You Can’t Win If You Don’t Know What Review Game Is Being Played

Review software is a game-changer, but it can also turn into a hot mess faster than you can say “user error.” Hundreds of companies now offer the ability to send review requests. They offer an array of features and price points. When it comes to the real differences between these systems, unintended consequences may be what separates the winners from the losers.

Full disclosure, our company designs and provides world-class review software, but what sets us apart is the other half of our business. We train companies on how to use all review systems more effectively. Many review systems now have industry-specific features; no single system works for everyone. However, while there is no one best review system for everyone, there is one best method for getting great, well-written Google reviews.  It’s that method and how the review industry works that I would like to share—a peak behind the curtain of the review industry for business owners that want to make sense of what they’re actually getting for their money.

This blog series examines the”obvious” and “not-so-obvious” issues we have discovered as we talked to thousands of owners, managers, and their staff. Also included are some of the most frequently asked questions from the last 12 years. It will give you an insider’s view of the review software industry.

Let’s start with the most common “feature” request we receive:

“Can we just automate the whole process?”

Setting up software that sends unsolicited review requests out automatically appears, on the surface, to be the easiest way to accomplish a necessary and often unpopular task. Click a button at the end of the day, and you get Google reviews by morning. That’s the promise. But are you getting more than you bargained for?

Like most things that sound too good to be true, the actual results of trying to get reviews with this method demand rigorous examination. What unintended consequences are you willing to risk? 

Unbelievably low response rates!

According to some studies, response rates to unsolicited consumer review requests can be as low as 1% to 3%. It’s not an exact science, and some industries have higher rates than others. Let’s face it, who wants their doctor, CPA, or favorite restaurant irritated with them?

These are dismal rates, and this method requires a vast number of customer requests to push the needle on your web reputation. So consider how many customers you see. Does sending up to 100 review requests to get just two or three reviews burn through a lot of your customers and a lot of the potential for you to get great reviews and referrals? The smaller your client base, the more critical each review request you send becomes.

The customer service-based review method that we teach scores much higher response rates. We frequently see companies with customer review response rates at 60% and higher—a colossal difference that doesn’t require any particular review system. 

Even more disturbing, some research suggests unsolicited reviews may be more likely to be star ratings without written feedback when Google’s review guidelines specifically state that reviews should provide “useful, constructive feedback” that helps other users make informed decisions. 

As I’ve watched and responded to the review industry over the last 11 years, I’ve found that unsolicited online reviews are shorter and less detailed than solicited reviews and are more likely to consist of star-only ratings. This may be because unsolicited reviewers are less motivated to provide detailed feedback and may be more likely to give a quick rating without additional comments.

I’ve often wondered if star-only ratings are the customers’ way of saying, “I may like you, but I don’t want you texting or emailing me without asking first.”

Google’s search algorithm considers many factors when determining search rankings, including the quantity, quality, and relevance of reviews. Google’s algorithm prioritizes high-quality, informative reviews over star ratings alone, and star-only reviews are also considered sketchy by potential customers. Having too many star-only ratings is like having too many cats. It’s cute at first, but then it becomes overwhelming and a little bit weird. You can easily see how important it is to minimize the number you have.

If you see too many stars-only reviews and would like to talk to a pro, please give us a call.

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After sending millions of review requests via text and email, we’ve made some very interesting discoveries about the businesses that have gathered hundreds and even thousands of Google reviews and referrals through the Five Star Review System. Here are the 8 most important things you can do to get reviews and referrals for your business.

Ask a lot of customers to write reviews and ask at the peak of their happiness

Make sure that the person who asks for the review is likable and confident

Ask for reviews on Google specifically…and explain why you’re asking

Let customers know that you’re looking forward to reading their comments

ALWAYS send the review request by email…and sometimes by text too

When you send a request by text, your customer will immediately get your text message. Unfortunately, even though almost everyone will open your text message right away, they’ll probably not be in a position to write a review…and many customers will not remember to come back to your text when they have the time to respond. This is why we call texting One-And-Done. You usually get only one shot at a review when you send a request via text only.

When you send a request by email, you immediately have a huge advantage. The vast majority of your customers will get your email just as quickly on their phones, and they’ll also be able to open it on their computers, where it’s even easier to write a review.

However, as with a text message, not everyone will be in a position to write a review as soon as they open your email. But there’s one big, review-getting difference when you send your request by email (or email and text) and your customer does not respond immediately. The system will send them an email reminder which generates 30% more reviews.

The reminder is not sent when you send a request by text only and that will reduce your Google reviews by 30%. This is a BIG deal.

Never assume that it’s OK to text everyone. Some customers consider texting private and will view unsolicited texts as pushy or intrusive.

