Servistree.com

Lost Faith In Big Banks (Like Wells Fargo)?

2017-11-06

With all the bad publicity surrounding the ongoing Wells Fargo bank scandal, business owners may feel a lack of trust in corporate banks and their ability to ensure financial fidelity, especially when it comes to credit card processing.

But what makes companies like Servistree so effective, is that we can offer you the same – if not better – service, without having to monitor thousands of employees who may be doing illegal things with your hard-earned money.

If you’re still not convinced, however, here are four things that set Servistree apart from what big banks like Wells Fargo offer when it comes to credit card processing.

1. Clear Description of the Merchant Services You Will Receive

Big banks such as Wells Fargo often fail to provide a clear description of the merchant services they offer to customers. For example, a bank may not reveal that they will outsource the payment processing to another company. That means that a third party is actually taking care of these services, not the bank.

And you may have no information or knowledge about that company to make a good decision about whether that is the right move for your business.

For example, that third party may charge an expensive early termination fee that you aren’t aware of, which can become an issue if you are dissatisfied with the services that are provided.

Servistree will always make sure you get the best contract terms possible for your business, and best of all, you will never pay a termination fee.

2. Products and Services

Credit card processing ran by big banks often skimps on the services you most need. Banks are focused on making money through investments, so they don’t really provide you with outstanding products and services in the credit card processing field.

In addition to credit card processing, does a bank offer iPad and Droid point of sale systems? Do they offer social media marketing, loyalty programs, web design or logo design services?

These are all specialty products and services that work hand in hand with your payment processing, and the brand awareness of your business. But don’t expect a big bank to understand those nuances. They just want to make money by offering the bare minimum.

3. Fee Structure

One of the most important aspects of credit card processing is knowing what fees you will pay, when you will pay them and what those fees get you. But you’ll notice that many big banks that offer payment-processing services don’t explain their rate structure, or how they arrived at their fees.

At Servistee, there are no hidden fees. We don’t play ‘gotcha’ with our clients, because we believe that knowing everything upfront creates the best working environment in the future. We will disclose all processing charges, and provide you with detailed explanations of how those fees will impact your bottom line.

4. Customer Service

Big banks specialize in treating customers like large groups of cattle that must be herded through a stall.

That often means that customer service is less than ideal, and that can mean reps who don’t have the answers to your questions, reps who are rude or seem disinterested, reps who are not patient with new customers, and reps who can’t offer you better terms on an existing contract.

A good account rep should work like a partner with your business, so that you feel confident and secure every time you deal with your merchant processor. Get in touch with us, and we will ensure that you are matched with a merchant account that meets or exceeds the unique needs of your company.

Join the Team

When it comes to credit card processing, specialization is the key to an effective business relationship. At Servistree, our niche is payment processing, so we can put all our focus toward ensuring that your business processes every type of payment possible, quickly and effectively.

If you are tired of the subpar credit card processing services offered by a big bank, contact us at 1-866-944-3244, or visit us online to learn more about how we can add value to your business.

4 Key Benefits to Investing in a Virtual Payment Processing System

2017-11-06

It’s no secret that retail businesses must keep up with all the latest technological advancements in payment systems. After all, competition is fierce these days, and any convenience that a business owner can offer customers likely translates into more sales. If you’re still using a point-of-sale (POS) payment system, here are a few reasons why you may want to consider switching to a Virtual Payment Processing System instead.

1. Lower Set Up and Transaction Fees

When you invest in a POS system, you need to buy a terminal or cash register, a credit card reader, and a barcode scanner. But setting up a virtual payment system doesn’t require any equipment, other than a computer – which you likely already own – and wireless access. So, the total upfront out of pocket expense is minimal.

Oh, and don’t forget that with a POS system, you pay a fee each time you swipe a customer’s credit card through the reader. That may not seem like much at first, but even if you’re a mid-volume retail business, those fees can quickly add up. Because a virtual payment processing system is keyed-in without you or your employees having to swipe a card through a reader, your fees are much lower per sale, which means that every penny you save on a transaction goes directly to your bottom line.

