5 Ways to Collect More Reviews

When it comes to ways to collect more reviews, we've got you covered. As South Africa's most trusted online review platform, we've helped many businesses take control of their online reputation, build social proof, and make it easier for customers to find them online.

How to collect more reviews 

Whether you're already actively collecting reviews or not, these five tips will help you understand how you can collect more reviews for your business. Here are five ways to help you ramp up your review collection. 

1. Mix it up with various review invite methods

These days, your customers are often on multiple channels, platforms and spaces, depending on factors such as geographic location, technical know-how, demographics and personal preference. So, to ensure you maximise your success rate, start offering as many avenues to write reviews as possible. Here are some of our favourite ways to ask customers for reviews.

• QR codes 

Customers can easily scan and leave their reviews. For example, you can add this QR code to your restaurant's menu or on in-store posters. If you have a service business like a hair salon, you can also print this QR code on your business cards. Get creative and smart with how you use your QR codes — your options are endless!

• WhatsApp Chatbot 

To make review collection super easy, we've created our WhatsApp Chatbot. This means customers can write reviews as easily as they message their friends and family from their phones and on the go. You can read more about this awesome feature in our blog here. 

• Email review invites

Soon after your customer's experience with your business, send them an email using our Hellopeter Business feature, asking them to review your business. They don't even have to exit their inbox to submit their review! 

• SMS review invites 

On your Hellopeter Business portal, you can send your customers an SMS to ask them to review you while your brand is still top of mind. 

• Facebook review collection tab

Using our Facebook integration, you can add a Call to Action button to your Facebook page to ask for more reviews.

• Review share link

With Hellopeter Business, you get access to a review share link that you can then embed into your customer service emails and social media profiles. This link will take them straight to our website, where they can write their review. 

Hellopeter's solutions are all automated and professionally designed to add value to your offerings. No prior technical or design skills are necessary. If you can send an email, you can use Hellopeter Business! Check out more information about our different review collection methods here.

2. Show off reviews to get more 

By showing off other reviews by previous customers, you show that you care about feedback. Here are some ways that you can show off your reviews to help encourage more customers to write reviews.

• Landing page

Create a dedicated landing page on your website, such as a testimonials or customer feedback page with a bold call-to-action asking for reviews. 

• Embedded reviews

Using our Hellopeter Business tools, you can embed your Hellopeter, Facebook and Google reviews on your website using widgets. This will encourage other customers to leave reviews.

• Social media ads

With Hellopeter Business, you can design social media ads featuring your best reviews. No design skills needed! This will remind customers who are following you to leave you a review.

3. Wow your customer every time

The best way to get more reviews is to step up your game, encouraging customers to publicly sing their praises!

Invest in the training and up-skilling your service staff needs to provide the high-end care and attention your customers deserve. Remember that upskilling and training costs are relatively minimal, but the knowledge gained lasts a lifetime and can completely change how customers view your business.

4. Keep it simple for customers 

Your customers are busy individuals, and they're doing you a favour by writing a review. Therefore, you should make sure your review collection, reply and follow-up protocols are designed with the customer in mind. Keep the review journey simple, short, unobtrusive and to the point.

While you may be tempted to upsell or further try to extract value from your reviewers, make sure you split-test any additional communications or 'asks' to ensure that you're not turning potential reviewers off.

Remember that reviews are much like purchases. If a customer has to jump through a bunch of hoops to share their opinion, you've already lost them.

Thanks to our Hellopeter Business Google and Facebook integration feature, you can now manage all your reviews in one inbox. 

5. Reply to (all) your reviews

The best way to attract reviews and grow your feedback loop is by simply replying to all your reviews timeously and intentionally. 

The value-exchange inherent in an online review community is that the customer takes the time to give the business free, valuable feedback. On the other hand, they expect the business to respond.

'Listening' simply isn't enough. Consumers want to feel valued and that their issues and feelings matter. Make sure you have a plan of response. Ask yourself what your business's goal is when responding to reviews. To solve an issue? To be seen as responsive and responsible? To avoid bad reviews or to attract positive ones? All the above?

Then, craft well-written responses that speak to the issue at hand and your business's goals. Remember that your responses are public. This means they are an invaluable opportunity to demonstrate to the world just how amazing your customer service and success efforts are, attracting even more business!

Okay, but how many reviews should my business aim for?

While there's no hard and fast rule about how many reviews your business should aim for, it's generally agreed that businesses should target more than 20 reviews per key product or service. 

According to Smart Insights, "Going from 25 to 50 reviews bumps up conversion by up to 18%," which could lead to thousands of additional conversions. This, of course, means that 'volume' should drive your review collection strategy, with your business aiming to source reviews from as many customers as possible.

Should I be worried about bad reviews?

While no one enjoys criticism, your bad reviews can be even more valuable than good ones.

Your bad reviews are an opportunity to demonstrate to potential and future customers that you are ready, willing and able to swiftly make amends on the rare occasion that you do drop the ball. This type of public customer interaction is invaluable in building Social Proof and is key to a loyal consumer and review base.

Furthermore, bad reviews are your most valuable source of product and system feedback, directly from the horse's mouth. Many large businesses pay a fortune to tap into what their customers say about them. However, actively managing your Hellopeter profile achieves the same for much less!

Join Hellopeter Business today 

According to Forbes, up to 87% of consumers use online reviews to evaluate local businesses. For the South African retail space, this means that your small business is being scrutinised closely and talked about more than ever before.

So, take control of the conversation by registering your small business with Hellopeter.com for FREE today.