Messaging apps to engage customers better and collect their feedback

Messaging apps provide a highly engaging channel to connect with customers. Interactions over messaging apps create the feel of one-to-one conversations. And, because of the casual conversational nature of the messages sent, customers readily respond to them.   

Of the messaging apps currently used, WhatsApp is undoubtedly the most popular. This mobile messaging application is adding half a billion to its customer base every two years.  

 Some stats about WhatsApp is sure to leave you spellbound  

There are 2 billion WhatsApp users around the globe.    100 billion messages are sent via WhatsApp every day. 2 billion WhatsApp users access the app on a monthly basis.  WhatsApp was downloaded 13 million times in August 2022. WhatsApp is available in more than 180 countries and 60 different languages.

Do I have to say anything more about the reach of this amazing tool?  

Product review requests  

Customer reviews are a powerful form of user-generated content that acts as social proof. They validate the claims made by products regarding product quality and service.

95% of customers read reviews before making a purchase. This is because they need validation from fellow customers who have already used your products.  

70% of the customers are willing to leave reviews, if asked. But we manage to get reviews from about 5%-10%.  We did a bit of research into this disparity and came to the following conclusions:  

• E-commerce brands traditionally collect reviews by sending requests via email. These emails often end up in the spam folder or go unnoticed among the hundreds of emails people receive every day. Emails have an average open rate of 16.97 %.  
• In email review requests, star ratings, text reviews and photo/video reviews come as a single request and if a customer just gives a rating and leaves it off, businesses will have to send the same request all over again.  

• Sending photos and videos through email can be a hassle as the customers have to take them on their mobile or normal cameras and attach them to their emails.  

Advantages of WhatsApp review requests over email review requests

Ecommerce brands traditionally collect reviews by sending requests via email. These emails often end up in the spam folder or go unnoticed among the hundreds of emails people receive every day.   

• First and foremost, the high open rate of WhatsApp ensures that your review requests reach the maximum number of customers. And since WhatsApp does not have a spam folder, you can rest assured that your request has reached the recipient.  

In email review requests, star ratings, text reviews and photo/video reviews come as a single request and if a customer just gives a rating and leaves it off, businesses will have to send the same request all over again.  

• WhatsApp review requests overcome this issue by sending separate requests and follow-up messages for star ratings, text reviews, and photo/video reviews.  

Sending photos and videos through email can be a hassle as the customers have to take them on their mobile or normal cameras and attach them to their emails.  

• In the case of WhatsApp, customers can click pics or record videos directly from the app and send them to the brands with little effort. The ease of sending photos and videos will prompt more shoppers to send photo/video reviews. 

In addition to the above-mentioned advantages over traditional email review requests, collecting customer feedback on WhatsApp has the following benefits as well:  

• Personalize and edit each message  

They offer a high level of personalization. From using the customer’s name, product name, etc to changing the tone of the messages to suit your brand voice- WhatsApp review requests can be molded according to your preferences.  

• Incentivize reviews  

When you send review requests through WhatsApp, it is possible to send discount coupons to all those who send positive reviews, without delay.   

• Instant customer support for unhappy customers

Reviewers who submit a negative review can be directly connected to customer support. Instant support and redressal of their issues can turn these unhappy customers into your brand advocates.  

• Set reminders/follow-ups at every stage  

Since requests for star ratings, text reviews, and photo/video reviews are sent separately, it is possible to send reminders/follow-up messages at every stage of the review process.  

• Upsell and cross-sell for positive reviews

Collecting reviews through WhatsApp also opens up the opportunity for cross-selling and upselling. Brands can send product recommendations to customers or direct them to other product pages that might be of interest to them.  

Role of customer reviews in marketing  

Customer reviews and endorsements add an extra layer of credibility to your brand image. By sending after-purchase review requests, you can build a rapport with customers which in turn will keep your customers loyal and drive sales. Reviews are nothing but free-of-cost marketing by your loyal customers.  

Further, customer testimonials are the most powerful form of user-generated content that can create a strong impact on your potential customers. They act as social proof that validates all the claims that you make about the quality of your products.  

Customer reviews can be displayed on your websites, social media pages and used along with advertisements as social proof. They can be used in promotional campaigns to cross sell and upsell. You can also use them to prompt people to act on their abandoned shopping carts.  

Are there tools to collect customer reviews on WhatsApp? 

Shopify review application, Reviewbit, is a unique tool that lets you send automated personalized review requests on WhatsApp.  

 It also lets you automate the entire process of publishing these reviews in beautiful widgets. Showcase the reviews on your home page, product page, or collection page as required and turn casual visitors into buyers.   

• With Reviewbit, you can collect reviews via a simple and fun conversational interface.

• Reviewbit allows a high level of personalization in the messages. There are multiple templates for brands to choose from. In addition, each message can be edited and modified to fit the voice of the brand.

• Separate review requests and follow-up messages for star ratings, text reviews and photo/video reviews and ensures maximum conversion for the review requests. Reviewbit has consistently offered 35% conversion rate for review requests.

• Requests can be scheduled to be sent based on the order placed, fulfillment or delivery.

• You can start sending requests immediately after installation by importing your past order details into the system. Send review requests on orders as old as 90 days prior to installation

• Collect photos and videos along with written reviews, at no extra cost. These can be displayed on your home/product/collection page in eye-catching widgets.

• Reward your customers by sending discount codes through the app itself.

• Immediate customer support is also possible. Dissatisfied customers can be directed to the customer support team and their concerns can be addressed at the earliest.

• Organize and manage huge amounts of data with ease by exporting/importing reviews to/from a CSV file.
• Reviewbit facilitates sending review requests in 11 languages- English, Spanish, German, French, Indonesian Bahasa, Arabic, Hebrew, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, and Turkish.
• Reviewbit can be integrated easily with other Shopify review apps to enjoy the features of different apps simultaneously.

Conclusion  

We have to connect with customers on a platform where they are most active to get the maximum positive results for our customer review requests. The steadily increasing popularity of WhatsApp makes it the right channel to reach out to the maximum number of customers. The ease of sending reviews on WhatsApp – be it text, photo, or video – ensures maximum conversion for your requests.   

Add Reviewbit to your store and start collecting reviews through WhatsApp effortlessly!  

Start now to leverage the potential of this application to boost your marketing efforts!