The second reason to send your request by email has to do with your flyer. To take advantage of this wonderful referral tool, you must send your review request by email (or email and text). The system does not send marketing materials to your customers by text as that is still considered bad form. Your customer will only receive your digital flyer, to share it with family and friends, if you email the request.

To get the most Google reviews and referrals, ALWAYS send your request by email and include a text request only if your customer does not have an email address or if he/she indicates that they want it by text too.

Send requests while your customer is with you

The people getting the most “Referrals” ask for them

Call customers immediately to thank them for writing a review

The Psychology of a Google Review Request

If you want to see and hear how the businesses with the most Google reviews and referrals are asking their customers to write a review and refer them to their friends, click on the link below. This script has been tested and proven to generate the most Google reviews and referrals and it will give you insight into the psychology of an effective review request.

How To Ask For A Google Review Script

Now that Google no longer allows “gating,” (sending only happy customers to your Google review site) here’s a review strategy you might want to consider when asking customers to write a review for your business.

The average review rating for all of our subscribers after the first two days was 97.4% and that number is just going to get better as everyone pays more attention to the entire customer service/review effectiveness process.

92% 5-star reviews
4% 4-star reviews
2% 3-star reviews
2% 1-star reviews

The key to getting outstanding results when it comes to getting both reviews and referrals with the Five Star Review System still includes:

1) Providing exceptional service and fixing problems as soon as they arise.

2) Verbally asking all of your customers if they will write a review and/or refer you to their family and friends when they are at the peak of their happiness.

It’s foolish to randomly send an automated review or referral request to a customer without asking. It is also counterproductive to ask for a review in the middle of a transaction, before your customer has fully experienced your service or before you’ve had an opportunity to identify and address their concerns? Ask everyone to write a review, but wait until they’ve fully experienced your service.

3) The single most important thing you can do to get your customers to write a review and refer you to their family and friends is to send them your review/referral request while they’re with you. Not two seconds or two hours after they leave your presence. This one thing will increase your reviews by 400%.

Remember you’re not asking your customers to write the review while they’re with you. That’s pushy and may make your customers feel uncomfortable. You’re just sending them the review request while they’re with you.

If you provide great service, not having a gating feature is of no consequence. So ask all of your customers to review you after they’ve fully experienced your amazing service.

This script (in blue) has been tested and proven to be the most effective way to generate Google reviews and referrals with the Five Star Review System. It’s short and easy to remember. Don’t try to memorize the script word for word. Just take a moment to understand the flow and reasoning behind your request and then make it your own.

The audio recording will help you understand the psychology of a review request and give you the tools you need to get outstanding results.

Note: The example used in this audio was for the medical industry. You can adapt the principles taught to your industry by simply substituting “Customer” or “Client” for “Patient”.

Script

At this point, you’ll walk your customer over to your computer, iPad or mobile phone and fill out the Review Request Form in front of them. If your customer is not engaged with you when you fill out the form, they are much less likely to write a review. Sending the request while your customer is with you will increase the number of Google reviews you’ll receive by 400%. It’s the single most important thing you can do to get Google reviews.

Save Time

You can save time by filling out as much of the information as possible before you ask your customer to write a review. This can include their First Name, Last Name and Email Address.

Once you get their email address, you have the option of sending your customer the request by text also. Do not send the request by text unless your customer gives you verbal permission to do so. You always want to send an email or an email and a text but only when the customer indicates that they would like it sent by text too.

The least effective way to get Google reviews is to send the request by text message only. (The audio above explains why that’s the case.)

If they say “yes,” go ahead and add their text number to the Request Review form. If you don’t ask or if they say “no,” do not send them a text message. Sending a text review request when your customer has not given you permission to do so will hurt your ability to get Google reviews and upset some of your customers.

At this point, you have an opportunity to generate referrals from the Coupon/Flyer/Thank you/Redirect feature. If you feel your customer is a good referral source, you can ask them the following question and then select the appropriate coupon or flyer from the form field.

Depending on their answer you will either select the default “thank you message” or the appropriate coupon or flyer from the drop down menu. Then you will click on the Submit Request button and send them the request while they are watching. It’s that easy.

Note: If you don’t ask or if they say “no” to your request, do not send the flyer. It will be considered spam and your customer will not share it.

The entire process should not take more than 2 minutes when you first start using the system and once you’re familiar with it, you’ll be able to accomplish this task in less than a minute.

My Strong Recommendation:

If you’ve not listened to the audio yet, please do so now. It will explain WHY verbally asking for a review and engaging with your customer when you send the review request is so effective and important to your success.

And finally, if you liked the article and you think your friends can benefit from it, will you please share it on one of the social networking sites below? Thank you.