Far too often small business believe that no negative reviews means all is good, but sometimes they may not know where to look for reviews. Many small business owners believe that not being given any reviews can only mean that your company is doing every right, but they would be wrong.
Believing the they have never had an unhappy customer, many business owners and managers will make the mistake of not taking customer reviews seriously. They do not realize that customer reviews are a great way to find problems or correctable errors within their company or with their product.
With the information age comes review boards, websites and other places for customers to register or write their complaints, rather than sending their reviews or complaints directly to the company at their website or office space. Small businesses should be diligent and seek out both negative and positive reviews about the company or its products. When a negative review is posted, it needs to be addressed and responded to quickly.
A negative review can actually be turned into a positive story for a company or its products. An unsatisfied customers can let a small business know exactly where that business needs to improve, and what they can do to correct any potential mistakes or flaws. In turn as the business corrects the problem or flaw, the can spin the correction or product improvement into a good customer service story. Showing other potential customers that a business has made improvements or corrections, shows that the business cares about their customers concerns.
Similarly, many customers who take the time to complain via review, are the most open to the possibility of continuing a business relationship. This is especially true knowing that their specific concerns have been addressed and the business is actively working on a solution.
Customer reviews can also allow a business to outsource their creative productivity to the very people they are going after as customers, meaning new business or products ideas can be generated directly by the consumers of their products or services through customer reviews.
