If you have ever chosen a company via the Internet, you probably noticed how conflicting reviews about them are. Some clients write that they were satisfied with everything, and for example, the flight in business class was excellent, and the service was incredible. Others are literally ready to tear apart the company and technical support. What lies behind the reviews: the truth or the real business? And how to check the company on the Internet?
How do Reviews affect Reputation?
About 60% of users read online reviews before deciding to buy a product. Moreover, 7 out of 10 consumers will trust a company after reading positive reviews about it. Some international experts and marketers come to this conclusion. This largely explains the fact that companies value their reputation on the Internet so much, because it seriously affects profits both up and down.
A few years ago, United Airlines employees broke the guitar of one of the passengers, who turned out to be a famous musician, during the shipment of luggage. After nine months of litigation and disputes, United Airlines refused to pay compensation. Then the musician shot a comical video review of the situation and posted it online. A few days later, hundreds of thousands of people watched the video, and the airline’s shares instantly fell by 10%. In total, the total damage amounted to more than $100 million.
To avoid such problems, many companies, regardless of their age and status, are seriously engaged in Online Reputation Management and Search Engine Reputation Management.
Who leaves Reviews and where?
According to research companies, every third Internet user shares his experience of buying a particular product or service. If we talk about the air travel industry, there are several main platforms for this:
- specialized publications. Readers communicate with each other in specially designated places, can comment on publications and leave opinions about companies. This is the most reliable way to find reviews of real people, which is confirmed by the person’s profile and the ability to communicate with him through the resource;
- forums. The user who leaves a review is registered on the site, so if you wish, you can track his activity and understand whether he can be trusted, as well as clarify questions of interest in the work of a car dealer. This is a popular and trusted source that can definitely be trusted;
- social media. Many users share their opinion on social networks. Reviews in social networks are divided into two groups: in the official groups of the company and in third-party public focused on collecting opinions. Social networks make it possible to get acquainted with the profile of a person and, if desired, contact him directly to obtain the necessary information. Searching for company reviews on social networks significantly reduces the possibility of stumbling upon fake messages, so this resource can also be considered reliable;
- corporate websites. On the company’s website, there are sections with reviews to introduce a potential client to the seller, increase his loyalty to the brand and motivate him to buy a ticket here. Corporate websites cannot be called a reliable source, since only positive reviews are found here;
- specialized review sites. Millions of users go to specialized sites to find reviews about companies and flights.
Many of these sites take advantage of the fact that companies have taken advantage of online reputation, so they are not a reliable source. We will dwell on this in more detail.
How do specialized Review sites work?
Some sites for collecting feedback work more or less honestly: they let the text through only after moderation, check questionable comments, block suspicious users. But there are also those who actively use the fact that the services have taken up their reputation on the network. This is the case when demand creates supply. They work in two main ways:
- as aggregators, they collect exclusively negative reviews on the network and offer companies on a paid basis the opportunity to dilute the negative with positive;
- write negative reviews themselves and offer to replace them with positive ones on a paid basis.
Most of these online services are at the top of the search results, so they always have customers willing to pay to improve their reputation.
Recommendations
To choose the right service for selecting tickets based on reviews on the Internet, remember:
- first of all, go to the websites of well-known companies, forums and social networks. Here you can see who left the review, as well as contact the person;
- carefully check the user profile, its activity and time of registration. If the review is linked to a page on social networks, go to it and see if the wall consists of advertising reposts;
- make sure that the person who left a review about buying a ticket does not do this with enviable constancy. Agree, writing about a new purchase for everyone is not always very plausible;
- pay attention to the dates. If you see that all the reviews were written at about the same time, you know that this is a fake;
- specialized review sites contain a lot of custom messages, so don’t rush to believe everything you see. Avoid the site for reviews that blatantly single out companies with a “good reputation.” This is a paid option.
As you can see, there are a lot of nuances in buying air tickets that not everyone can know about. Many unscrupulous companies specifically buy reviews or opinions from their customers in order to confirm their reputation there. But companies that do deliver really well don’t need any manipulation.
The client will know that the company provides a decent service and will be happy to apply again, while advising his friends and acquaintances, and we will also write about it in our social networks, and it will not seem like custom-made advertising or a paid PR campaign.
