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Superb reviews give that extra push to attract new customers to your tourism business. Reviews are the most important part of the proofing your customer that you are the best choice. Travelers check reviews of destinations, hotels, restaurants, activities etc.
And where you definitely still can get business if your reviews are not the best, because other factors like location and price also play a role, it's good business practice to try to get good and a lot of reviews, so you don't have to compete to much on price.
To give as many people as possible insight in your outstanding reviews, you want to spread your reviews over all the channels where you know most of your customer will check your reputation: as a tourism organization most probably : Google, TripAdvisor, OTA's that bring you revenue.
Its important to have a lot of reviews so that a negative review, doesn't harm your overall reputation to much.
To get reviews you need to ask your happy customers to tell them what they think about you.
For example by sending them an email in which you thank them for visiting you and that you like to know their opinion on how you did.
Place QR codes that customers can scan at the reception, visiting cards etc
Responding to reviews
Besides getting reviews for your tourism business, it's vital you also respond to reviews, of course it's nice to thank customers who left a positive review, but it's even more important to respond to someone who didn't have such a good experience. In that case be polite, offer your apologies and ask someone to contact your team to see what kind of solution you can offer.
It can also happen that you get a fake review. And even in such a case its important to react, for example by helping other customer to understand that this is clearly a fake review.
A brilliant example is shown underneath were restaurant Rise. from Preston in England responds to a trip advisor review.
Customer is upset :
- Quality of food is low and you have to wait long.
Restaurant:
- Acknowledge what the review is doing (it makes the company sad)
- Show a bad review is very rare (only the 2nd time)
-Show what the restaurant is normally doing when someone is not satisfied.
- Notify there were little details in the review.
If you find it difficult to respond to reviews, think about using AI to help you draft responses.
Copy to review in your AI system and ask to make a response. To make it aligned with your strategy and tone of voice use directional documents, either in the set up of your ai or upload them into the prompt.
An example prompt for a review response could be;
AI prompt example
You are a customer service assistant. Your task is to create a response to this customer the left this review. //
<paste review>
//Generate a reply to thank the customer for their review.
If the review is positive or neutral, thank them for their review, and tell them you love to see them back.
If the sentiment is negative, apologize and ask them to contact us, to solve the issue. Use details from the review in your repones.
Write in line with our tone of voice and strategy.
Adapt the review where possible, if use the reviews without adapting, makes sure you write the message was generated with AI. You can even say why it was generated with AI, for example that this gives you more time for personal contact to makes sure customers are happy.
Place of reviews in the customer journey
Reviews are part of a cycle on the customer journey; new customers need them in the planning and booking phase as part of a social proof, that can give them the confidence to book with your company.
Where reviewers will give you reviews when they turn into an advocate and helping you to market your company.
Reviews need to be communicated in all channels and i personally would love to see a review element in every communication where that make sense. Think about the Inspire, Help, Proof & Sell framework.
