How do you get and use client reviews?

1 Ask for reviews at the right time

Timing is crucial when asking for reviews from your clients. You want to catch them when they are most satisfied, impressed, or grateful for your work. This could be after you deliver a project, solve a problem, or achieve a milestone. You also want to avoid asking for reviews when they are busy, stressed, or unhappy. A good way to find the right time is to follow up with your clients regularly, check in on their satisfaction, and look for cues that indicate they are ready to give you some feedback.

2 Make it easy and convenient for them

Another key factor in getting more reviews is to make it easy and convenient for your clients to leave them. You don't want to burden them with long surveys, complicated forms, or multiple platforms. Instead, you want to offer them a simple and quick way to share their opinions, preferably on the same channel that you communicate with them. For example, you can use email, text, or phone to ask for reviews, and provide them with a link to a short online questionnaire, a rating system, or a testimonial template.

3 Show appreciation and follow up

Once you get a review from your client, don't forget to show your appreciation and follow up with them. Thank them for their time and feedback, acknowledge their specific comments, and let them know how you will use their input to improve your services. You can also ask them for permission to use their review for marketing purposes, such as on your website, social media, or portfolio. If they agree, make sure to credit them and link to their business if possible. Finally, keep in touch with them and update them on your progress and achievements.

4 Analyze and act on the reviews

Getting reviews is not enough. You also need to analyze and act on them. Review the feedback you receive from your clients and look for patterns, trends, and insights. What are they happy about? What are they unhappy about? What are they suggesting? How can you use their feedback to improve your services, processes, or communication? Take action on the areas that need improvement and communicate your changes to your clients. Show them that you value their opinions and that you are constantly striving to meet their needs and expectations.

5 Showcase and leverage the reviews

Finally, you can use the reviews you get from your clients to showcase and leverage your work. Reviews can help you build trust, credibility, and reputation in your industry and among your prospects. You can use them to highlight your strengths, results, and value proposition. You can also use them to generate referrals, testimonials, and case studies. For example, you can ask your satisfied clients to recommend you to their network, write a testimonial for your website, or participate in a case study for your portfolio.

6 Monitor and measure the impact of reviews

The last step in using client reviews effectively is to monitor and measure their impact on your business. Reviews can help you track and evaluate your client relations metrics and KPIs, such as satisfaction, retention, loyalty, and advocacy. You can use tools like surveys, analytics, or CRM software to measure how reviews affect your client relations outcomes, such as repeat business, referrals, conversions, or revenue. You can also use feedback loops to collect more reviews and improve your services continuously.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?