customer feedback/Testimonials for websites?

[jane p]

Do you have it?
How important is it and how do you get it, just ask people will they bother to write something for you?

 

[Calibre Designs]

Testimonials do really help, especially if they are presented credibly. It's easier for us as we are B2B. We state the name, position, web address. Some of our clients who have used us went to the trouble of contacting people we have detailed on our site

 

[jane p]

I thought it would be nice to have some. We have asked a few people they havent come back with anything yet i think they have forgotten will see i suppose. They go out the shop and it slips their mind maybe.

 

[Bri]

I thought it would be nice to have some. We have asked a few people they havent come back with anything yet i think they have forgotten will see i suppose. They go out the shop and it slips their mind maybe.

I found in the past, altough theyve agreed to do it, its not high on their agenda so I ahd to pester the hell out of them, sometimes writing it myself and submitting copy for them to approve. Usually works.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

Testimonials are essential for me. If I didn't have them on my sites, I'd struggle.

I should have a system, but it's pretty ad hoc. If a client says something that'd be good as a testimonial, I ask them if they'd write it down so I can use it on my site.

Steve

 

[paulam]

I have got quite a few testimonials from my customers simply by asking them to let me know when their goods arrive and if everything arrived safely.
Its rare that anyone emails me and just says yes its there, they usually add on something about how pleased they are, which I then ask if I can add to the customer testimonial page on my website.
I design and sell wedding and civil partnership stationery and usually have had quite a bit of contact with the customer before hand so I'm not sure if this would work for all business.

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

If customers volunteer a testimonial by email (without any request from us), we ask their permission and post it on the testimonial page of our website. If not, we do send a link to them after the item has been delivered, to posting a testimonial on Free Index, with a link to this from our website. A small proportion follow this, but as this is an e-commerce shopping site, with a fair no. of customers, we do get a reasonable no. of testimonials.

Barrie

 

[Mister B]

We use testimonials and generally speaking, quote our customers directly on the website. We never refer to their name, referring to them only as Mrs G from Maidstone etc, and as such have never felt the need to seek their permission to use their words. Accordingly, we are simply quoting their letter of thanks and reproducing it on our testimonials page. Is this something anybody else does? Mister B

 

[Morgan]

We use testimonials and generally speaking, quote our customers directly on the website. We never refer to their name, referring to them only as Mrs G from Maidstone etc, and as such have never felt the need to seek their permission to use their words. Accordingly, we are simply quoting their letter of thanks and reproducing it on our testimonials page. Is this something anybody else does? Mister B

I do the same Mister B. My area of business is such an delicate one for bereaved people, I don't feel it would be sensitive of me to email them to ask if I can quote them on my testimonials page so I refer to them as Mr H or just thier first name etc.

 

[Arial]

Customer Testimonials are extremely important for me as is word of mouth.

With the type of product I sell it goes a long way in converting sales. I receive them after the customers have tried my product. When I dispatch the item I ask that they contact me to let me know they have received the item securely and their thoughts on the product and service.

I would never add any to the site without asking permission, simply due to the type of product I sell.

 

[Rhyl Lightworks]

I think it is good PR to ask a customer if you can use their comments (they invariably say yes). Not only do they feel involved and their comments are being appreciated, but they often re-visit the website to view their comments, if they know they have a testimonial on. They may then buy something else. We just send a reply to any email we receive as follows:

'Hi...............
Thanks for the generous feedback - it is much appreciated.

I wonder if you would be kind enough to give us permission to post a copy of your feedback, on our testimonial page on our website. We need permission to do this of course.

If you are willing we would only identify you by your initials and area, e.g. 'BN of Denbighshire'.

If you agree to give your permission for this could you please reply to this email with an OK.
If not you need take no further action.

In case you have forgotten, a copy of your feedback email follows.

Thank you'

 

[Fuzzy]

As Meg Ryan once said................."yes, yes, yes"

Essential in Fuzzy's opinion

 

[jane p]

Thanks all for input. Perhaps they are not sure what exactly we want them to say!

 

[davidshaw89]

Testimonials are essential for me. If I didn't have them on my sites, I'd struggle.

I should have a system, but it's pretty ad hoc. If a client says something that'd be good as a testimonial, I ask them if they'd write it down so I can use it on my site.

Steve

I'm surprised that as a marketeer you don't ask for testimonials.

I always remember Chris Cardell constantly speaking about how every company should have a system of asking customers for a testimonial, setting asside time to phone them up etc etc.

I don't mean to sound patronising, I'm just generally surprised

 

[directmarketingadvice]

I'm surprised that as a marketeer you don't ask for testimonials.

I always remember Chris Cardell constantly speaking about how every company should have a system of asking customers for a testimonial, setting asside time to phone them up etc etc.

I don't mean to sound patronising, I'm just generally surprised

I do it, it's just not systemised.

At the moment, there are 19 testimonials on the testimonials page of my site.

Once you get to that sort of number, adding a few more doesn't make enormous difference. But, you're right, I should keep asking for them.

(and, I should be looking into getting audio and video testimonials, too)

Steve

 

[jane p]

would like some customer comments so will keep asking them. Telling them to email it was a good idea!

 

[Barry J Wale]

I have to say that printed testimonials are rather tenuous, hence the reason why video testimonials are starting to become quite popular. Having said that, most of what is being produced is poorly shot, crudely edited with no thought or attention given to the quality of the overall production.

I hate to take advantage of this thread by advertising my own work, but I would welcome an opinion on the videos that I produce. These videos are quite different from anything currently hosted on the web, and in terms of the price and quality I offer, virtually unbeatable. These are not mundane 'talking-head' corporate videos, but credible mini-documentaries story-driven entirely by believable testimony from customers and/or staff, all intercut with dynamic visuals of the business. Please do take a look - each one has a running time of approximately 3-4 minutes.

http://www.barryjwale.com

You might also be interested to see how these videos have slotted directly into my clients' own websites:

http://www.nctc-online.co.uk/

http://www.hartfieldguesthouse.co.uk/

http://www.runninginjuryclinic.co.uk/

http://www.ticwebshops.com/testimonials.php

http://www.rugbydoubleglazing.co.uk/

http://www.3queenshotel.co.uk/welcome.htm

http://www.sage-safetyandtraining.co.uk/testimonials

I'd appreciate your feedback - positive or negative!

Barry

 

[SpeakOutMedia]

Barry, the videos look superb. You have good experience behind you also.

We actually offer the same service, video testimonials, and do find that testimonials add great power and trust to a website. I believe there is a big thread about Testimonials on the Marketing & PR section of this forum.

Keep up the good work,
James.

 

[Barry J Wale]

Thanks James. Just checked out your site too - good work! I'm glad to see that you've avoided the VO approach and are using real folk to tell the story.

There's so much expensive polish on corporate videos these days, but so many of these videos have no substance whatsoever.

Barry

 

[amv1981]

Yeah... asking them to approve what you've written can be the easiest option for getting testimonials.

 

[niagra]

As I sell a lot on ebay and my website is not very well known I have a link to my ebay feedback just to reassure people that I do have a track record in ecommerce. Don't know if it works but I felt that I had to have some form of testimonial on my website.

Dario