Testimonials – What’s the Importance for a Business?
What is a testimonial?
The dictionary of “testimonial” definition is –
1. A written declaration certifying to a person’s character, conduct, or qualifications, or to the value, excellence, etc., of a thing; a letter or written statement of recommendation.
2. Something given or done as an expression of esteem, admiration, or gratitude.
So for a business, such as ours, a testimonial would be written by a customer, giving a statement about the service they have received, the experience they have had and a brief review of how they found the service being offered to them.
Where can you find them?
Testimonials are everywhere. Possibly one of the most well-known places to find a testimonial is TripAdvisor. Customers leave reviews about the quality of the service they have received mainly from Hotels and restaurants. Facebook, Google, Amazon all show reviews of products, companies and services.
On line shops sometimes give you the opportunity to review products you have purchased. These reviews are another form of testimonial, giving you the chance to share your opinion of product and service received.
Who can write one?
Anyone can write a review or testimonial. If you have had an experience of a great place or a fantastic product you have bought, or alternatively, if you have found a service to be totally awful, then you can share your thoughts on a suitable website so that others can make a more informed decision before they make their visit or purchase.
Are they Important?
Excerpt from my June 2017 post … Modern Experience Of The Internet
There has been a huge increase in internet access in the UK in the past 2 or 3 years and in 2013 72% of all adults bought goods or services online, up from 53% in 2008. That’s a 19% increase in just 5 years and equates to about 36 million adults in Great Britain accessing the internet on a daily basis compared with just 16 million in 2006.
That is huge potential for any business, and it doesn’t matter whether they are local or national, all these people (21 million households (83%) in 2013) with daily internet access and all quite prepared to let others know about the experience they have just had. Customer service is therefore even more important in a digital age, not less so, as you might initially think because the vast majority of people are so ready to tell you what has just happened to them.
Why would you write one?
A testimonial or review gives people the opportunity to share an experience. To leave feedback hopefully gives other potential customers a balanced overview of a product or service. So if you found a shop and they treated you really well, why not tell friends and family of the brilliant service or take it one step further and leave a testimonial for the shop on the internet so everyone knows.