Three things every business wants to know
If it's relevant, try to include in your comment the answer to these three questions:
What did you expect from the business?
What did you receive?
What would you like them to do?
Adding some demographic background to your comment through the 'Update profile' tab in your account will also give the business a better insight into your comment.
Include demographic data with your comment
Remember, the more helpful businesses find your comments, the more reward points you stand to earn. For most businesses, knowing if a comment is coming from a male or female, a young or older person and so on, makes a comment more useful.
So you don't have to enter that information every time you make a comment, we've included some popular fields that you can use on the 'Update profile' tab of account. Whatever information you choose to provide will be automatically included with each HelpfulComment that you make (you can always include more information in the text of your HelpfulComment, if you wish).
You can see an example of how demographic data is included with your comment on the Business version of Take a Tour on the Corporate tab above.
What new products or services would you like to see?
New product ideas don't always come from a lab at Corporate Headquarters - often they bubble up from customers. Is there a product or service that you'd like to see the business provide? These can be very helpful comments. Be sure to include some background on why you think this would be a product and how it would help to make the business more profitable.
Be insightful with your praise
Understanding what you think a business is doing well and you'd like to see more of is usually very helpful information. But you can make it more so by being more specific. For example, who was it who served you so well, on what day, at what time approximately? What made it such good service? If others you came into contact with did not meet this standard, what would you like them to do? What were their names? And so on...
Leave HelpfulComments for your work
Most people can see how their work could be improved - made more profitable and a better place to work. But it's often not easy, fun or rewarding to make helpful comments about your workplace. Why not use HelpfulComments to share your insights about your work, anonymously and confidentially? Even if your work is not a member of HelpfulComments, you can still make a comment and we'll contact them. If they decide to join, you may get rewarded, depending on how helpful they find your comment.
What about a cost saving idea?
Every business is in business to make money. So if you've spotted a way for them to save money, that's likely to be a HelpfulComment. Of course, you have to think through the impact your idea would have on their revenue or other costs for it to be profitable overall.
Be sure to spell check your helpful comments
A clearly understood comment is likely to be more valuable and part of being clearly understood is spelling your comments correctly. You can run a spell check on your comment by cutting and pasting it into your word processor software (such as Microsoft Word). Once you're happy with the spelling, cut and paste it back into the 'Make a Comment' page of HelpfulComments.com and then click Submit.
Alternatively, download and use Firefox as your web browser (available at http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/). It includes in-line spell checking, or try ieSpell, a spell checking add-in for Microsoft Internet Explorer available from http://www.iespell.com/
An abusive comment is not usually very helpful
In addition to being a breach of our Community Rules, abusive comments are not usually very helpful, so if nothing else, you can expect to receive zero reward points.
If you have been treated rudely, or let down, it's better to say just that. Every business takes this sort of situation seriously and wants to know how they can make it up to you and win you back as a customer.
So remember to include somewhere in your comment what you expected, what you received and what you'd like them to do next. And leave out the abuse.
What are their competitors doing?
What have you noticed – good and bad – that competitors are doing? Be sure to give some detail – for example what you like about what competitors are doing and why.
How can I add to or amend a comment?
To add to or amend a comment that you have made:
- Log in to your HelpfulComments account
- Find the comment that you wish to add to and click on it
- At the bottom of the page click on 'Add response'
- This produces a box in which you can add to or amend your comment.
Only you and the business concerned can see your amended comment.