How Connecting With Customers Can Drive More Sales

Michael Podolsky

Sales drive small businesses. We know that positive customer reviews can drive more sales. One of the most challenging aspects of building a brand for your small business online is sorting out the best ways to connect with customers – especially when they leave complaints online.

Consumer reviews are powerful things. They inspire new purchases. Online reviews provide a great opportunity to connect with customers in a meaningful way. 

If you are leading with a reactive mindset, negative reviews can feel terrible – like a crisis that must be swept under the rug. But consumer reviews – even negative ones – are a good thing. When you see reviews and complaints pop up on a reviews website, don’t panic. Rather, embrace the opportunity to interact with your customers.

The importance of authentic reviews

All reviews are important as they drive sales and build a brand online. Often, we celebrate positive reviews but forget that negative or neutral reviews are equally important. Granted, you don’t want every review to be a bad one, but negative reviews left on review sites like PissedConsumer.com can be more helpful than you’d initially realize. 

A mix of reviews shows that your site is authentic

In the modern world of Internet marketing, we are naturally cautious when it comes to new companies and brands. When every review is a glowing one online, we wonder if all those reviews are real. 

When there is a neutral or even negative review thrown in the mix, it makes us feel safer as consumers. No company is perfect, so a bad review or two helps us know that your company is real.

Reviews with concerns give you a chance to educate

A review that asks a question or expresses a concern that can be construed as a question provides a great opportunity to educate readers and would-be or current consumers. If a customer is frustrated by how something works with your product, you can take a moment to respond to the customer’s review with specific steps on how to use it more effectively. 

Leaving these instructions publicly can help other customers as well who might not mention their frustration online, but still mention it to friends and family members. 

Negative reviews provide a chance to showcase customer service

Both positive and negative reviews provide a chance for you to communicate and engage with your customers, but negative reviews in particular offer a powerful customer interaction. According to Podium.com, only 24% of businesses respond to negative reviews regularly. 

Those companies that are not interacting with negative, vocal customers are missing opportunities to turn those customers into happy, vocal ones. They are also missing a chance to showcase how well their company treats customers. 

Connect with customers

Online reviews are all about connecting with customers. After all, according to ReviewTrackers data, 53% of customers expect businesses to respond to negative reviews within a week. Most reviewers prefer an even shorter time frame.

Additionally, up to 63% of those customers have reviewed a company and never had a response at all. Customers are leaving you feedback. And they expect you to reply in kind. It’s a golden opportunity to connect.

Of course, there are many ways to connect with your customers based on the feedback they are leaving online. Responding to all your reviews is a good practice for effective customer connection. But responding to negative reviews has an even greater payoff – ReviewTrackers found that 45% of customers say they are more likely to visit a business if it responds to negative reviews. 

How to interact with online reviews

The most important thing to keep in mind is that you need to make connections with your customers through online reviews. Simply making contact is an excellent first step. But if you’re hoping to do more than a generic, automated “thank you for the review”, there are a few things to keep in mind.

• Always say thank you for their feedback.
• Use a calm, upbeat, but professional voice.
• Respond as quickly as possible – ideally within 48 hours.
• Answer any questions or concerns directly. 
• Use your initials or name to show that you are a real person.
• If possible, address the customer by name.

Showing that you’re a real human representing your company will go a long way in building brand loyalty from the customer leaving the review and the would-be customers reading it. 

The best way to respond to negative reviews

Negative reviews left by customers are handled in a slightly different way than positive ones. A negative review typically has an angry tone, and that means it is an opportunity to showcase your professionalism and your customer service skills in a public arena.

This can be intimidating, especially if you’re afraid the concern will escalate or showcase your company in a negative light. Rather than run from bad reviews, respond to them quickly and professionally with an eye on improving your brand. 

1. Respond within a day. You want to nip this problem in the bud as quickly as possible.
2. Address the customer by name to create a connection and show that you respect them as a person.
3. Introduce yourself as a representative of your company by name to show authenticity.
4. Thank the customer for bringing the concern to your attention so that you can help them resolve the issue.
5. Apologize for not meeting the needs of your customer the first time and express your desire to get it right.
6. Name the concern directly to be sure that you are communicating about the same thing.
7. If there is a solution to the issue, offer it in succinct steps or details that are easy to follow and understand.
8. If there is no solution to resolve the issue, don’t offer excuses or blame the customer. Instead, work on addressing the concern in other ways.
9. Offer the customer a refund, store credit, discount, or another perk to help offset their troubles.
10. Provide a phone number or email address for the customer to use to contact you directly to continue discussing the concern.

Once you’ve resolved the issue with the customer privately, ask if they wouldn’t mind updating their review to reflect the improved outcome. Many times, customers will leave additional notes to show that your company acted in good faith and helped to find a solution. 

In situations like this, not only have you pleased a once-angry customer, but you’ve also shown a would-be customer how responsive and helpful your company is. Having a proactive customer service outreach can be a very effective tool in enticing new customers to try your business.