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Five Ways to Get Your Customers to Post Positive Online Reviews

Posted: 29 Nov 2019 06:00 AM PST

  • The best way to get your customers to post positive online reviews about your company is to require your employees to ask for them. 

An online review is when a company allows customers to post user-generated reviews of their products and customer service right on the company's web page, or in some cases the company's social media pages, such as Facebook. There are dedicated review sites like the popular Yelp and Angie's List, who are not affiliated with a specific company and invite posters to evaluate their purchases and experiences with a wide variety of businesses. Those sites help potential customers decide which companies to hire aren't the only benefit your business will reap once your employees start asking for them. Those same employees are going to step up their service.

Require employees to ask for online reviews of your services

Consider this story about a cable technician who arrived an hour and a half late to the home of a customer to hook up a couple of new, wide-screen TVs. The tech did not call the homeowner with a heads-up about his schedule, and when he finally arrived, he acted like he was doing the man a favor. He was unfriendly and barely spoke to the man. He didn't have all of the tools he needed for the job. And his work was so unacceptable that the customer actually called the cable company to request that a different tech be sent to his home to finish the job.

Fast-forward two years and the homeowner had moved to a different house. Again, he had two big TVs to hook up, so he called the cable company. And the very same tech showed up; on-time, with a smile on his face. This time he was friendly, talkative and efficient. He did great work and he asked the customer what else he could do for him.

Then, as he walked to the door to leave, the tech asked the man if he would be willing to post an online review rating the tech's service that day. He said his manager had started considering positive customer feedback when doing employee performance evaluations and awarding bonuses.

In fact, the company had made it a policy to require every tech to ask every customer to post online reviews. The techs had cards to hand to customers that identified the techs by name and included the websites where the homeowners could post their reviews. What a difference that policy made.

That surly tech learned quickly that good customer service translates into good reviews and that late arrivals, rude behavior, sloppy work and a careless attitude result in bad ones.

In this tech's case, good reviews equal more money for him. So he did everything he could – the second time around, after the policy took root – to make sure that customer posted a positive review.

Why are online reviews important?

Online reviews are important because so many customers rely on them to help them decide what to buy and where to buy it. Managers know bad reviews are bad for business. Even if employees know that, too, they might not care – unless the reviews they get affect their wallets.

Good reviews, on the other hand, are good for business. They can boost business and solidify a company's online reputation. A lack of reviews doesn't do anything to help a business recruit additional clients.

SMB (small- and medium-size business) owners who want to bolster their book of business are finding ways to get their customers to post about good experiences on business sites like Facebook, Google and TripAdvisor because they know reviewer ratings and recommendations are convincing – even if they are not always trustworthy.

In fact, a Local Search and Online Reviews Survey found that 57.7% of consumers who search those sites looking for recommendations wind up making a purchase based on the reviews. More than half of consumers in the survey said they often or always read online reviews before they decide where to buy. More than 62% said they believe online reviews are important.

They are important, but not only for those consumers. They are important to every business that offers products or services for sale.

How to get customers on board with writing a positive online review

Here are five ways SMBs can get their customers to write positive online reviews:

1. Get buy-in from employees.

Some of them might not believe they have a stake in whether the business does well or poorly; they get their paychecks either way. Explain why online reviews are important for the survival of the business – and for the stability of their employees' jobs.

Employees who understand why the work they do is important to the company's owners, to the customers of the business and to the community often become more invested in doing a good job and helping their employers succeed.

Sweeten the pot with bonuses for good reviews, and that investment increases. Tie the success of the business to some sort of reward for the employees who pitch in.

One hitch: Well-paid employees might decide the bonuses they might get for getting their customers to post reviews are not worth the effort. So take the reward a step further than a monetary bonus: Like the cable company, tie positive reviews to employees' performance evaluations.

2. Mandate employees of all ranks ask for online reviews.

If asking customers to post positive online reviews is optional, many employees will skip that step. Require them to ask and to prove that they did by having the customer sign a card verifying it.

