How does anyone take them seriously?

Do 5-star ratings really mean anything?

Amazon asks you to give a review for every product you buy and every delivery you receive. Rotten Tomatoes and IMDb reviews can influence a movie’s box office almost as soon as it comes out. Uber and Lyft drivers get passed over if they don’t have a 5-star rating, and get upset if you dare to give them 4. Restaurants need at least 4 stars to stay busy.

In a day when everyone is asking for 5-star ratings, and superlatives are routinely expected in reviews, how does anyone take them seriously?

And why do I always feel like I am being gamed?

Even though everyone seems to use a 5-star rating system, that doesn’t mean the ratings are equal. If you are looking for something on Amazon, will you buy it if it has less than 4 stars? If you read the reviews of a product and someone says it “met expectations”, does that give you pause?

If your Lyft driver has less than 4.5 stars, do you even get in their vehicle? Both Uber and Lyft use a 5-star system to rate drivers and passengers, and the drivers quickly learn to ask for a 5-star rating because their livelihood depends on it (anything under 4.5 stars risks them being deactivated.) Any rating less than 5-stars causes the app to ask why, a preprogrammed prompt which “encourages” riders to always give a 5. Don’t want to be bothered with a rating? Lyft automatically gives drivers a 5 anytime the passenger does not rate them.

Meanwhile, review sites like Yelp have gained a reputation for negative reviews, since their system uses an algorithm that some people say gives negative and fake reviews too much attention, while ousting some positive reviews because they were “too good to be true.” (Of course the author of the linked post even used to work for a company that paid/gave free items to people who left positive reviews for clients, so keep that in mind.)

And does every last interaction have to be a five-star gold-plated warm-fuzzy capital-E “Experience”? Not really. Sometimes people just want to get something done quickly and efficiently, and move on with their day. “Met expectations” isn’t always a bad thing for credit unions.

So how can we even trust any ratings or reviews? And, more to the point, should you even bother with them?

Ratings & reviews can be important. When done right.

If you are responsible for your CU brand’s marketing, then ratings and reviews are certainly worth paying attention to.

After all, ratings and reviews are user-generated content – certified marketing gold for today’s brands – which is the main reason everyone is so gaga over them. Reviews of products and service provide insights, which help you fine-tune your products, and improve member experiences. They help with reputation management, build credibility, and attract new members.

You just have to understand the limitations and opportunities of ratings and reviews.

Forget the number of stars. Focus on people instead.

Stars and rankings on a scale are simple for participants, and generate numbers that fit neatly into spreadsheets, but numbers are lousy at communicating anything of human value – especially when they’ve been gamed to be artificially high. Most people have learned that those numbers don’t mean much any more.

It’s the emotional, human responses that matter. What happened? How did they feel about it? How did they want to feel about it? And for that you need human words and human attention.

Instead of worrying about rankings or stars, focus on gathering feedback through regular surveys that address specific topics or member questions. By asking better questions, you will get more useful responses.

(Just remember that not everyone was an English major in college, but that’s OK; authenticity is much more important than grammar, and you can go ahead and correct misspellings…)

Testimonials have power. Stories have connection.

Testimonials on your website are a great way to provide social proof that your credit union is reliable and trustworthy. It’s a very effective way to convince people who have already expressed interest in your product or service.

But asking for a testimonial is a big ask. It sounds a bit too formal and too time-intensive for the respondent. So ask for a story, instead.

People love to talk about themselves and their experiences. By collecting stories about member experiences you will learn how well (or not so well) your staff helped your members. People are emotional animals and they respond to stories of a friendly, caring experience. Warm, fuzzy, successful experiences make great content, and stories like that make great testimonials.

Google Reviews are another example of testimonials; make sure you claim all your locations, keep an eye on the reviews, respond where appropriate, and ask for feedback. You can’t control what people say, but you can make sure you’re part of the conversation.

Surveys and other ways to gather emotional intelligence

Sometimes you need a better way to get a broader range of opinions about how you are doing. For that, most credit unions turn to a survey. If you are considering one, pay close attention to the audience you select and the questions you ask.

Our CUCheck “Online Focus Group” process started from a simple observation; when the results of various surveys are presented to credit union leadership, the comments always get a lot more attention than the numbers. So we developed a secure, anonymous process to gather and filter this incredibly important information, and turn it into emotional intelligence, brand insights, and action. Even with sensitive topics and big questions, it’s a great way to get insights you can’t get any other way.

By focusing on what real people really say, you can learn a lot more.

Kent Dicken
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