5 Star Ratings Rebuttal
July 16th, 2008 • Posted by Andrea Feucht • Permalink
That may seem like a strange thing to say, but hear me out.
When YOU are looking at online reviews of a business you'd like to visit or a book you want to buy, doesn't it give you just a smidgen of doubt if every single entry is a 5-star glowing testimonial that sounds like their best friend… or their spouse… or their mother wrote it? You find a dose of comforting reality in the business that has a 4 star average — from lots of 5s but a few 4s and 3s now and then. Now you know exactly what I mean.
You might get reviews that are mixed, or less than perfect. Embrace them.
As a business any amount of feedback you get from clients is pure gold, even if it does not appear shiny at first glance.
If you know the client who left the review, give them a call and thank them for their feedback. Don't even mention the content. If you don't know the client, consider the review — are there any nuggets of truth that could be addressed? Perhaps they found the services wonderful but the wait time a little long. If you were busy that day, of course that could have happened if bookings were going over their time frames. Use the feedback to make your business better for the next client, and the next…
If the review is truly awful, the same followup procedures apply. However, if you have ample reason to believe that the review was mean spirited without substance, you can choose to suppress it in your showcase reviews in SpaBoom – just go to your Reviews Report, click on the date of the review in question, and use the checkbox "Hide this review." You are only allowed to hide a few reviews, which gives you control over the quality of what appears on your site, while also allowing for your clients to express their opinions.
Enjoy this feature, but act as if each review is a gift from your clients and you'll continue to improve.
• Trackback • Posted in Spa Business Management, SpaBoom New Features, Tutorials
The reviews are only about the process of buying instant gift certificates — so basically they are a review of SpaBoom's procedures — I don't even know why website owners would want to show them on their site — the reviews tell you nothing about the spa itself, its services, staff etc. I am completely baffled by the whole buzz about reviews.
You absolutely can collect and show off reviews about your business in general, not just the Instant Gift Certificate process — that's a feature we couldn't leave out. See the comments on my earlier post on how to implement reviews for how to view both kinds of reviews that customers leave on your site.
I do apologize for the confusion — and let me know if you have followup questions, always.
Yes, the review process is about the SpaBoom GC purchase, but… it also tells you whether the purchaser liked how you laid out your services and Gift Card Purchase. Pay attention!!! We have mostly 5 star ratings… ALL legitimate as these are from people who purchased SpaBoom. However, there are a few "not so perfect" ratings. We address those immediately by calling the client, making changes to the website, etc. Our clients also put notes in like "Thank you Liz for your help!" This was not just about the purchase, it is because Liz went the extra mile. No matter what is being rated, it is a treasure of information for you! Use it and publish it!!!
I agree at times an all 5-star rating is suspect, especially if there are just a few reviews, say less than 5. On the other hand, I have been blessed with receiving all 5 star reviews from 10 clients so far and they are all legit, not fake or made up. I get 5 star because I GIVE 5 star service to all who walk thru my doors. Of course I am the sole owner of my massage practice and thus can control the quality of the colleagues who work with me. I do have many clients tell me they selected me over the big box spas and "clinics" because my reviews were all stellar and seemed believable.