Recently, the use of chatbots embedded with AI such as ChatGPT has become popular.
But search engines like Google have been embedding AI for a long time. Now, we’re starting to see them expand AI usage to create a better search experiences. As search engines increasingly employ AI in their algorithms, it has become essential for your company to be recommended by clients via online reviews.
Prasanna Perera
How AI Engines Learn About Your Company
To understand how to get your company recommended by AI, we need to consider how AI is trained.
Most of the training data for AI engines comes from information on the internet such as written text, PDF documents, images, and videos. When an AI engine recommends a company, it relies on what it learned from this training data.
A portion of this learning includes credible third-party online reviews. Therefore, to gain favor from AI engines to recommend your website or company, these third-party reviews will be important.
How to Get Good Reviews
Request reviews from your clients at opportune moments, such as after resolving a client’s IT issue or completing a project milestone. Politely ask if they are willing to share their experiences. Make it easy by providing a link to the review page. You also can incentivize them to keep a review using a loyalty program or a small thank-you gift.
For MSPs, good online review sites include Google Business Profile and Clutch.
Here is a sample email that you can use to get a review:
Subject: Share Your Experience with [Your Business Name]
Hi [customer name],
We hope you’re doing well!
We’re reaching out because we’d truly appreciate it if you would take a few minutes to share your experience with [your business name].
Your feedback is incredibly valuable to us, as it helps us improve our services and better serve our customers. Whether you recently used our [service/product] or have been a loyal client for a while, we’d love to hear what you think!
Leaving a review is quick and easy. Simply click the link below:
[Link to review page]
We appreciate your time and feedback!
Sincerely,
The Team at [your business name]
Summary
Going forward, credible online reviews will not only influence people’s decisions about which MSP to work with but will also influence how that company ranks in search results.
So, make sure you have a strategy to consistently receive positive online reviews.
Prasanna Perera is managing partner of RiseOak, an MSP marketing company.
Image: iStock
