…and how does it differ from a human verified review?
Reviews are an ever-present part of the purchase journey, with 96% of us checking feedback before committing to a purchase.
And this is good, because feedback from actual customers is a treasure trove of useful information, praise and opportunities to improve.
What’s the difference between a verified customer review and a verified human review?
The simple answer is:
A verified customer review is feedback left by a real customer. After a purchase has been made, a customer is asked for their feedback.
A human verified review focuses on confirming that the review is left by a real person, and not technology (e.g. a captcha to prove that you are human). The focus is on who is leaving the review, not that it’s about a valid purchase experience.
Why is this important?
If you can’t trust your data, you can’t make effective decisions.
From displaying feedback that offers social proof to prospective customers, to gaining useful insights that allow actionable change in the business; collecting real feedback from real customers is the only way to guarantee that you’re able to trust your data and prevent fake feedback.
This is especially relevant in industries where verified feedback is required to comply with consumer protection acts – such as the Consumer Duty rules in the Insurance sector.
What are the pros and cons of customer or human verified feedback?
Verified customer reviews
Pros
- More sales. Feefo clients have found shoppers are 15% more likely to buy from products with verified customer feedback, rather than anonymous comments.
- Trusted ratings. Only real customers can leave feedback, meaning only those buyers who’ve experienced your product or service will influence your reputation.
- Easy feedback collection process. Once a purchase is made the customer will be sent an invitation to leave their feedback by email or SMS
- Genuine feedback means genuine insights. A clean dataset can add value across the business – from customer service to the warehouse to the boardroom. You can feel assured your decisions are based on authentic information.
Cons
- Potentially fewer reviews. Your volume of feedback may be less than if you were to use an open platform, as only people who have transacted with your business can leave feedback.
- Feedback will related to your product or services only. To collect wider feedback about your business or consumer habits you can use a feature such as Feefo Surveys.
Human-verified reviews
Pros
- Volume of reviews collected. You can potentially gain more feedback on an open platform because anyone will be able to leave their opinion of your business. It make leave you open to the risk of fake reviews, but you may collect a higher amount of feedback. (Although according to a YouGov survey – 70% of UK consumers trust verified reviews more).
- Hear from non-buyers. People will visit your website or bricks and mortar location without making a purchase. They’ll be able to leave their feedback on this experience.
Cons
- As anyone can leave feedback, it leaves the door open to fake reviews. This risks your reputation and skews your data.
- Some review sites can double as comparison sites, directing potential customers away from you to your competitors.
- Admin. Identifying real reviews, and flagging fake feedback adds an extra level of admin.
- Human-verification sometimes means signing into a platform to leave the feedback, which can dissuade people from leaving feedback as it’s an extra step.
- Increased negative feedback. Anonymous buyers are significantly more likely to leave lower rated reviews.
Customer feedback is an integral part of any business, and should form part of your customer insight strategy, regardless of how you collect them.
By focusing on collecting customer-verified reviews, you’ll ensure that both your business intelligence and your brand reputation have integrity and form an effective part of your ongoing strategy.
We can help you gain useful, actionable insights into your business. Drop us a line to find out how.
