When you start a business, one of the easiest ways to understand how it is being perceived is through customer reviews. Reviews are available on multiple forums, and most are quickly to share their insider opinions. Part of being a business owner includes the ability to be able to adapt, so this can always be a good starting part to investigate where you may need to change.
That said, and in the realm of reviews, I will share two important facts.
For every acceptable review you get (good or bad), expect to get two biased ones. It is your job as the owner and future of the business to be able to figure out which reviews should be worked on, and which were a person who took their bad day out of on you. Most business owners take reviews personally, and it must be understood that not every critical review was made with the best intention.
Let review some examples from a company I know:
Here is a customer, new patron of a store possibly, who gives a review stating he had a great product yesterday, but because he did not clearly understand hours, wants to post a 0-star review. My first question is why didn’t he post a 5 star review the day before, when he praised the product? My next question is, why did he assume business hours earlier than posted? Every store had the right to make their own hours, and there is no set opening time dictated by state or localities on a mandatory opening time, so understand your business's hours. The review is clearly out of anger, and frankly anger from ignorance, as hours are posted publicly in many places.
“A bad review may spoil your breakfast, but you shouldn’t allow it to spoil your lunch.”
-Kingsley Amis
Here is another review, involving pricing. I will advise any business owner to understand cost accounting before starting a business, but I can assure you if prices are determined, and in line with market, there is a fair reason. Costs are up everywhere, so why consumers would expect pricing to stay the same throughout a year with overhead and raw materials prices increasing, is baffling and somewhat shocking to grasp. Price increases, especially in smaller mom and pop establishments, are more likely to keep the business open and covering expenses over anything else.
My point about reviews to always remember, though you will have bad ones, there are a lot of people coming into your business, daily or weekly, that appreciate you and have never left a good one. Their constant showing up is your review, and that is honestly the best review/compliment you can get.
I hear a lot from other businesses about how upset they get from reviews, but I think it’s important to step back and really consider the source. How valid is it, who left it, is it a review from someone who came here 100 times happy then on visit 101 something went wrong? Reviews are ways to be keyboard warriors, a trend still growing in today’s economy and making it harder to fully fix issues people may have with your business.
If I was going to leave you with advice in regards to reviews it would be something I heard years ago…If you do not get any bad reviews, your business has not taken very many risks…and I took that to heart.
As you continue on, best of luck in your review endeavors. If you are leaving one, please be considerate with it, if you are an owner trying to accept one, please remember when you started, you probably had more doubters than fans and look at you now.
xoxo,
Kelley
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