How Customer Reviews Are Reshaping Customer Experience and What It Means for Businesses
While positive reviews are undeniably important, recent Capterra research reveals a surprising twist: a significant majority of customers (61%) actually place greater emphasis on negative feedback when making purchasing decisions.
This insight underscores a crucial truth for any business leader: building trust and enhancing the customer experience requires a balanced approach. The modern customer craves authenticity and transparency. They want to see both sides of the story – the good, the bad, and the ugly – to make informed decisions.
Here's what the modern customer really look for based on key insights from Capterra:
Not all reviews are valued equally. Shoppers favor review websites (48%) and friends or family (46%) over influencers or Amazon (22%). Even on social media, 76% trust everyday users over influencers (34%). The rise of fake reviews means discerning the truth is harder than ever.
This is where smart brands shine. They proactively manage negative reviews, turning unhappy customers into loyal fans. BarkBox does this masterfully, adapting its product based on user feedback. Apple even has managers contact unhappy reviewers directly.
Sephora's success story? Their innovative AR makeup try-on tool, Visual Artist, was born from employee feedback. This proves that listening internally also fuels CX innovation.
Here's Your CX Action Plan:
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The message is clear: reviews are the new currency of trust. Authenticity is paramount, and every piece of feedback is a golden nugget of insight. Focus on building trust by encouraging reviews on reputable platforms and amplifying genuine voices.
By harnessing the power of customer feedback, businesses can build stronger relationships, drive loyalty, and create exceptional customer experiences that truly resonate.
Don't miss Blake Morgan's new book, "The Eight Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership." To learn more visit www.8CXLaws.com.
Virtual Assistant, Social Media Management, Data Encoder, Lead Generation Specialist
10hWow, this view on negative reviews really hits home. It’s cool to see how brands like BarkBox flip complaints into loyalty. I’ve found that using HiFiveStar can really help with collecting feedback too. It makes it easy to focus on the positives and keeps things clear, which is so important for building trust.
Customer Experience & Engagement | I help companies optimize customer engagement and retention through product, process, and service improvements
4moWhat stands out to me is “The rise of fake reviews means discerning the truth is harder than ever.” As this activity increases in awareness people will lend it less credibility over time and it will be incredibly difficult to recover from to rebuild trust in reviews. I continue to see independent companies and platforms paying money to respond to surveys and post fake reviews. Most people don’t see this or know this is going on but eventually it will catch up where people reject them knowing the chances it’s fake are much higher than they are comfortable with to trust it.
Customer Strategy & Innovation | CX | Digital | Design | Marketing
4moIt’s a great point Blake Morgan being transparent in reviews is so important. If you don’t see any negative reviews then it feels like they’re cheating the system. I always look at the negative review to see how the company responds, with great companies often you see that customers who left the bad review was being unrealistic.
Director, Business Development, Bulk Connection, Inc. Business Development Manager, Procon Pacific Dry and Liquid bulk trucks? FIBC, bulk bags? I can help you solve your trucking and packaging challenges.
4moGreat tips for all types of businesses be it products or services. 😎