Why Customers Don’t Leave Reviews and What Small Business Owners Can Do About It

On Reddit and Quora, the question “Why are reviews so hard to get?” or variations of it are often posted by frustrated business owners looking for something that actually works.

For small business owners, glowing authentic reviews are probably rarer than a hundred new customers. Leaving a review has been made more convenient on sites like Google, but encouraging a customer to leave one is anything but straightforward.

“There are many reasons why customers seldom leave reviews. Chief among these is the lack of incentive,” states a spokesperson for SocialProofSuite, a company providing review management solutions to small businesses. “Unless there is a reward or incentive, such as a discount or entry into a contest, they may not feel motivated to take the time to write one.”

Another reason, they said, is simple, unpredictable customer behavior. “They simply forget. That’s about it.”

One thing they don’t easily forget is a bad experience. SocialProofSuite’s representative said that a negativity bias is hardwired into our systems, so many are far more likely to leave a review after a negative experience than a positive one.

‘Just Ask’

That is what many tell fellow small business owners to do to start getting real reviews. But simply asking is not that simple.

SocialProofSuite’s dev team has observed that many business owners feel awkward about directly requesting reviews, worried it may appear pushy or insincere. “You’ll often see questions by business owners online wanting to know how to ask without making it weird. It’s a more common anxiety than people think,” its spokesperson said.

For this specific challenge, SocialProofSuite recommends working on one’s timing. According to the team, the best moment to ask for a review is right after a positive interaction. This could be after a meal, after a service is delivered, or when a customer expresses satisfaction. “A brief, friendly message can go a long way,” the spokesperson said.

After making the approach, make sure that the review process is as uncomplicated as possible. “Make it easy for customers. Provide a direct link to your review page and include a sentence or two to guide them on what to mention,” the spokesperson advises, adding that doing so will lower friction and increase the likelihood of follow-through.

Time-Saving Tools

While some don’t have issues approaching customers, they are, however, limited by time. "When you're wearing multiple hats, managing staff, handling day-to-day operations, and troubleshooting customer issues, asking for a review can fall to the bottom of the list," said the representative from SocialProofSuite.

For those overwhelmed by the volume of software and services needed just to get one review, all-in-one tools exist to help streamline the process. “Overwhelm is a major issue, which is why we designed our own platform to make review requesting, monitoring, and management doable on one dashboard,” SocialProofSuite said.

Those unwilling to invest in the tools described may also opt for freely available options online, but SocialProofSuite warns that this may result in juggling multiple disconnected platforms, which offer no process improvements.

“Whatever option you choose, make sure that you’re making leaving a kudos as easy as walking through your door,” the spokesperson advised.