Asking guests to write online reviews is the best way to increase the chances of you and CAC getting “kudos.” The CAC team is requesting your help in growing our presence on key travel sites, specifically on TripAdvisor. The number of reviews we receive directly influences where and how CAC shows up on travel sites like TripAdvisor. The more positive reviews, the better our position. At the end of each tour, please ask guests to leave a review about their CAC tour on TripAdvisor. Staff will likewise be making this request via post-tour emails and with signage in the CAC lobby. Signs encouraging reviews will be posted at the box office, the GTS desk and on the digital screens above the front desk.
Thank you for your support!
Tom Carmichael and Meghan Kastenholz
I understand the value of posted compliments, particularly in our increasingly competitive environment. At the same time, I’m uneasy with asking for them. I believe, idealistically, that quality should speak for itself and that solicited thanks and compliments aren’t necessarily sincerely earned. Such comments are more a poll of responsiveness than satisfaction. I’ve posted a bunch of restaurant and travel reviews on TripAdvisor myself, mostly to express my own praise and partly BECAUSE nobody asked me for them. Esteemed fellow CAC volunteers, whether you agree or disagree, I welcome any responses you choose to post, including whether you think I’m contradicting myself.
I understand your reticence. Like you, I also appreciate the heightened competitiveness we face. I plan to add something to my tour conclusion to ask people to provide feedback if they would like: as in “Visitors to Chicago rely on posted reviews more than ever, especially on Trip Advisor. If you’ve enjoyed your tour, other travelers might appreciate your perspective. We, at CAC, would certainly welcome any comments or suggestions you’d like to share. If you’re able to post a review, thank you, and thank you for coming today.”
Thanks for your thought-provoking comment – you helped me think through how to ask without feeling like I’m fishing for compliments (ugh).
What an interesting discussion. Trip Advisor (TA) used to be an organic, user-driven site so we can all be informed about our travels. They have changed their business model and now promote and sell tourist experiences. Almost over the world the green sticker shows up in restaurants and tourist activity offices. Restaurants ask for reviews and give out TA business cards. The TA algorithm is designed to give better “coverage” for highly rated experiences.
My experience is that there are now lots of places to post reviews: Yelp, Google, etc. As a traveler, review competition helps all of us make better decisions. Having said that, taking our tour is a great decision and it’s important that all review outlets out there know it. I think I’m sticking to “Please post your review on your favorite social media outlet.”
In the past, CAC had business cards for docents (CAC card but you could write your name at the top). These might be helpful if cards could list the various social media sites where CAC is seeking comments. Cards could include a specific message that “reviews are greatly appreciated.” Also cards might help to generate named reviews for volunteers with common first names, given that we now have badges with first names only.
I am frequently offered tips which I politely refuse; instead, I ask the “tipper” to review us on any social platform such as “trip advisor.” Taking a cue from podcasters, I say that “it helps other people to find us.” Personally, every service possible (doctor, dentist, grocer, etc.) asks me to rate and review. Saturation. At first it was fun, now it results in a computer algorithm tracking and tracing everything I do. I can understand the tourists’ reluctance.
I agree with Susan. I’d like to hand out a card similar to what we had before.