REVIEWS HAVE ON BUSINESSES.

Search Engine Land, which covers digital advertising technology, reports 88 percent of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Unfortunately for businesses, Inc. magazine and entrepreneur Andrew Thomas found that a customer who has a negative business experience is highly likely to share that experience by leaving a bad review. On the other hand, someone who has had a positive experience is unlikely to leave a good review. Roughly 10 percent of happy customers say they were pleased by a product or service. Furthermore, Thomas indicates it takes roughly 40 positive customer experiences to undo the damage from a single negative review.

Customer happiness should be the goal of businesses, with the added benefit of helping to generate more positive reviews and word-of-mouth recommendations. While that is happening, customers can think twice about online reviews.

Speak to product quality, especially when you have a very good experience with an item. Many retailers request feedback via email. Take advantage of this opportunity to o er positive feedback.

Companies gather personal information from customers so they can follow up in many cases. Great customer service helps prevent bad reviews and defines companies’ brands. If you are asked for a phone number or email address, provide it. Doing so helps companies improve their products or services.

Happy customers can reach out to friends and family members to share their experiences with certain companies. Posting your own review on social media also can drum up business for a company you respect.

Customers should weigh their words heavily and think before posting a review. The marketing and consulting resource The Chat Shop says 31 percent of customers are interested in grocery store reviews, 60 percent are likely to read restaurant reviews and 70 percent rely on technology product reviews. Make an e ort to discuss issues with a company before leaving a negative review. You may be pleasantly surprised with the outcome. There’s no need to hesitate when leaving positive reviews. Simply explain why you were pleased.

Reviews can make or break a company. Both business owners and customers have a role to play in making online reviews a valuable way to learn about a company.

NOW HERE’S A TIP

By JoAnn Derson

* The way some items are packaged these days, you need to be Houdini to get into them. When you’re dealing with blister packs -- items sealed inside a hard plastic wrapper that looks to be heat crimped on the outsides -- try your can opener. You can run it around the edge of stubborn plastic packages, enough to get the item out. It’s more secure than a carpet knife or razor.

* Want to be able to tell at a glance which key belongs to the front door, the shed, your grandma’s house, etc.? Raid your (or your wife’s or daughter’s) stash of nail polish to paint the tops of keys to color code them.

* “Styrofoam trays that come with meat or in the produce area are very handy helpers for lots of little jobs. If yours are clean and unmarred, wash with hot, soapy water, rinse and dry for later. They are perfect for sending a friend home with leftovers, as you can cover the meal with plastic wrap. There is then no need to return a plate.” -- D. in Indiana

* For a deck of playing cards that has gotten sticky, put it in a bag (paper or plastic) and add a bit of baby powder. Shake vigorously. Take the cards out and shuffle to get off the extra powder. They are likely good as new.

* “Tidy loosely folded electric cords by storing them in cardboard tubes. The tubes can be cut to fit from a paper towel roll, or you can use a smaller, toilet-paper roll. Even long cords can be stored together in a giftwrap core. Do not overfill a tube, nor wind any electrical cord too tightly.” -- O.R. in Nevada

* If you have a juice spill on clothing, try club soda to remove it when the stain is fresh.

I would I had some flowers o’ the spring that might Become your time of day... daffodils, That come before the swallow dares, and take

The winds of March with beauty; violets dim, ButsweeterthanthelidsofJuno’s eyes...

O, these I lack,

To make you garlands of, and my sweet friend, To strew him o’er and o’er!

~William Shakespeare, The Winter’s Tale [IV, 4, Perdita]

MARCH 2023

This celebration is a great opportunity to learn more about mother nature.

In ancient times, kingdoms in Babylon, Egypt, and Persia spent a huge amount of their cities’ wealth on constructing elaborate gardens. What’s more, they pioneered the technology of irrigation systems, which became a vital part of modern-day gardening.