Many businesses send review reminders to customers shortly after they’ve bought a product or paid for a service. The thinking is, reminding someone right away will increase the likelihood of getting a review. That seems to make sense because you want someone to be thinking about your product or service, and if too much time has passed customers will be less likely to post reviews.
When should you ask for reviews?
When is the best time to ask for a review? A recent study found that waiting a bit may be more effective.
So, when is the best time to ask for a review after a customer has done business with you? A recent study in the Harvard Business Review evaluated different time intervals for sending review requests. They compared asking the next day, five days, nine days and thirteen days after a transaction. The results were surprising! Contrary to what you would expect, the study found that if you send a reminder the next day it actually lowers the likelihood of getting a review. Whereas delayed reminders at 13 days actually increase the likelihood of getting reviews.
Give it a Little Time
There’s a couple of reasons why it might be best to wait. If it’s too soon people might not have had a chance to evaluate what you want them to review, so they get annoyed that you’re asking for the review right now.
If you ask for a review too soon, your customer may not have had enough time to evaluate your product or service.
But it also depends on what your product is. If you’re asking for a review for something like a restaurant where the customer has had a meal already, you could probably ask for a review the next day or in a couple of days.
If your product or service is something that might take more time to evaluate, like an appliance purchase or that new haircut style, you should probably wait a little bit longer to ask for the review. People need to have time to actually use the product for a while.
The study also found that immediate reminders are especially negative for businesses with young customers. Gen Z is less likely to leave a review when they get a reminder right away!
One thing you can do is take a look at your existing reviews and figure out the average amount of time after the sale that someone leaves a review, and time your reminders to go out then
Gen Z customers are actually less likely to leave a review if you ask too soon!
Make it a Regular Process
Remember to make asking for reviews a regular part of your transactions with customers and always respond to all reviews good and bad. Everyone likes to be acknowledged, so don’t take your good customers for granted!
The bottom line is this: reviews are often the first point of contact a potential customer has with your business, so you’ll want to make that a core part of your marketing plan and regular operations so you can put your best foot forward.
Links in this episode: When Is the Best Time to Ask Customers for a Review?
