Having positive reviews of your senior care franchise is just as good as traditional word-of-mouth referrals. People research everything before they decide which provider or product to go with in today’s market and reviews play a huge role in decision making. In fact, studies show that more than 80% of consumers take online reviews as seriously as personal recommendations. So, how can you go about getting more reviews for your senior care franchise in the right kinds of ways?
Ask
Simply put, asking your current satisfied customers to give you feedback works! If you have a newsletter that goes out to your current customers, add a small blurb about being appreciative of any kind of feedback. Obviously, you won’t want to highlight negative reviews, but reaching out to customers gives you the opportunity to see what’s going right and if something is going wrong and act accordingly to improve it. There are actually rules that govern asking customers for “positive reviews,” so don’t get caught in that trap. Just ask your customers to be open and honest.
Along the same line, ask your employees to provide feedback. A positive customer experience starts with happy and productive staff. Taking input from your employees can go a long way to improving process and the overall customer experience – which in turn will net you more positive reviews.
Additionally, if you’re asking for feedback you must make sure that you’re easily accessible. Whether that means setting up a special email address for your senior care franchise’s feedback or being on call, if people wanting to provide feedback can’t reach you or don’t feel like you’re listening, your plan might backfire.
Respond
Another way to improve feedback and get more reviews for your senior care franchise is to respond to all reviews – and not just the positive ones. Be sure to respond to each individual review in a unique way. Don’t copy and paste a standard reply. People also read review replies when they’re conducting research. When tackling negative reviews, be thoughtful and understanding. Even bad reviews give you the opportunity to highlight the positives of your senior care franchise and show potential customers that you’re ready and willing to address any issues. If the review is unfair or untrue, treat it the same way you would a not-so-great review and give it a reasonable response. Oftentimes, those who leave negative reviews will go back and update the review if the business handled the issue and responded well to their concerns – which turns a negative situation into a positive one!
Building your base of online reviews is key to the success of your senior care franchise in today’s world. A few simple steps can take you from relatively unknown to having a solid catalogue of feedback for people to peruse. When a customer is making a purchase decision, especially one as important as care for the elderly, online reviews can make or break their minds.