This is a guest article by Chris Dunne from FeedbackExpress
If we here at FeedbackExpress had to point to just one factor that could make or break your success on Amazon, we’d say it’s definitely how your customers feel about you.
Please them, and you’ve taken care of a major part of selling online. So, how exactly do you go about boosting your Amazon seller feedback rating?
1. Identify What It Means
Before you can even begin earning great feedback reviews, you have to know what to do that’ll get you there. And once you do, you have to make it your maxim to practice it all the time. Customer satisfaction isn’t a part-time job – it should be your primary focus.
The first step can be further subdivided into the actions you take and pretty much leave on the table, and the actions that need to be done again and again.
With the former, we mean that it’s things like being 100% honest about a product’s specifications (i.e. that Tickle-Me-Elmo doll is not new if you drooled on it in your sleep). And with the latter, it’s things like responding to customers in real time, but we’ll tackle that in the next point.
2. Answer Questions and Address Concerns
We can’t stress this enough — there are no off times or days when it comes to customers’ questions on Amazon. The online marketplace has made customer satisfaction their number one priority, and that extends to each of its sellers.
This doesn’t mean you have to answer emails at 3am in the morning, but you should aim to respond to everything in a 24-hour time period.
3. Ask How You’re Doing
Fact: customers are more likely to leave unsolicited feedback if the experience was negative than if it was positive. This is because people expect each experience to be at least uneventful; when it’s bad, they feel compelled to speak out and warn the masses.
So, if you’ve been trying hard at obtaining a great Amazon seller feedback rating, that puts you at a disadvantage and means a smidgen more legwork for you. You have to chase after those word-shy customers and ask them to leave a review. Plus, if you want to be super attentive, shoot them an email before asking for feedback so you have a chance to address any concerns before pen is put to paper.
4. Make Things Right No Matter What
Sometimes you’ll get that dreaded one-star review, but it’s an inevitable part of selling online. You just can’t please all the people all the time, even if you’re the biggest name on Amazon.
But when that happens, don’t just leave it sitting there. A negative review doesn’t mean the end of that case, but instead should be viewed — as corny as this sounds — as a chance to figure out what to change in the future. It’s sort of like getting an school essay: you may not be happy to have your grammar errors pointed out in red ink, but it’s a sign of the gap you need to close before scoring an A next time.
And on Amazon specifically, that means reaching out to your buyers to get more details on just what soured them. Was it the product arriving one day later than expected, or the appearance not matching the description? Whatever it is, talk to them one-on-one and see how you could have improved their experience. And hey, you may just get an opportunity to do that right then and there.
5. Understanding Key Differences
There are two areas we want to address when it comes to feedback:
- FBA: Most professional sellers employ FBA, which isn’t a perfect method all the time. Packages get delayed or damaged, but if it happens on Amazon’s watch, that doesn’t (or rather, shouldn’t) affect your rating. Just keep a close eye on things to make sure Amazon’s put those reviews in a separate pile.
- Product reviews: If you’ve written 100% accurate and descriptive copy and shipped things out exactly as specified, then negativity usually stems from subjective opinions about the item. This is a tough one, but sift through the words to glean how you performed.
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*A version of this article first appeared on the FeedbackExpress website