INSTORE Readers Sound Off on Online Review Technology

Question: Do you use technology to help manage/encourage online reviews?

Yes: 52%

• We send Podium auto-responses from The Edge software to the clients when ringing out, and the sales associates discuss with the client before sending. Not technology related, but we also reward clients with a $50 credit towards future purchases or repairs for completing repairs. That works very well for us, and we have a 5-star Google rating! — Lucy Conklin, Toner Jewelers, Overland Park, KS
• We use Podium and it’s been a game changer! We have so many more reviews, and not only is it great for our store, but also really uplifts the staff to hear how people appreciate them. I enjoy reading the reviews to the employees! — Anne Marie Marker, Rolland’s Jewelers, Libertyville, IL
• Every satisfied client receives a review request via Clientbook a month after the sale/interaction, once they have already received a hand-written “Thank You” note. — Jillian Hornik, Jae’s Jewelers, Coral Gables, FL
• As I enter my sales into QuickBooks at the end of each quarter, I send a thank-you email reminding the customer to remember us for wedding bands and if they would write us a review on both Google and Yelp. We include the link that takes them right to the review page on each site. — Jeremy Auslander, Roxbury Jewelry, Los Angeles, CA
• I’m not obsessive about online reviews, but I do put a request out to my Facebook fans from time to time. — Janne Etz, Contemporary Concepts, Cocoa, FL
• A personal email with a link to our Google reviews page and a thank-you in the email. — Tim Sherrer, Lou’s Jewelry, Mobile, AL
• We have a program, but it is tough getting staff to ask for reviews! So hence, it has been semi-effective. — David Lindsay, Purdy’s Jewellery & Gems, Bobcaygeon, ON
• Podium. It worked very well for us initially, but like everything else, you must keep up with it and nurture it, which requires time and effort. Not just with Podium, but with most of the technology out there claiming to make life easier, you still have to work it to be successful. There are no easy ways to be successful. — Jon Walp, Long Jewelers, Virginia Beach, VA
• Revetize. It’s effective if people will take the time to do it. Promises, promises. — Dave Fadel, Fadel Enterprises, Bountiful, UT
• Mozeo and SnapRetail. — David Abrams, Grand Jewelers, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
• We have Google reviews links that are attached to our point-of-sale system. They send an automated text to our customers (after we have their approval of course!). — Sandra Locken, Sarini Fine Jewellery, Vulcan, AB
• Podium. We have gone from 20 Google reviews all-time to 109 in about 18 months. — Sydney Nusinov, Charles Nusinov & Sons, Parkville, MD
• We do, but not as often as we should. This might be a good project to get my people on while it’s quiet! — Melissa Quick, Steve Quick Jeweler, Chicago, IL

No: 48%

• I don’t like the logistics of it. Podium pings their phones moments after they leave the store. I would find this annoying and somewhat intruding. — Donnie Blanton, Brittany’s Fine Jewelry, Gainesville, FL
• We don’t feel encouraging online reviews are genuine. We are only interested in genuine reviews that happen organically. — Bob Goodman, Robert Goodman Jewelers, Zionsville, IN
• I can’t buy a stapler without being asked to review it. I refuse to put my customers through another request for review. If they want to say something nice about us on Google or Yelp, great and many do. I’ll never ask for their time for reviews though. — Ray Lantz, The Diamond Center, Claremont, CA
• We reach out personally to each client to get reviews as we have found it more effective than automatic applications. We have over 350 5-star Google reviews, so the personal touch seems to be working! — Kaeleigh Testwuide, The Diamond Reserve, Denver, CO
• If I find a review, I will respond to it. As far as I know, I have no negatives. My BBB rating is A+ and I have as much business as I can handle. — Mark Thomas Ruby, SunSpirit Designs, Loveland, CO
• My reviews online stink because I support Trump online. Oh well. — Barry Fixler, Barry’s Estate Jewelry, Bardonia, NY
• To me, online reviews means Yell Even Louder People [yelp.com], a website I refuse to get involved with. No thank you. — James Doggett, Doggett Jewelry, Kingston, NH
• We are emailed when there is a review, and I personally answer each review. — Tim Wright, Simply Unique Jewelry Designs, Yorktown, VA
• I’m not using any service or tech to help drive reviews because I haven’t yet been convinced that the benefits justify the cost. I’m not opposed, just not convinced enough to sign up for a monthly commitment. I remember being told that you HAVE TO have a Yellow Pages ad. Right now for me, this new marketing product falls into the same category. — David Phelps, John David Jewelers, Durham, NC
• No need to manage them. I rarely look at them or put credibility to them. — Craig C. Curtis, Belfast Jewelry, Belfast, ME
• I want my reviews to be organic. I got a 1-star review last summer from a young lady that brought in a piece of Etsy junk and wanted me to make it fit the lovely custom engagement ring my husband had made. She had never been in our store, and her fiancé was our customer. The answer to her review got me a $1,000 plus repair job and a $2,000 custom mother’s ring order because the customers liked how I handled the 1-star. We have mostly 5s, a couple of 3s and a couple of 1s, and I am okay with that. It makes us look real. — Jo Goralski, The Jewelry Mechanic, Oconomowoc, WI