Customer support is often the unsung hero of businesses, quietly shaping the fate of companies and building bridges with clients. It’s the difference between a one-time buyer and a loyal customer, between a fleeting interaction and a lasting relationship. 

But what’s the secret sauce to exceptional customer support that keeps people coming back for more? The answer lies in reviews.

Here are five ways reviews can drive world-class customer support experiences, and turn helpdesks into customer success engines. 

1. Integrate Reviews Into Your Customer Support System 

Customer reviews are a valuable source of feedback for businesses of all sizes. Within these reviews lie the keys to understanding your strengths, pinpointing areas for enhancement, and refining the very core of your customer support system.

The easiest way to integrate reviews into your customer support system is to use an integration like Jabio by Sitejabber + Zendesk.

Jabio is a leading customer review management platform that enables businesses to collect, manage, showcase, and analyze customer reviews. Zendesk is a popular customer service software that helps businesses track, prioritize, and solve customer support interactions.

The Jabio + Zendesk integration lets you track, handle, and respond to Sitejabber reviews in one place, helping you address customer concerns swiftly and prevent issues from escalating.

Here are some of its key features:

• Automatic ticket creation: Jabio can automatically create support tickets from negative reviews (i.e., reviews with ratings at 3 stars or under). Real-time alerts to customer issues help teams deliver swift solutions.

• Ticket routing: Get tickets routed to customer support representatives. This helps to ensure that nothing falls through the cracks and that all customer issues and concerns are addressed in a timely fashion.

• Ticket status tracking: Track the status of tickets and get reports on how tickets are being handled, which also helps you identify areas where your customer support system can be improved.

• Public and private replies: Whether it’s an answer that other customers or prospects could also benefit from, or an opportunity to have a private conversation with a reviewer to solve an issue, review and support ticket replies demonstrate the attentiveness and care you show to your buyers.

• Resolution prompts: When you turn negative experiences around, you can also invite the customer to update their review with one click, helping your company maintain a rating that more accurately reflects your customers’ experiences.

An example of the Jabio + Zendesk integration at work: 

Imagine a customer named Alex leaves a negative review on your website via a widget that is connected to your Jabio account. Through this integration, this not-so-happy review automatically becomes a Zendesk support ticket, neatly routed to the right customer support expert. They dive into the matter, work their magic, and, before you know it, Alex is not just content but genuinely delighted with the resolution. So delighted, in fact, that they’re happy to update their review after an prompt from the system.

2. Actively Encourage Customers to Leave Reviews

Whether or not you use Jabio or Zendesk, reviews are essential for creating exceptional customer experiences. Every business needs to be actively collecting reviews. They’re not just the hype-filled pats on the back — they’re invaluable insights that help you refine your processes and continuously provide the best service possible. 

• Why you need customer reviews: The first step is to recognize the importance of actively seeking reviews from every customer, not just the ones you’re confident will have positive things to say. While it’s wonderful to bask in the glow of praise, it’s constructive criticism that can lead to transformative improvements. By encouraging all customers to share their experiences, you gain a more comprehensive view of your service quality.

• How to get reviews from customers: The next challenge is encouraging customers to leave reviews. There are many review request methods you can try, such as surveys sent during customer service interactions, SMS requests, loyalty program integrations, and automated post-purchase emails that you can set to trigger after a certain time delay. 

3. Monitor and Analyze Reviews for Better Customer Experiences

Customer reviews are a goldmine of insights for improved customer support, and beyond. 

• Real-time monitoring: In the world of customer support, staying in the loop is crucial. Monitoring your customer reviews and support tickets is not just a best practice — it’s a must-do for ensuring that your customers receive top-class experiences. A speedy response is all you may need to turn a potentially negative situation into a positive one, leading to prompt resolutions and customers who feel heard and valued. 

