Businesses were hesitant at first when TrueLocal launched its rate and review service on the site four years ago. It offers customers the chance to share their experiences by submitting their own reviews on a business. Reviews are made public via the homepage and customer newsletter. The site has been running since 2006.
Nielsen records a “unique audience” at just below two million monthly users, which represents growth exceeding 50% in the last year, according to TrueLocal.
While site management points out that the vast majority of the comments are positive, high visitation to the site means that negative reviews are becoming more common.
General manager Simon Carson says businesses can reply directly to online reviews.
“We strongly recommend all businesses reply to any review, whether positive or negative,” Carson says.
“Businesses that respond directly to negative reviews by commenting to clarify their position are generally able to change the perception of the disgruntled customer.
“Customer engagement is very important and, most of the time, the customer just wants to know that their opinion matters. In some cases, we’ve seen businesses offer a special deal to encourage customers to return.”
And if a business finds a review inappropriate or unfair, the business owner can report the review, which prompts TrueLocal to contact the reviewer to verify any concerning details.
uVent is a new site that promises to achieve quick solutions for customers experiencing issues with service providers. It sounded a warning bell to big Australian brands when it launched last month by suggesting they will have to step up their game in order to reverse the negative experiences of some customers.
The site enables customers to post a vent, which is then forwarded to the service provider, who is then encouraged to respond to solve the issue. If businesses don’t resolve the complaint within 24 hours, the vent is posted live on the site for all to see.
The site also provides consumers with a directory for all service providers, where customers can browse to see vents for a particular company, along with the resolution process and the outcome. This allows customers to review the types of issues, response times and levels of satisfaction others have received. It has attracted more than 100,000 unique browsers in the first month and more than 12,000 issues were raised about service providers.
Anthony Mittelmark, the founder of uVent, says there is a strict vetting process to ensure every vent is genuine.
“We’re here to help consumers ensure they get the best deal and help service providers use a new streamlined, efficient way of helping their customers,” Mittelmark says.
The majority of complaints made are about poor service from telcos, but also include frustrations over misunderstood terms and conditions, serious privacy breaches made by banks and vents about bank interest rates and charges.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
