Making
BBB Customer Reviews
Work for Your Business
Customer Reviews
Good for
Consumers
Good for
Businesses
Customer Reviews
Power of Customer Reviews
Do you ask for customer
reviews?
Why or why not?
Your Thoughts…
Good, Bad and Ugly
of reviews
For Consumers? For Businesses?
Influence of Reviews
The 1-2 KO BBB Punch:
• Ratings and online reviews have a high influence on purchasing decisions
• 88% of consumers who seen reviews claimed influenced buying decisions
(Dimensional Research, 2013)
Source: Nielsen, 2014/2015
Consumer Usage
• 88% read reviews to determine quality of a local business
• Usage increasing for all types of businesses
• 85% consumers read up to 10 reviews before they trust a
business
The “Savvy Shopper”– seeks out more about purchasing
experiences, products and services
Source: BrightLocal, 2014
Consumer Usage
Q1: How OFTEN, if ever, do you use each of the sources listed below for information, recommendations,
ratings or advice about businesses? Base: All Respondents. (5=Daily; 4= A few Times a Week; 3= A few times
a Month; 2= A few times a year; 1= Never)
Q2: On a scale of 1 to 5, with 1 meaning NOT AT ALL and 5 meaning VERY MUCH, how much would you say
each of the sources below INFLUENCE your purchase decisions? Base: Respondents Who Used.
U.S.
Source: Nielsen, 2014/2015
CANADA
Where is the most common
place to read a POSTIVE
customer review?
Consumer Usage
• About 2/3 consumers recalled reading reviews
(63% negative & 69% positive)
• 58% consumers more likely to share their experiences with others
than five years ago
(Dimensional Research, 2013)
Source: BrightLocal, 2014
Who is reading and posting
customer reviews?
Consumer Usage
• Women (53.2%)
• Ages 25-34
• Upper income groups read and post at rates twice that of
lower income
Source: Maritz Research Part I , II, III, 2013
Magical Millennials
http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/millennials-user-generated-media/
Magical Millennials
http://mashable.com/2014/04/09/millennials-user-generated-media/
What percentage of people
in North America say they
TRUST customer reviews?
Trusted Reviews: Consumers
• 68% in North America trust consumer reviews (Nielsen, 2013)
• 72% say positive reviews make them trust local businesses more
• 88% trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations –
authenticity, number of reviews and type of business influence
trustworthiness
Source: BrightLocal, 2014
Trusted Reviews: Businesses
Engage Interest
Motivate Action
•51% more likely to be viewed as worth
reading more about
• 38% more likely to be viewed as a
business the person would visit
•43% more likely to be viewed as
having what the person needs
• 29% more likely to motivate
consumers to consider purchasing
from the business
Establish Trust
•78% more likely to be viewed as wellestablished
Create a Positive Image
•197% more likely to be viewed as a
dependable place
• 204% more likely to be viewed as
offering quality products or services
•91% more likely to be viewed as
knows what it’s doing
• 94% more likely to be viewed as a
reputable business
• 199% more likely to be viewed as
caring about its customers
Source: Google and Ipsos MediaCT, 2014
What do small business
owners think?
• 50% important for their business to receive positive online reviews
• 43% online reviews are unfair because they do not verify that people who
leave reviews are actual customers
• 87% do NOT ask their customers to post reviews. Only 14% post customers’
reviews to website
Source: Yodle, 2014
Marketplace Needs Reviews
• Consumers use - and expect – customer
reviews to help make purchasing decisions
• Need for trusted reviews from trusted
sources
• Timely, relevant and provide a first-person
perspective
• Feedback and response builds relationship
and trust between buyer and seller
• Consumers like to see “both sides”
• Solutions are more important than
problems
• Internet likes user-generated content
Customer Reviews from a
Brand You Trust
BBB Vision:
Ethical Marketplace Where
Buyers and Sellers Trust Each Other
How are BBB Customer
Reviews Different?
About BBB Customer Reviews
BBB Customer Reviews
• Quick time, not real time – humans not robots
• Proactively reaches out to business
- Business can: ignore, respond, challenge/not my customer
• BBB Verified Reviewer
Safeguards:
• Verify email address; no anonymity
• No multi-user comments (business and
consumer only)
• No third party reviews
• IP address tracking, monitored
• Can’t file negative review and complaint
BBB Brand: TRUST
BBB Customer Reviews
Total Customer Reviews in BBB System (September 2015)
Submitted
Verified
Approved
Published
Positive
Negative
Neutral
Unapproved
IB
118,522
95,725
74,433
72,314
43,468
29,752
1,213
44,089
Hurdman
115,558
86,379
73,430
68,130
48,380
23,712
1,338
42,128
Total
234,080
182,104
147,863
140,444
91,848
53,464
2,551
86,217
Breakdown
Percent of reviews received that are unapproved
100.0%
62.1%
36.2%
1.7%
36.8%
Please monitor and track your local
BBB Customer Review Stats and Trends
BBB Minnesota and North Dakota (July 2015)
Complaints vs
BBB Customer Reviews
Complaint
BBB Customer Review
BBB Letter Grade Rating
Can affect BBB letter grade
No affect BBB letter grade
Reportable on BBB
Business Review
Yes-36 months
Yes-36 months
Business Response
Required to close complaint
answered
Requested
Resolution
Must seek a resolution
Does not need/want
resolution
Customer Feedback
Negative
Positive, Neutral, Negative
BBB Customer Reviews are:
Relevant for both consumers and
businesses
Transparent with expanded picture of
buying experiences
Proactive “checking” before you buy
Engaging more than just complaints
BBB Customer Review
Customer Reviews from a
Brand You Trust.
How Your Business Get
BBB Customer Reviews?
Ask!
Use our Customer Review Toolkit
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Logos with Torch Logo – 3 versions, including Canadian
New Customer Review Dynamic Seals
Email signatures
Window clings
Point of Sale cards and signs
Stickers for estimates, invoices and receipts
Sample social media posts/examples
Tips flier “asking and managing customer reviews”
Customer Review Dynamic Seal
OLD
NEW
Email Signatures
Window Cling
(can’t insert graphic – EPS)
POS Sign and Card
Self-Print Stickers
(Avery 5162)
BBB Customer Reviews
Good for
Consumers
Good for
Businesses
Customer Reviews from a Brand You Trust.