyMany business owners are of the opinion that customer reviews on the Internet accumulate all by themselves over time. However, this does not quite correspond to reality. In fact, every service provider must invest some effort and actively solicit customer feedback. Because every consumer knows it from everyday life: we often simply lack the time and energy to evaluate a service on the Internet, even if we were particularly satisfied with it. But if companies and service providers actively ask their customers for feedback, they can not only increase the number of reviews they collect, but by actively collecting reviews, they are also 20-30 percent more likely to be positive on average. It is therefore worthwhile approaching customers and asking them for their opinions. It should be made as easy as possible for them to provide feedback that is as relevant as possible. Companies should, for example, use rating platforms where customers do not have to go through the hassle of registering and where they can work with individual questionnaires.Myth 2: Ratings on the web mean loss of control Another reason why many companies shy away from registering on a rating platform or even actively collecting customer opinions is the great fear that information can quickly take on a life of its own on the web. If, for example, a customer is dissatisfied with a service or has even received a faulty product, then this customer can of course vent about this on the Internet in the context of a rating that is visible to everyone. In this case, companies are well advised to respond quickly to criticism, to be reasonable, and to make it clear to the dissatisfied customer that they are making every effort to resolve the problem. This also signals to potential new customers that the feedback from their buyers is taken seriously. If you react appropriately to negative feedback, then you as a provider also retain control over the image that customers convey about you on the web.Myth 3: The danger of bad reviews In connection with the previous point is the great fear of bad reviews. But this too is unfounded if the service is good. In an analysis of 1,080,000 reviews submitted on ProvenExpert.com, the average rating was 4.68 out of five stars. The majority of consumers therefore give positive ratings. A full 96.4 percent have recommended services or products to others and 68.5 percent even took the time to complete their own star rating with a personal experience report. It is also worth noting that even occasional negative ratings generally have a positive effect: Because if a rating profile has exclusively positive ratings, this can quickly appear untrustworthy. Finally, there are now business models that specialize in prettifying or buying ratings for companies. 95 percent of consumers suspect manipulation if a provider is rated exclusively with the top score. Fittingly provenThe study shows that products with an average rating of 4.5 stars sell three times better than products with an average rating of five stars.Myth 4: Evaluation marketing is expensive and time-consumingTime and costs are important decision criteria for every company. Even if many recognize the potential of ratings on the web, they shy away from becoming active in this field. But successful rating marketing no longer requires a large investment of time. Some rating platforms, for example, offer the option of bundling ratings from various other portals, which you as a provider may already have accumulated, into a profile and rating seal. This saves a lot of time because you can see at a glance if a rating has been submitted somewhere on the web and can react quickly to it if necessary. At the same time, this bundling also makes it much easier for consumers to get a picture of companies or service providers. In terms of cost, many rating platforms also offer free profiles. But if, for example, you want to collect feedback from customers with an individual questionnaire, then it is definitely worth spending a little money.With the help of online ratings, companies can enter into dialog with their customers and improve themselves further. The responsible consumer has the right to give feedback at any time and thus actively help shape offers. In addition, this not only strengthens the bond with existing customers, but reviews also increase visibility on the web. They have a positive influence on the Google ranking and are possibly the most credible acquisition tool. Compared to traditional advertising, which is increasingly ignored by consumers and thus less and less effective, online customer opinions are more authentic and long-lasting, and thus play an increasingly important role in the customer journey.