Online reviews have a huge impact on your search engine ranking and overall business reputation. The problem is, often even your happiest customers don’t bother to take the time to write you a review. So the answer to the question–How to ask customers for reviews–can be:

  • Always ask permission before soliciting feedback through email, text or social
  • The best time to ask is a few days after the transaction
  • Don’t be wordy or confuse them. Just get straight to the point and ask them for a review
  • Tell them how long it will take (example: only a few minutes….)
  • Encourage them to tell you exactly how they feel. Not just a general idea
  • Tell them you are grateful for the feedback and that it helps you tremendously

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How to ask customers for reviews for your business?

While there is no definitive shortcut to getting authentic reviews, here are a few tips for a successful review management strategy:

  • Ask customers to leave a review while they are still on-site. This way, your business is still top-of-mind and your request will be relevant and helpful rather than intrusive and annoying. Hint: text message requests tend to have a higher conversion rate since customers are already active on their phones.
  • Make the review process seamless. Obstacles that may seem simple, like logging into a review site and searching for a business, are enough to deter most customers from writing a review. The fewer steps involved in leaving a review, the higher the likelihood of customers doing so. So how can you eliminate these steps for your customers? That brings us to tip #3.
  • Automate everything with review management software. Birdeye online review management lets businesses automatically send SMS and email review requests to customers at critical moments, such as right after a transaction or service. From this message, customers are routed directly to third-party review sites the business has selected. This way they are gently asked to write a review. The process of leaving a review involves just a tap of a button. Birdeye simplifies and enhances the review generation process, making it easier for customers to share their experiences and provide feedback.

Make sure you also know what NOT to do when you ask customers for reviews:

  • Do not offer incentives. Offering incentives in exchange for reviews violate Google’s terms and conditions and does not help you understand how your customers actually feel about your products and services.
  • Do not publish fake reviews. Do not accept or publish reviews written by employees, friends, or anyone associated with your business either. These reviews are biased and will likely be flagged and removed by Google.
  • Do not ignore the reviews you already have. Reviews can become a powerful form of advertisement if you manage them well. Thank customers for their positive feedback, and offer support to customers who left negative reviews. This transparency prevents negative word-of-mouth from spreading and saves your online reputation by proving to existing and potential customers that you value their feedback.

Increase Google reviews – Google reviews offer social proof of your business’s ability to please your customers. Prospects and search engines put more weight than ever on third-party review sites, including Facebook and Google reviews.

How to ask customers to write a review – Here’s how: Assess your customer. You’re looking for unhappy customers who are emotionally stable. Ask for details. These customers may already be on their way out the door. Ask them to share their feedback. Send them a copy of their unedited feedback. Fix the problems they’ve mentioned.

Send personalized review request templates that address the customer by name and express gratitude for their business. Personalization can make customers feel valued and more likely to respond positively.

Of course, the most surefire way to ensure your customers leave reviews is to provide outstanding products, services, and experiences on a consistent basis. If you make your customers happy, they’ll do your marketing for you. In that case, when you ask customers for reviews, they will be happy to not only write about your service but also promote it from their end.