Has a candidate ever written a negative review about your staffing company on Glassdoor, Indeed, Yelp or Facebook? You’re not alone.
You’d be hard–pressed to find a staffing company that doesn’t have at least one bad review from a candidate who didn’t get placed.
It’s easy to write off a negative review as a simple case of sour grapes, but negative reviews can quickly grow into a bed of virtual weeds. When left unchecked, those “weeds” can choke out the great reviews, damaging your reputation – and hurting your bottom line.
Reviews Impact Your Trust Factor
The power of online reviews boils down to one factor: TRUST. Can candidates trust you with their careers? Can prospective clients trust you with their business?
For many, reading online reviews is one of the first steps they take when evaluating your services. Before deciding to work with you, prospective clients and candidates naturally search for social proof to reassure themselves that they’re making a good choice.
As a result, what others say about you online greatly influences potential customers’ opinions:
- 78% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from a friend or family member. If your friend had a bad experience with a company, would you bother learning more about their services? Probably not.
- If you think 78% is high, hold onto your hat: The percentage skyrockets to 91% for 18-34-year-olds in the growing millennial and Gen Z workforce! (BrightLocal)
Your Reputation Garden Needs Regular Tending
Like any garden, your “reputation garden” needs regular nurturing in order to stay healthy and yield beautiful blooms.
Step One: Cultivate Your Blooms
Before reaching out to clients and candidates for testimonials and reviews, think of whom you want to ask:
- The Raving Fans: These are your success stories! They’re the most satisfied and loyal people you’ve served. When reaching out for reviews, these should be both your most effortless wins and the source of your most positive customer experiences.
- The Invisible Man: Do you have clients you don’t hear from much? A candidate you placed and haven’t touched base with since? Don’t mistake silence for satisfaction; ask for feedback! Assumptions are dangerous, and giving this group an opportunity to voice their opinion could turn out more positive reviews than you think.
Step Two: Fertilize Regularly For Maximum Yield
Once you’ve determined whom you want to gather reviews from:
- Create opportunities for customers to leave reviews. Have you claimed your Google My Business listing? Are you on Facebook? Is there a review form somewhere on your site? Before reaching out for reviews, make sure you’re setting yourself up for success.
- Ask! Kindly ask for reviews from those happy clients and candidates, and provide links to make it easy for them. Remember: They go out of their way to share their experience.
- Offer alternatives. Even if people are happy with your services, not everyone is going to want to leave a public review. It’s important to provide other options, and tools like staffing satisfaction surveys are another great way to learn how they’re feeling.
- Involve your internal team. Educate your sales team and recruiters on the importance of reviews to their work, and find ways to involve them in the process, too.
- Follow up with everyone who leaves a review and deliver a WOW! This is your chance to go above and beyond for those who take the time to leave thoughtful, positive reviews. Send them a handwritten thank-you note or even a personalized gift to show your appreciation – and remind them why they left that positive review in the first place!
Once you’ve got steps one and two down, it’s time to start tackling those weeds. We’ll cover that in our next post in the series, Weed Your Negative Reviews.
Can’t wait for the next post? Get the full article, Tend Your Reputation Garden from the Idea Club or connect with a marketing educator today.
