If you are a small business owner trying to manage daily tasks while simultaneously planning for the future, it seems like some days can be overwhelming. However, there is one thing you can do that will save countless hours, establish your product or service as trustworthy, and help you guide future product and service offerings.

Ask for a customer review. Good or bad, customer reviews are key to business success. There is nothing worse than being surprised by a disgruntled customer talking about your business on social media or blog posts. And by asking for a customer review, you are taking an active role in understanding how they see you.

Here are five simple steps to get feedback that is close to being automated:

Create a website page where you can collect reviews:  A dedicated review page for customer reviews makes it as easy as possible for your customers to share their thoughts.

Make your page easy to share: Give the page its own address, such as: jasonhunterdesign.com/testimonials/

What goes on the page? Please keep it simple; ask the customer to do one thing: leave a review. Feature a form that collects reviews directly direct customers to Google, Trustpilot, Reviews, etc. External review platforms are essential as Google indexes these. People who search for reviews of your business will find these external platforms.

Avoid Review Gating:  Review gating is the process of asking for customer feedback, directing those with positive feedback to leave a public review, and directing dissatisfied customers to customer service to improve their experience. Some major review sites like Google and Yelp have banned the practice.

Publish the Review URL: Add the URL to your invoices, point of sale receipts, after-sales emails, and even on your business cards. Add a short message to let people know how and where to review your business and provide the link.

By taking a little time to set up an automated review process, you have relieved yourself of countless reminders to “ask” and can gather the data in one place. If you, unfortunately, receive a poor review, a best practice is to swallow your pride and humbly ask for more details so that the situation can be corrected for the future success of your business.

Need help?

We have a team of experienced professionals ready to get a review page set up for you. Reach out to us to set up a time to chat.