2. Opens Your Business Up To More Customers

Technological advances in payment processing have given retail business owners the opportunity to reach a global customer base. But you can only take advantage of these new revenue streams if you are savvy about how you accept payments. And while a POS payment system is ideal for a brick-and-mortar that relies primarily on in-store traffic to drive sales, most businesses can’t thrive without expanding their customer base.

When you invest in a virtual payment processing system, you can take orders from anywhere in the world – including with smart phone apps. This makes your retail business mobile so that you can now make sales at conventions, trade show and public events. BONUS: you can also send receipts via email on-the-spot too!

3. Enables Recurring Payments

When you use a POS payment system, there is no option to set up recurring credit card payments. But a virtual system lets you enter a customer’s credit card information and set a future payment date. This can be a huge value-add for small retail businesses that rely on recurring payments to drive profits. There’s no need to call customers to obtain their credit card numbers every month, because the virtual system stores that financial information and triggers the payment on the specific date and time you’ve already pre-set. This not only assures that you will get paid on time every month, but it also offers convenience to your customers and clients.

4. Simplifies Cash Flow

Much like a POS system, a virtual payment system processes your transactions instantaneously, which means that you will always know your expected daily, weekly and monthly revenue. This is beneficial for your company because it lets you see which products and services are selling well, which products are lagging, and how to adjust your inventory to meet unexpected demand. Better cash flow means that you won’t find yourself in a situation in which you can’t meet payroll because you were unable to keep track of your receivables.

Take the Next Step

Investing in a virtual payment processing system can help boost your bottom line by lowering your setup costs and transaction fees, diversifying your payment options, and simplifying your cash flow reports. And the best part is that even if you already have a POS system in place, you can use a virtual payment system as a complement to increase your customer base.

If you need help choosing a virtual payment processing system, contact us at 1-866-944-3244, or visit us online to learn more about how we can add value to your company.

Three Ways PCI Compliance Can Add Value To Your Business

2017-11-06

If you own a retail business that accepts, processes, stores or transmits credit card payments, you must be adhere to the Payment Card Industry (PCI) security standards. Major credit card merchants established these standards to ensure that sensitive customer financial information is secure, and that hackers cannot access your network to steal that information. But PCI compliance isn’t just a set of security standards. It’s a system that can add real value to your business in three distinct ways, which are outlined below.

1. Increases Customer Trust

Because PCI compliance offers enhanced security for financial transactions, your customers will have a greater sense of trust and assurance doing business with your company. Credit card fraud and identity theft have become so prevalent that any breach in security can devastate a company, and set it back for years.

In fact, 47 states have laws that require businesses to immediately notify existing and former customers of any data breach. Save yourself the trouble of bad worth of mouth by maintaining your PCI compliance, and using that compliance as a marketing tool to inform prospective customers and existing customers that your company cares about the security of their credit card information.

And guess what? If your competitors are not PCI compliant, you stand to benefit by luring new customers who care about the security of their financial information.

2. Helps Avoid Costly Fines

PCI compliance is not a law, which makes compliance voluntary, but any company that doesn’t adhere to PCI standards is subject to costly fines from major credit card merchants such as MasterCard and Visa. That’s why it’s vital that you go ‘all in’ and avoid the penalties of non-compliance.

Small businesses are especially vulnerable to security breaches, and few small business owners can afford the monthly fines, transaction rate increases, and financial audits that result after a security breach. By avoiding these fines, your business can put that money toward more inventory and advertising, which is good for your bottom line.

3. Strengthens Your Company’s Reputation

Data breaches are a lose-lose for both your company and your customers and clients. Not only will the credit card merchant have to spend money to issue new credit cards, but also your company will develop a reputation for not having sufficient security in place to safeguard sensitive information. And in the digital age in which social media can turn one complaining customer into an avalanche of bad press, business owners can’t afford to be PCI non-compliant.

A company’s reputation goes hand in hand with a company’s brand. If a company gains a bad reputation in the industry, the brand suffers as well, and that company will lose money. It takes years to build a good business reputation, and only one major breach to destroy that reputation. Maintain the good name of your business by adhering to PCI standards, and as your brand awareness increases, you’ll begin to see sales go through the roof.

An Ongoing Process

PCI compliance isn’t a one-time thing, because as security protocols change, you must remain flexible and continuously upgrade your compliance methods in order to maintain the highest levels of security. Remaining vigilant to all aspects of protecting your customers’ credit card information, enhances your company’s reputation, improves your branding, and helps attract new customers.

