RatePoint Survey Reveals 70 Percent of Consumers Appreciate Being Asked to Write an Online Review

NEEDHAM, Mass., Sept. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- RatePoint, the simplest way for local businesses to track and improve their online reputation, reports results of a consumer survey showing 70 percent of consumers say they would appreciate being asked to write a review by a local business while only six percent say they would rather not be asked.

The RatePoint study, which asked 185 consumers about their perceptions of online reviews, revealed that without prompting from a business, consumers may be more likely to post reviews about their negative experiences. More than 40 percent said they were very likely to post a review after experiencing poor service, while 32 percent were very likely to post after good service.

"Local business owners who turn a blind eye or don't ask for reviews are simply missing out," said Keith Cooper, CEO of RatePoint. "Consumers appreciate being asked and are waiting to post reviews about their positive experiences. If local businesses never ask for reviews, they are missing out on a wealth of positive feedback that will attract new customers."

The online review dialogue isn't limited to just asking for reviews. Sixty-six percent of survey respondents stated they would be likely to consider a business that publicly responds to positive online reviews, while 40 percent indicated they are likely to consider a local business that responds to a negative online review. Through RatePoint, small business owners have the opportunity to communicate with and respond to all reviewers, whether the feedback is positive or negative, when the review is submitted via RatePoint services.

"Sometimes a negative review can turn off a customer, but our consumer behavior study shows a public response from the business can win back a customer who might have otherwise taken their business elsewhere," said Cooper. "It's essential for local businesses to participate in the online review conversation, including asking for reviews and responding publicly once reviews, positive or negative, have been posted."

In August, RatePoint announced the beta launch of RatePoint Review Report. Local businesses can get a free report assessing their business and comparing their online reputation to one other local business by going to www.ratepoint.com. RatePoint Review Report automatically gathers information from the top sites for reviews and ratings and provides a single, comprehensive evaluation and Reputation Score to assess the business's reputation compared to local competitors.

About RatePoint Inc.

RatePoint Inc., the simplest way for small and local businesses to track and improve their online reputation, allows business owners to harness the power of credible customer feedback and leverage it into a sales, marketing and customer service asset.

RatePoint's easy-to-use, Web-based services include a comprehensive Review Report to assess the business's current online reputation, monitoring to track what's being said online and improvement tools to help collect customer reviews and publish them to the local business's website, social networks and local search sites. For more information, contact us at: 888-777-1636 or visit: www.ratepoint.com.

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SOURCE RatePoint