With the appearance of many review sites, a few years ago, the world of travel was turned upside down. The principle: a traveler notes the service he took advantage of, then leaves a comment. The goal? Advisor the next vacationers on their future experience. These ratings and reviews are considered a guarantee of quality.
E-reputation, what is it?
A few years ago, the world of travel was turned upside down with the appearance of review sites. The logic is simple, a traveler books a service, rates it and leaves a comment.
The goal? Advise future holidaymakers or locals on their stay, whether for accommodation, a restaurant or an activity. These ratings and opinions filed are then perceived as a guarantee of quality.
This trend has notably accelerated with the proliferation of review platforms. Indeed, if until now word of mouth was the main recommendation, it has accelerated and digitized, pushing companies to manage what is called e-reputation or online reputation.
Managing one's reputation therefore means considering one's client in the post-experience phase, taking their opinion into account and using it to improve. It is also the way to build loyalty and make future customers want to choose “my” establishment or “my” experience.
A recent study indicates that:
- The highest proportion of review readers is found among the British (73%) while the French are inspired by it for 50% of them
- Reviews matter more often for women (61%) than for men (53%)
- Reviews are an important lever to encourage travelers to book with you, but also to come and visit your own website to find information on prices, your location and, above all, the importance you place on the cleanliness.
- To be sure to respond quickly, schedule time each week in your diary dedicated to responding to customer reviews.
Tips for responding to customer reviews
1. Be yourself!
Pay attention to the tone you use: stay pleasant and polite, even in the face of virulent messages! Breathe, don't get defensive by responding to negative messages. And don't be too expansive in the face of positive messages either!
Stay professional and caring. But don't forget that some comments are left by "trolls" (People who are only there to complain.). If you find that the person continues to respond to your messages inappropriately, simply stop responding to them.
2. Adapt your answers
Depending on the nature of the comments you receive, adapt your responses. Here are our tips for effective management of customer reviews.
Always respond to a review, whether positive or negative.
Positive reviews are often very appreciable. So it's easy to answer. But dealing with negative reviews is more complex.
A study carried out by econsultancy highlights that 68% of consumers have more confidence in the sincerity of a company when they see positive and negative reviews.
So don't delete comments you don't like! Answer it so everyone can see your answer. And think of customize this answer.
In short
Here are some tips for responding to positive reviews:
- Thank the customer for leaving a review;
- Answer the questions asked;
- Be responsive, a quick response to a question will be appreciated;
- Personalize your answers.
…and tips for responding to negative reviews:
- Respond quickly;
- Keep negative reviews;
- Pay attention to the tone you use;
- Express your disappointment for their bad experience;
- Propose solutions (if there are any and the client is in good faith).
Ardennes tourist companies seen by their customers
Thanks to the tool FairGuest which the Ardennes Tourist Development Agency has set up, we are now able to inform, in real time, of the scores obtained by most of the players in Ardennes tourism. In the attached table, we present the results obtained in 2022 following 16 reviews analyzed. Download the table in pdf format.
The department obtains the overall score of 8,52 / 10 for all tourist activities (including catering), the podium being occupied by, in order, homestay accommodation (9,2) followed museums (9,1) and activities (8,9). The score obtained at the intermunicipal level varies between 8,3 and 9.
For any information, please contact Hervé Caitucoli, responsible for the Engineering division and the Departmental Tourism Observatory at the ADT des Ardennes.