The ZMOT (Zero Moment of Truth) phase is the first step in the customer journey, where potential customers actively research a solution online. Google is usually the first port of call when searching. Users find the company's website or Facebook page and read what the company writes about itself. However, this is often not enough to convince the consumer of your offer. If you can find customer recommendations or the company itself can refer to customer reviews, Google stars and other external sources, this is much more persuasive.
“The voice of a customer carries much more weight than the voice of the company itself, and positive customer feedback is a good way to build a good online reputation in a short time.” – Martin Müller
In a Capterra survey [1] on user behavior on the comparison portal, 59% of respondents stated that reviews were critical for the decision.
You have to assume that customers only write a review of their own accord if they are dissatisfied or - and this is less common - if they have had an unexpectedly positive experience. If everything went "as expected netherlands telegram data satisfied customers rarely leave a review. For companies, this means that if you do not ensure that satisfied customers also write reviews, the overall impression of the reviews will be unnecessarily bad, even though perhaps 99% of customers are satisfied.
When building an online reputation through reviews, a distinction can be made between short-term and long-term measures. Companies that do not yet have a review strategy should initiate short-term measures as soon as possible to work on their reputation on the Internet.
Simple and quick measures to build an online reputation in the short term
Companies know their customers and should know which of them are satisfied. Companies can write directly to these customers who have a positive attitude towards the company and ask for a review. This is better than writing to all customers, because then the less satisfied customers are also included. With such a letter, companies can offer a bonus or give away prizes. Sales and marketing can be actively involved and can also contact satisfied customers by phone. Companies can distribute the best customer reviews and feedback via social media channels or quote them in an advertisement, a flyer or on their own homepage. Companies should not forget to obtain the customer's consent for this. The best way to do this is to tick a corresponding box in the digital survey.
Tip:
Timing plays a big role here. The best time is immediately or shortly after a service, when impressions are still fresh and there is still an emotional connection. Response rates are higher when contacted early in the morning, and 1-2 friendly reminders spread over several days improve the success rate by up to 60 percent .