• Identifying areas of improvement: One of the hidden benefits of customer reviews is their ability to unveil areas for improvement. Reviews offer a direct line to the voices of your customers, sharing their experiences, pain points, and suggestions. They provide invaluable insights into what’s working well, and what needs a little TLC. For example, an ecommerce platform might notice recurring mentions of difficulties navigating their website in reviews, or frequent support chat questions about how to find or purchase a certain product variation. These insights can trigger website improvements that ultimately lead to a smoother customer experience, boosting satisfaction and loyalty.

• Benefits of review analysis: Reviews are a treasure trove of valuable data. By analyzing reviews for keywords, sentiment, trends, and more, you can unearth common pain points and trends, which can then guide your strategy. For instance, a software company might notice recurring keywords like “user-friendly” and “intuitive” in their positive reviews. These insights can guide further product development, emphasizing user-friendliness as a key selling point. On the flip side, negative sentiment keywords such as “bugs” or “difficulties” can flag areas for immediate improvement.

4. Utilize Feedback from Reviews to Improve Support Processes

Efficiency and effectiveness are the backbone of any successful customer support process. Businesses should start by recognizing the inherent value of using customer feedback to identify support process gaps, as reviews often reveal trends or pain points in the customer journey.

Consider this process for translating feedback from reviews into tangible process enhancements.

• Identify common themes: Begin by closely examining your customer reviews to identify recurring themes or pain points. Are there specific issues that customers frequently mention, such as long response times, confusing procedures, or product defects? 

• Categorize feedback: Once you’ve identified common themes, categorize the feedback into different areas of your support process. This could include categories like response times, issue resolution, communication quality, and product or service-related concerns.

• Prioritize: Not all feedback carries the same weight. Prioritize the areas that have the most significant impact on customer satisfaction and business success. Focus on addressing the issues that, when resolved, will make the most substantial improvements.

• Root cause analysis: Dive deeper into the identified issues to understand their root causes. For example, if reviews frequently mention product defects, explore whether these issues stem from the manufacturing process, quality control, or design flaws. 

• Process redesign: With a clear understanding of the issues and their root causes, redesign the relevant support processes. For example, if long response times are a recurring concern, streamline your customer support ticketing system, or implement automated responses for common inquiries.

• Continuous monitoring: The improvement process doesn’t end with changes to your support processes. Once implemented, assess whether the identified issues decrease in frequency and whether customer satisfaction improves.

• Feedback loop: Establish a feedback loop that encourages customers to see the results of their feedback. Let them know that their input is valuable and has led to positive changes in your support processes, products, and services. This can further boost customer loyalty and satisfaction.

5. Train Support Staff Based on Review Insights

Training your support staff is a critical aspect of maintaining top-notch customer support. However, not all training material is created equal, and that’s where customer reviews can make a noticeable difference. By using customer reviews as training material, businesses can provide real-world scenarios that better resonate with teams.

You can also leverage reviews to enhance training and overall communication within your support team. If reviews indicate that support agents often provide inconsistent or incorrect information, it can be a sign to invest in ongoing training and ensure that agents have access to updated knowledge resources.

Remember that review insights are a two-way street. They not only spotlight areas that require staff improvement — they also give well-deserved recognition to team members who have gone above and beyond. Beyond morale boosters or opportunities for employee appreciation and bonuses, reviews can highlight tangible examples of stellar service that can be shared with the entire team.

Improve Your Reviews and Customer Support Outcomes with Jabio

From the real-time monitoring of reviews to the insightful analysis of feedback and utilizing reviews as training material, the path to excellence in customer support is clearer than ever. By actively collecting, monitoring, and harnessing customer reviews, you can enhance your support processes, provide consistently amazing customer support, celebrate your exceptional staff, and win over more loyal customers.

Ready to supercharge your journey toward better customer support? Jabio is your partner in ensuring your reviews and reputation are up to snuff, guaranteeing that you send the right message to your prospects and buyers at all points in the customer journey. Claim your business and register for free today.