Over the last 10 years our system, feedbackworks, has captured hundreds of thousands of small business customer comments*. In reviewing this data I have discovered some interesting tidbits I believe to be of value to small businesses.
1 - An overwhelming majority of customers provide positive reviews.
Over 91% of respondents rated the companies with an 8, 9, or 10.
Good news is a confirmation you, and your team, are doing some great things. Share this info with your team, they deserve to hear it from you and it will increase their desire to invite customers to respond.
2- Happy customers send referrals.
33% of submitters sent an average 1.6 referrals.
One business owner commented he didn’t see the value in receiving all of these “happy” reviews. Think of it, these customers are willing to go online and say good things about you. If given the opportunity they will send referrals. They will also be more likely to leave positive reviews on google, yelp, etc..
3- Happy customers opt-in to your email list
45% of all respondents opted-in to the email list.
These customers love you and will be more likely to respond positively to your emails. Remember that all relationships need meaningful communication, that includes your emails.
4- There are very few unhappy customers, however they are passionate and priceless.
.55% gave a rating of zero and only 5.2% gave a rating of 6 or below.
These reviews are a real goldmine. First, someone is willing to tell you what went wrong, that is priceless.
Next, they are secretly hoping someone will see their comments and fix things. When you do, they will most likely tell people how you made up for your mistakes and will purchase again.
Finally, these reviews are great for your team as well. They can discount what you tell them, but when the customer tells them they believe it. [See: 3 ways to turn Bad News into Good News]
Those that accept the invitation to review you are all of great value, whether they are happy or not. If you don’t invite feedback from your customers, know who your customers are or how to contact them, you are missing out on some powerful tools to help you be successful.
*These customer responses come as a result of an invitation from the business owner. These invitations often take the form of a business card, receipt, QR code, poster, or an installed tablet. Therefore, these responses are not a valid statistical sample of the particular small business customer population rather they reflect a self selected group that took the time to provide feedback. I think these are exactly the people small businesses should be interested in.
