Tell Us What You Really Think
Collecting customer feedback.
Published December 2008
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BUY A REPRINTWhether they are out-of-control cranks or out-of-the-blue evangelists, customers want to have their say. And if you won't listen to them, the Internet is teeming with people who will. According to JupiterResearch, 77 percent of online shoppers turn to consumer-generated reviews when they make a purchasing decision. This trend has bred a new crop of online tools that enable an easy back-and-forth between companies and their customers. So, if you want to know how your customers feel about your company, it's easier than ever to find out. And if some of them happen to be badmouthing you, you may even have a chance to change their minds.
Best for Monitoring your rep
What it is: A directory of customer ratings and reviews of local businesses
What's cool: Yelp provides a good handle on your company's word-of-mouth buzz. Anyone can submit a review of a business, but the most crediblereviews -- or at least the ones receiving the most votes from fellow users -- rise to the top. The site is designed to sniff out and delete attack reviews from competitors as well as glowing endorsements from relatives. Sign up as the official spokesperson for your business, and you can privately respond to reviewers. You can also pay for sponsorship, which allows you to display your favorite review prominently.
Drawbacks: Yelp's automated system probably won't catch every unfair review, and the site won't take down negative reviews, even if you buy a sponsorship.
Price: About $150 per month for a sponsorship
Best for Asking for ideas
What it is: A Web-based service that collects customer suggestions
What's cool: The site allows customers to post ideas and rate the ideas of others. Employees can rate the suggestions internally with a built-in scorecard and correspond privately with those making suggestions. You can also automatically notify customers when an idea has been implemented. The service offers a widget you can add to your corporate website to direct customers to your suggestion box.
Drawback: Just because a lot of customers support a certain suggestion doesn't mean it's something you will want -- or be able -- to implement. Some customers may not understand that.
Price: $49.95 per month for one user, plus $9.95 per month for each additional user
Best for Resolving disputes
What it is: A suite of customer feedback tools, including reviews, satisfaction surveys, and e-mail marketing software
What's cool: RatePoint allows you to add to your online store customer-generated reviews like those found on Amazon.com (NASDAQ:AMZN), but with a difference: You can reach out to users to resolve an issue before a negative rating is made public. RatePoint verifies e-mail addresses or telephone numbers to ensure that submitted reviews are valid, and you can use that information to build marketing lists or solicit other feedback from customers.