Don't restrict the mandate to only some employees. Require it across the board for any public-facing worker – including executives. If bosses aren't required to ask for reviews, lower-ranking employees will notice that and mimic the behavior.

Showcase the positive reviews at staff meetings. Show employees the nice things customers said about them – and about the executives and managers.

3. Tirelessly train for better customer service.

Good customer service is a learned behavior. Some employees are naturally friendly and helpful, and some simply are not. Teach employees how to dress, what to say, how to behave and, especially, how to do excellent work. Then, train them again every six months.

A happy customer is usually happy to post a favorable Yelp review. The problem is, an unhappy customer is doubly happy to post a hateful one. And as much as good reviews help bring in business, bad ones are equally successful at driving it away.

In fact, a survey by digital marketing company Go Fish Local revealed that even a single negative online review scare aware up to 22% of customers who are considering buying a product. Four or more can cost a business 70% of potential customers.

4. Make sales second nature for all employees.

A cable technician is a salesperson, even if his job title and position description don't mention "sales." A cashier is a salesperson. A delivery driver is a salesperson. Every job is a sales job, especially for those who interact with customers and potential customers.

Not every employee knows that, and most don't believe it. Most non-sales employees would rather do anything but sell. Still, employee behavior, attitude, competence and helpfulness are sales tools. They're what keep customers coming back for more.

5. Generate gratitude.

It used to be that customers could expect to hear a "thank you" from a service technician, a cashier or anyone else they paid money to. Thank you is not a given anymore, but it should be.

Everyone wants to feel appreciated. A customer who agrees to pay for a service or a product is, quite literally, doing a favor for the company that provided it. Train employees not only to say "thank you" but to mean it.

Customers who feel appreciated for what they do for your company are far more likely to return the favor with a positive online review than those who have to wonder, "When did 'thank you' become optional?"

Surviving Open Enrollment: A 4-Step Health Insurance Guide for Small Businesses

Posted: 29 Nov 2019 05:00 AM PST

  • Open enrollment is a few week period at the end of the year when employees can choose, drop or change their employer-sponsored health care coverage.
  • Small businesses with fewer than 50 full-time employees aren't necessarily required to pay into group health insurance premiums.
  • Small businesses that do offer plans through the Small Business Health Options Program enjoy the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit.

As far as fall rituals go, the health insurance "open enrollment" period is right up there with raking wet leaves and paying property taxes. If this isn't your first time around the block as a business, you already know that earlier is better when it's time to get the word out and meet what always turns out to be a rocket speed-approaching deadline.

Here are the basics for 2019 and what small business owner's need to know.

Do small businesses have to offer health coverage?

Not always. If you're a business with fewer than 50 full-time employees, you aren't required to pay a percentage of group health insurance premiums – but many small organizations opt to do it to stay competitive.

Things have changed with the Affordable Care Act: A mandate fining individuals without health insurance was removed in 2019. But the ACA still requires employers with 50 or more full-time employees to offer health insurance coverage. Regardless, it's still a good idea to offer a plan given the tough climate for finding and retaining good workers.

An added bonus to offering coverage is that small companies who sign up for plans through the Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP), can take advantage of the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit. If all criteria are met, this tax credit is worth up to 50% of the costs a company pays for employee premiums, according to the healthcare.gov website.

Because the SHOP program is not available in all areas, many small businesses obtain plans through an insurance company, broker or online seller.

Employers with businesses of certain sized must offer affordable, minimum essential coverage to their full-time employees or potentially face the employer shared responsibility penalty, according to G&A Partners, a professional provider of human resources outsourcing.

Always document the coverage offered. You can require employees to sign either an acknowledgment of benefits form for those who opt-in to coverage or a waiver of coverage form for those who opt-out or miss the deadline to enroll in employer-based benefits packages, you will create a uniform policy.

Editor's Note: Are you looking for help with your company's HR and health insurance offerings? Consider a PEO. Fill out the survey below to have PEO providers contact you with quotes and more details.

