Amazon has always tried to keep people from using their “reviews” as “conversation threads”. Even referencing another review was strictly prohibited.
But that didn’t stop people from conversing.
It seems like Amazon has now embraced it and now consider reviews as “conversation starters”. People are now allowed to talk to each other directly. And of course, we can listen in.
I suspect that this is going to alter posts significantly. If people know that reviews are "conversation starters" rather than individual posts, it could result in more conversational/open ended reviews to provoke discussion.
Of course there are also unintended consequences. Who owns the thread/review? How do you filter flame wars?
The only thing that will ultimately matter is if we get better reviews. I suspect that anything that allows us to have more “authentic conversations” will lead to better understanding of the product and the consumer.
The opportunity for our clients? Turn your customer service people loose on Amazon. Have them go defend your product/service in an open forum.
Quentin George
Comments
Connections
Interesting move – and I agree that “The only thing that will ultimately
matter is if we get better reviews. I suspect that anything that allows
us to have more “authentic conversations” will lead to better understanding of the product and the consumer.”
But I may be nitpicking on word choice, but I would caution ‘turning loose’ client customer service people on reviews or other community dialog to ‘defend’ their products in reviews.
Most companies don’t have the disposition or credibility to just jump into an existing community to interact on a transparent, honest level. They are so used to controlling the conversation that they do get defensive, or engage in spin, neither of which is a good thing to do in a community space.
Companies that do not have any current community engagement should start with listening… For their first or even early foray into community to be defending themselves in product reviews is likely result in a backlash. Companies interested in defending their brand and products need to engage with their customers in an ongoing dialog – it is in those home-grown communities where a company will establish the trust (provided they listen and respond honestly to criticism) and build an engaged base that will defend their products for them.
This is a space reserved for confident brands. If a brand doesn’t have confidence in its proposition, it shouldn’t open itself up for dialog. The outcome will be too problematic.
Confident brands are made stronger by real, raw, unfiltered feedback. In fact, they welcome it. Technology companies were early to adopt this open approach and its become a source of new product ideas. It also allows the community to share concerns and answer questions which reduces call center traffic.
Done right, its a win-win.