5 Ways to Improve Your NPS & Review Scores

Thu, July 28, 2022

In a competitive world, the feedback received from both internal and external customers is crucial. It ensures not only processes are working and best practices are being maintained, but confirms whether you have the trust of your market and are seen positively as a brand. The modern digital environment has brought the consumer closer than ever to businesses and can mean the difference between success and failure for your organisation.

If you already measure Net Promoter Score (NPS) or use the Trustpilot scoring system for reviews, you’ll know this too well. According to Trustpilot, over 93% of customers will read reviews before purchasing online from an unfamiliar company¹ , meaning your online reputation is extremely important.

As well as Trustpilot, consumers will tend to gravitate towards different consumer and product review sites too depending on what they’re buying. There are general review sites such as Google My Business, which gives star ratings to businesses that are listed in search results, Amazon, Yelp and Trustpilot, as well as industry-specific review sites such as Facebook ratings, Which?, TripAdvisor, G2, and Glassdoor that are all important for a variety of markets. In all cases, leaving a positive impression is crucial so that your customers can reflect this when writing reviews and providing ratings.

As for NPS, with the average score standing at +32² , many organisations have an opportunity to improve performance if they are below this.

If you want to know how to improve your NPS score and bring in positive Trustpilot and other reviews, here are 5 simple ways you can make a difference.

How to Improve Net Promoter Score (NPS) & Review Scores

1. Start collecting more customer feedback

This may seem simple enough, but by collecting more feedback you improve your chances of receiving more positive reviews. If your current overall score isn’t where it needs to be, more feedback is essential. As many as 70% of consumers will use rating filters when searching for businesses, with many seeking 4-star ratings and above³. This means your organisation could be overlooked if you fall below this, so more reviews are required to raise your score. Think about how you currently receive feedback – is there more you can do to bring in a steady flow of positivity that will boost your overall rating?

Depending on your service offering, are there opportunities for customers to provide product or service reviews, or feedback on any individual interactions such as a call experience or the UX of your website? Anything that is important to your business can potentially receive feedback, so identify any areas you do not currently receive this for, especially if they are services your customers are happy with. This should mirror the omnichannel approach you provide for a seamless customer experience. Setting up automatic invitations to provide feedback rather than relying on manual invites can save time and increase responsiveness too.

2. Ensure your Teams Know the Importance of NPS and Review Scores, Measure Operational Performance

Having every member of your team on board with improving NPS and review scores is crucial. If having a top-tier review score is your goal, everyone needs to be aware of how this works and why it is important for your organisation. Motivation is key here, so finding effective methods to refresh staff on processes and provide further training on best practices will help. As a provider of outsourced customer services, we know the value of this, and we also understand that it takes motivated staff to provide the service your customers expect. 73% of customers will stay loyal to brands because of friendly customer service staff⁴, so taking the time to focus on NPS and review scores with your teams is worthwhile.

If you don’t already do so, providing individual feedback to staff on customer feedback is a key way to help review where things went well or could be improved. Remember you need to celebrate great feedback just as much as focusing on the negative aspects to maintain morale.

Measuring operational performance is the most effective way to ensure everyone is working together to focus on NPS and review scores. Implement this as part of staff reviews and training, then motivate your team and advisors to provide the best service possible for each interaction rather than demand a perfect score overall. The responsibility of improving NPS is with everyone in your organisation, not just front-line staff, so by engraining this in the culture of your organisation, you should begin to see positive improvements.

3. Reach out to Detractors & Passives – Respond swiftly and close the loop

Negative feedback is a chance to review what went wrong and how things can be improved. Sometimes this can be a wake-up call for individual staff or the organisation as a whole, but it shouldn’t just be accepted and then move on – there’s an opportunity to connect and even turn a detractor into a promoter. 83% of customers feel more loyal to a brand that responds and resolves their complaints⁵, so being proactive here is key.

Discover what made someone choose to score you a certain way and what would turn them into an advocate of your business. This needs to be done swiftly, so the quicker you can respond to a detractor the better, as it will not only show you are committed to improving service, but that you are willing to listen and take their feedback seriously. With 79% of consumers feeling ignored when using online feedback to complain about customer service⁶, the importance of showing they have been heard is vital.

By dealing with negative feedback with professionalism and care; being personable and transparent, as well as showing empathy and active listening, you can attempt to close the loop and ask them to consider a follow-up review, providing an opportunity for positive feedback. This should not only be the focus for detractors but also passives who score you in the middle. Whilst all feedback is beneficial, being able to also turn a passive customer into a promoter, and understand what will help them get there, is a great method of improving NPS and review scores as well as brand loyalty.

4. Time your Survey Invites Well – Identify When Customer Engagement is at its Highest

The sooner after purchase you provide a review link, the more likely a customer will want to leave a review or rating. Timing is crucial especially when you have happy customers who have enjoyed their experience with your brand. The longer you wait, the less likely someone will complete this.

Finding the balance is crucial, as not everyone will want to leave feedback straightaway when asked. The best way to counter this is to not only ask automatically after an interaction or transaction is complete, but also follow up later. You don’t want to remind them too much, but 48 – 72 hours after the initial survey⁷ may be most effective. According to Survey Monkey, response rates are generally 10% higher with survey invitations sent on a Monday and lowest for those on Friday⁸.

You should also aim to make it as simple as possible to provide feedback too and give the right channels for them to complete it. Follow-up communications should include a link to Trustpilot, or whichever review site you favour, or your NPS survey with a call-to-action (CTA) or even a QR code. The latter can be effective on physical packaging, for example, or in mailed communication. Making the process as simple as possible and providing value to why their feedback is important to your organisation - and ultimately to customers like them – can be a winning combination.

5. Use Positive NPS Scores to Boost Your Review Scores – Reviews from already happy customers

With every positive NPS rating you receive, you should ask these customers to provide a Trustpilot or other review too. Whilst you cannot guarantee they will do so, this is an effective way to benefit both NPS and review scores with just one interaction. This is a great way to have your biggest advocates also provide a second review that extends the positivity, helping NPS and review scores work in tandem. This can be an automated process, or if tracking NPS, you can then follow up with those rating you 9 or 10 via email with a link to Trustpilot or other review sites.

If improving your brand reputation and customer experience is important to your organisation, as well as learning how to improve Trustpilot scores, ratings on other review sites, and NPS, here at Ventrica we have the tools and expertise to assist. From dedicated outsourced customer services to CX consultancy, we can help you enhance your approach and create more advocates with every interaction. To discover how we can help your brand, contact us today.

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