This morning I had an extremely interesting discussion with Alan Charnock of  Just Search.  This man is seriously good at SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  How do I know?  When you enter ‘SEO’ into Google.co.uk, he is second on the list under the Wikipedia entry.

I can see no reason for taking any other standard than his own search engine ranking  to rate an SEO expert.

He was enthusiastic about the possibilities of using Feefo for SEO, and the possibilities of enhancing our suppliers’ sales by lifting the Feefo pages up the search engine rankings.  All of this was music to my ears, and we shall certainly be following up this contact.

But if we were only in the business of improving our clients’ search engine rankings, I would not have bothered to develop Feefo.  It does not excite me to think that I might enable one supplier to generate more sales than another simply by putting them higher on a list.  

Feefo does far more than that.  It re-introduces old fashioned values into internet retailing.   By this, I mean the values that operated in the corner shop.  In that shop, the man behind the counter talked to his customers, and, by doing so, made them enjoy buying from him.  He also learnt what his customers wanted, which made him a better supplier as well as a more profitable supplier.

Altering the  rankings in search engines is an empty gain.  Helping a supplier improve his business is a winner for both supplier and customer.

Occasionally, when considering how long it it has taken us to get Feefo off the ground, I feel the need to rehearse the argument behind Feefo.  It goes like this:

The internet has provided us with an unparallelled opportunity to be open and transparent in our dealings.  The advent of Feefo has enabled any business, if it wishes, to demonstrate that transparency by letting all its customers comment on an unmoderated public website.   If a business offers a good service, what earthly reason could there be NOT to adopt Feefo?

The only reason I can currently suggest is that they are not aware that we exist.    There are other reasons, but these look increasingly feeble.  The first is that we are a small company.  This is, of course, true, but it has not stopped us providing an excellent service to all our clients so far, as they attest in our unmoderated feedback.  And we won’t be small for long.   The second is that they are afraid.  This is a rotten reason.  If your customers hate you, then you will not be in business next year anyway.  The third is that they are not set up to handle the feedback, and would not be able to reply properly.   If this is so, then there really is something wrong with the business.   The fourth is that they have more important things to do.   This only washes for those companies that are so extraordinarily successful that they are already stretched to the full keeping up with demand.

The key feature of this model of feedback is that it is by far the best way of judging the worth of the company, that, once any significant number of businesses adopt Feefo, customers will start to ask why the rest have not done so.  But there are plenty of other reasons to jump on this bandwagon early.

The big reason, which I shall be plugging in this blog, is that it makes better businesses.   This is what all our clients tell us.  If you listen to your customers, then you have your finger on the pulse and are much more capable of refining your offering to cater for your customers’ demands, and adapting to changing conditions.  Your customers are surprisingly pleased to be asked to give their opinions, and delighted if you take note of them.

But it’s not only that.  It is also a way of involving your staff in your success, a way of keeping your management on its toes, and helps with the search engines.   I don’t like emphasising the last reason, because if that’s your primary reason for choosing Feefo, then you have got your priorities wrong;  but it’s a very good fillip - rather like the glow you get when you do someone a good turn.

All the more reason for you to JOIN NOW! There’s a time-limited free trial period  - call us on 08456 800320

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