 

What is open enrollment?

Open enrollment is a short time frame – usually only a few weeks – when employees can choose, drop or change their employer-sponsored health care coverage. In the individual market, you can drop coverage at any point during the year, but this is not so for most company-based health insurance.

If the benefits begin Jan. 1, open enrollment likely takes place in November. The open enrollment window is usually anywhere from two to four weeks, but for many HR managers trying to get forms returned and questions answered, it can seem much shorter.

A four-step guide to open enrollment

Once you've got your plan in place and enrollment period established, the work doesn't end, because you should now get employees informed, onboard and signed up. Follow these four steps to get through the process. 

1. Get the word out about open enrollment as soon as possible.

Employers aren't accountable for employees who miss the open enrollment deadline, according to guidelines from the U.S. Department of Labor. But if an employee does miss out, it could become your problem in more ways than one.

Frustration, low morale and turnover is clearly something employers want to avoid. A 2018 study by insuranceQuotes.com found that 41% of Americans are unaware of when the open enrollment period occurs and what's entailed. So how do you get the word out?

  • Use face-to-face reminders.
  • Post fliers and posters in your office.
  • Send emails and make calls to get the message across that open enrollment happens for a short window of time.

Top human resources professionals recommend that companies consider using an employer benefit communication portal, brief educational videos, webinars on specific benefit topics and face to face meetings. The more engaging and interactive, the more effective your employees will find it. [Need help with your open enrollment and health insurance offerings? Consider signing up with a PEO. Check out our best picks and reviews.]

2. Keep it simple

Reading through pages and pages of insurance-related jargon is a task that will quickly make its way to the bottom of anyone's to-do list. If you want employees who are already plenty busy with their jobs and personal lives to learn about and respond to a benefits package, do the homework for them? Give them the key information in an easy-to-understand format or a live presentation that's not too bogged down in details. 

Keeping the information simple means avoiding jargon and non-vital information, providing timelines and side-by-side comparisons of packages. Give employees at least a three-week window during open enrollment, and certainly, don't hide the monthly costs in pages and pages of text. It's important to summarize and communicate the value of the company's total compensation. This is also cost-effective for the company, so they can ensure employees are utilizing their benefit plans and they are not wasting money.

Breaking down all the key information and doing the research for your employees will go a long way toward reducing procrastination and encouraging more people to sign up for a plan in a timely fashion.

3. Plan for questions

During open enrollment, it's not unusual for human resources staff to block out and reserve hours of time just to respond to employee questions about their health plans.

It's not a bad idea to hold a special luncheon or meeting to address some of the more frequently asked questions. If you've got only a handful of staff, brief one-on-one meetings to address each employee's questions and concerns will help speed the decision-making process for them.

To save time, you might also consider a Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) session at the beginning of the enrollment period. Some questions you can count on employees asking include:

  • When is the final deadline to sign up for health care?
  • What happens if I miss open enrollment? 
  • Have my premium gone up? If so, by how much?

4. Keep communication open all year.

For those who miss the deadline, there's not a whole lot that can be done unless he or she qualifies for a special enrollment period.

A special enrollment period is just what it sounds like – if you've had a life-changing event such as marriage, the birth or adoption of a child or lost other coverage, the employee should be able to meet the qualification standards. 

Experts advise holding in-person meetings with employees who miss the enrollment deadline to hear their concerns, get feedback on the process and to ensure you will let them know as soon as open enrollment comes around next year. It's also a good idea to update employees throughout the year on what's available. Doing so will ensure they know what benefits are available and have a good idea about what they're interested in and the type of plan they want to enroll in that fits them best. 

According to experts, many employees also tend to take part in large scale data dumps during annual enrollment periods. Because of this, companies should be careful to not overwhelm their employees during those three weeks, as they may not remember all the programs that are out there and available to them. Instead, it is much more effective to communicate what's available to them in terms of programs and benefits consistently and year-round so the information is engrained.
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