With the release of iOS 10.3, Apple introduced a native rating prompt called ‘Apple Ratings.’ This prompt allowed users to review any app right inside that app. The idea was to generate more ratings by making it easier for users to give their feedback. On the surface, it appears to have worked. However, by no fault of Apple, app developers and businesses got the short end of the stick.
Jeremy Starling, a blogger from business2community.com, explains that the Apple Ratings prompt significantly increased the quantity of ratings received by 32x, but failed to produce quality reviews. Quality reviews in this case refer to specific, direct feedback. While the Apple Ratings prompt gave users the option to provide specific feedback, that option was presented after the user submitted the rating. Most users ignored the request for direct feedback, likely because they felt they had already done their part.
Ratings can make a business look good, but without specific feedback, a company won’t know what customers want, which stifles growth. To give customers what they want, a business needs to collect specific, direct feedback.
What Apple Ratings got right
The one thing Apple Ratings got right was making it easy for users to rate an app. This is evidenced by the enormous increase in daily ratings and not surprisingly led to higher average ratings for some businesses. However, there’s no point in generating ratings if you’re not also generating specific feedback. Ratings can make you look good, but only feedback can help you fine-tune your business operations.
Apple Ratings focused on stars, not user experience
Online ratings have become the standard for establishing a business’ reputation. Nearly every business hopes to achieve a 5-star rating, but only a few rare businesses manage this feat. Achieving a 5-star rating requires receiving only 5-star reviews from customers, which is highly unlikely for most.
Getting feedback from customers isn’t easy. The majority of satisfied customers will never say a word, while slightly inconvenienced customers tend to express their opinions loudly. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Negative feedback can provide some of the most valuable information a company could ever ask for. However, many companies struggle to get any feedback at all.
Apple Ratings was designed to generate more feedback for app developers and businesses, but failed to generate the kind of feedback businesses could use.
How you can get better feedback
To get better, specific feedback from your customers, you need to do two things: set up a system that makes providing feedback easy and asks for feedback.
If your customers use your app, it’s fairly easy to get the feedback you want. Since Apple Ratings came out, other apps have been created to cover what Apple Ratings missed.
Delighted is picking up the slack
To get that valuable specific feedback, you need Delighted. This app picks up the slack where Apple Ratings fell short. Delighted makes it possible for users to rate your business without leaving your app, but also collects direct, specific feedback from your customers.
Taking it one step further, Delighted calculates a Net Promoter Score (NPS) that tells you how likely your customers are to recommend your business to others. Since word of mouth is the most effective form of advertising, it’s critical for you to know where your business stands.
Don’t have an app? Start asking for feedback anyway
If your business doesn’t have an app, start asking for feedback in the old fashioned way. Post on social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter asking what customers think you do well and where you can improve. Let your customers know you want to hear it all—the good, bad, and the ugly.
A negative experience with a brand is the reason 86% of people stop doing business with that company. Most just walk away and never say a word. If you don’t know what you’re doing wrong, you won’t know what to fix.
Don’t rely on one app for everything
If you want to grow your customer base and increase your bottom line, you need specific feedback from customers to guide company changes. That’s where Apple Ratings fell short and where you can do better.
Don’t rely on any piece of software to handle all of your feedback needs. You’ll probably need several applications to cover all your bases. Take advantage of all the software you can find. Test it out, use what works, and ditch what doesn’t support your feedback generating goals.
