Back in 2016, BrightLocal (a SEO company based in UK) conducted a study about the influence of online reviews and how it affects our decision when it comes to buying something online.

The study stated that 79% of respondents consider online reviews as trustworthy, likening them to a personal recommendation from a friend. And that 91% of respondents first read online reviews and uses it as a determining factor when purchasing a product or service online.

So if this is the case, then it is without doubt safe to say that each and every Amazon customer service feedback you have, and will get, matters….. a lot!

But then again, I stumbled upon an article a while back which said that only 5% of Amazon customers leave a feedback after every purchase. This means that with only a handful of feedback to your name (if any), your trustworthiness as an Amazon seller may suffer in the eyes of online consumers.

Amazon Customer Service Feedback In A Nutshell

There are two types of Amazon customer service feedback, “seller” and “product” feedback.

Seller feedback pertains to how well you performed as a seller, while product feedback pertains to the quality of the product you’re selling.

Though both are important, what you should keep an eye on is your Seller Feedback. Why you ask? We’ll it’s due to the fact that there will always be customers that will never be satisfied with what they ordered online regardless of how accurate you described/explained what you sold them. On the other hand, you can control the impression you leave to a customer.

Do you see the difference?

Moving on, Amazon rates their seller feedback on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. 1 star being the lowest, which basically says “stay away from this seller”, and with 5 stars as the highest, placing your Amazon store on the “trustworthy list” of many Amazon buyers.

And in order to keep a high degree of trust in the eyes of Amazon buyers, your feedback rating must not drop below 95%.

Kinda steep you say? Well not really. Wanna know how to keep it that way?

Treat any Amazon Customer Service Feedback below 4 stars as a 1

For some, an Amazon customer service feedback lower than 4 may not be a huge problem. But if you are serious about keeping your feedback rate up, then you should treat it as a mediocre, or even negative reflection towards your product or business.

As an Amazon seller, you need to keep in mind that every review, and the removal of negative ones, can have a huge impact on your potential to get a sale and keeping a high feedback rating.

Think about it this way. Would you do, or try, something again that you deemed mediocre? The answer would be no right? Well a 3 star rating is exactly that way… a mediocre take by a customer towards your product and you as a seller.

So how do you address this?

Well, you need to assure that your product is of good quality and is described accurately. This sets an expectation for potential customers. If you set their expectation way too high, you might end up disappointing them. Setting it too low though might deter them from buying from you.

So just be precise with your product descriptions. The more you go into details, the better.

Read related article: Learn How You Can Get 5 Star Customer Reviews On Amazon

How to extract positive Amazon Customer Feedback from your customers

When it comes to extracting positive feedback, it all boils down to a single thing…. and that is providing unquestionable customer service. This is true in the real world and more so online.

Within the Amazon ecosystem, customers are known to leave favorable feedback when their expectations are met. So again, make sure that you do meet their expectation, or even surpass it.

Here are 3 things you should keep in mind:

• Make sure that products are shipped on time, or even earlier if possible
• Reply to any queries immediately, or at least within 24 hours. If you find this difficult to achieve, then use third party autoresponders to inform customers that their queries have been received
• Humanize your customer interaction by not sending typical template email messages. The more personalized the emails sound, the better your relationship with each customer becomes

Also, a very effective method employed by top Amazon sellers to improve their Amazon customer service feedback rating is the use of a simple hand written thank you letter with every package they send. Again, this is to make your customers feel that you appreciate their purchase. And this is also a good way to foster a long lasting business relationship between buyer and seller.

But do keep in mind that though Amazon allows sellers to ask for feedback from their customers, it is a violation of Amazon’s TOS (terms of service) to provide incentives, and/or gifts, in return for a positive feedback.

So when asking for a feedback from your customers, timing and method are two important things you need to consider. As for me, being discreet about it is key. Place yourself in the shoes of the buyer and use that to formulate your approach in asking for a feedback.

Well if you ask me, I ask for feedback a day after the delivery date through SellerLift.

Read related article: How And Why You Should Convince Your Amazon Customer To Leave You A Feedback

Handling negative Amazon Customer Feedback

In truth, there is no way for you to not get a negative Amazon customer service feedback. If not now, you will eventually get one, regardless of how much effort you put into customer service. Don’t worry though as there are ways to handle them.

First thing you need to do is to see if said feedback is against the guidelines set by Amazon. If it is, then you can ask Amazon to remove it permanently.

You need to check if:

• Feedback has personal identifiable info
• Feedback is a product review
• Feedback pertains to fulfillment or customer service for an order Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA)

If any of your current, or future, negative feedback falls under those three categories mentioned above, then all you have to do is send an email to Amazon informing them about the violation.

How to further minimize getting negative feedback:

• Provide unquestionable customer and/or after sale service
• Ship packages through professional couriers
• Be honest with your product descriptions. Include clear photos of your items with size reference. As for condition, make sure to state even the littlest of defect just to be safe
• Always respond to any queries your customer may have at the soonest time possible. If you are not able to do so, use a third party auto responder to at least inform the client that his/her message has been received. Make sure though to reply to the query within 24 hours

Read related article: Amazon Business Psychology: How to deal with customers and minimize negative feedback

Top tip for Amazon sellers:

Sellers that make it a habit to communicate, or establish a relationship with their clients get better feedback. So make sure to take time and send your customers an email, and remind them that you are very much willing to address their questions and/or any issue that might arise.

Top tip for Amazon sellers:

When you get a negative feedback, use it as a way to gauge your branding/marketing methods. Sometimes all we need is a slap in the face to realize our own shortcomings.

And if you want to communicate with your customers hassle free, then try infusing SellerLift into your Amazon after-sale campaign. By doing so, you are not only assured that each of your emails are sequenced and automatically sent on time, but you also save yourself the hassle of creating and sending emails, allowing you to do other important things to help your Amazon business grow.

Anyway, I do hope this article has helped you in any way. If it has, please do me a favor and share it to your network.

Have an awesome day!