Reviews are changing. It’s already started. The world is sharing its opinions and word-of-mouth is no longer one-to-one communication. We Yelp things and leave feedback for the businesses we use. Google gives us 5 stars. It’s not just Zagats and the newspaper. The people are telling businesses big and small what they think and how often they think it every day.

But 5 stars is an arbitrary idea fraught with inaccuracies. No one uses the same method. Ask 10 friends. Take our blind poll to see the various ways people equate a 5 star rating versus 3, 4, and 5 stars.

Don’t just trust us. Ask around.

In our experience, most people have their own methods for review. Some are based on intuitions, some feelings, some a checklist of positives, some based on the number of negatives. Whatever your method is, it’s another addition to a vast list of variables which make it clear; there is little science, very few clear cut ways to assess a business using 5 stars!

That’s why we use an A/B style of review–it’s a yes or no. We start off simple. Here’s how it works:

1. Do you recommend the services or products provided by this business? Check Yes or No.
   1. YES? Fantastic!
   2. Tell them why. Everyone loves a pat on the back.
2. NO? Let’s dig deeper. Did they do something wrong? Check Yes Or No.
   1. YES? Leave a private message that’s sent transparently to the business. Use your real name, email and a phone number.
   2. NO? Sometimes a business is just not your style. That’s OK.

We must be willing to discuss our issues rationally and directly to truly be an understanding society. This message is sent to the business managers and owners for them to determine how best to work with the customer to address the issue at hand.

That’s not to say every issue is a problem of the business. We must accept that sometime the business and the customer are simply not great fits. We have 7 billion people on the planet. It’s simply impossible to say we’ll all get along. That’s OK.

If this is the case, check no. They didn’t do anything wrong, necessarily. It just wasn’t for you. You can choose to leave recommendations on how they may better their business, or not. It’s up to the reviewer!

Again… This is all sent PRIVATELY to the business. It’s become too easy to complain online without merit. The world of business is difficult. We should be willing to complain with a conscience. Allow the business whose service didn’t meet our expectations decide whether to solve your matter and move along with our lives to a bigger and better experience.

If an experience with a business requires more advanced attention than the owners can provide, Local Links can refer to legal guidance.

It’s key that we have honest discourse. This means all sides must have the ability to express their opinions. Uber/Lyft and other services advanced the review process with customer reviews. It’s now an even playing field. We agree with this philosophy. Sometimes a customer is just not the right fit. Though businesses are not always able to differentiate an experience from customer to customer, Local Links’ customer tracking capabilities give vendors the ability to review their experience with the customer if they so choose.

Just like customer reviews, this is an A/B or yes/no process.

1. Do you welcome this customer back to your business? Check yes or no.
   1. If yes? fantastic!
   2. Let them know!
2. If no? Do you wish to address the issue with the customer? Check yes or no.
   1. If yes? We’ll reach out to the customer with a request to speak further.
   2. If no? Move on to the next Ideal Customer!

Ultimately, it’s the decision of those receiving criticism to decide how they respond.

As stated before, reviews should be a direct one-to-one opportunity to build honest discourse between people. This is essentially the same number of steps taken in the 5 star system but with a more accurate assessment of the business to customer relationship with more direct communication.

All reviews made within our systems require proof of purchase by all customers and a detailed review of vendor issues with customers that vendors no longer wish to serve.

Essentially, if an issue is worth disputing, spending the time/energy necessary to make a negative review, it should only be done with a purpose.

If the purpose is simply to complain for public sake, there are other ways to do so that don’t hold stake in the livelihood of people with families and friends. We have bad days. We all have different tastes, perspectives… You get the picture.

It’s imperative that we give the review process an ethical face-lift. It’s vital we instill a purpose into our evaluations that seeks to find a solution if necessary, but also highlight the fact that our services are able to be niche. There’s a lot more of us today. Businesses serve specific purposes and specific people. Businesses serve an ideal customer. Let’s ensure our customers are aware and satisfied, honestly and directly.

So, join us in saying good-bye to the 5-star reviews. Say hello to recommendations. Say hello to customer relationships.

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