Do you need help making your company PCI compliant? We have all the tools you need to jump on the PCI bandwagon, and ensure that you are offering the highest security for your customers’ credit card information. Call us any time at 1-866-944-3244, or visit us online, and we’ll be happy to help you navigate through the murky water.

Three More Benefits of a Point-of-Sale System For Your Business

2017-11-06

If you’re running a retail business with a manual cash register, or your company only accepts cash, checks and money orders, you may want to consider moving up the technological ladder, and investing in a point-of-sale (POS) system. These systems typically feature a computerized cash register, barcode scanner, and credit card reader that are all synchronized to make accepting payments much easier. But if you’re still not convinced that a POS system can improve your bottom line, here are three ironclad benefits this type of system offers your business.

1. Improved Customer Service

In the digital age, in which technology is rapidly evolving, a manual cash register doesn’t make much sense when it comes to providing your customers and clients with outstanding service. A POS system is designed to be fast and efficient, so that you can process a customer’s transaction in a fraction of the time it would take on a manual cash register.

Multiple studies have shown that one of the biggest factors in whether a visitor to a retail store becomes a customer is the speed of service. Customers don’t want to wait in long lines to buy your products, so by investing a POS system, you are able to process transactions at a fast rate, and keep your customers happy.

2. Broadens Your Customer Base

Customer acquisition is the key to a thriving retail business, right? Well, if you’re still using a cash register, you’re eliminating a whole slew of prospective customers from sampling what you’re offering. Why? Because a POS system lets you accept card payments that you can take over the phone.

That means a customer all the way across the globe that finds your company through your savvy marketing techniques, can email or call in an order and you can process that order electronically. In one fell swoop; you can broaden your customer base by appealing to consumers who spend the bulk of their money using plastic, instead of cash or checks.

This also applies when you take your brick-and-mortar on the road to special events, because by adding a cloud-based, hand-held scanner to your POS system, you can accept mobile payments from customers at any off-site location.

3. Generates Sales Reports

A POS system also gives you the ability to generate detailed sales reports that can help you break down every aspect of a transaction. This is vital to the growth of your business, because analyzing sales can help you better understand what products and services are selling well, including discount or specially-marked items that are often used to entice customers. POS systems can break down sales reports by the item, product sold, seasonal period, promotions and sales clerk.

The POS system sales report can also tell you the specific days that your products and services sell best, and the prices at which your products sell the best, which allows you to lower or raise prices based on consumer demand.

Take Advantage

A POS system is one of the best ways that you can improve the efficiency of accepting payments. Your customers will feel a greater sense of confidence and satisfaction with how quickly their transactions are processed, and your company can attract even more customers who can’t visit your brick-and-mortar in person, but still want to spend their money buying your products. And by generating detailed sales reports, you’ll always know what’s selling like hotcakes, and what needs more marketing.

If you’re ready to make the transition to a POS system, we have the expertise to make it happen. We would be happy to show you what’s available, and help you choose the right system for your business needs. Call us anytime at 1-866-944-3244, or visit us online.

Four Ways A Retail POS System Can Boost Your Sales

2017-11-06

If you’re running a retail business, you can’t afford not to invest in a point-of-sale (POS) system. The primary reason is that all your competitors are using this system, and being the only holdout just doesn’t make good business sense.

There are basic systems, and fancier ones, but beyond the bells-and-whistles, the main purpose of a POS system is to integrate all your financial transactions, and make them more efficient.

But as you consider investing in a POS system, you may still have some doubts about the benefits it can bring you, so to put your mind at ease, here are four ways that a POS system can provide you with a kick to your bottom line.

Inventory Control

Because a POS system instantly records every sale at your retail business, it gives you an inventory figure at the end of each business day. That not only means that you can track your inventory on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, but it also means you can quickly see which of your goods, products or services are in demand, and which are not. That can help you specialize your orders in a more efficient way to account for sales trends, and help you decide if you want to increase the purchase price of items based on their popularity. Identifying what products are selling well, and reducing inventory on products that aren’t as popular, can help maximize your profit margin.

Payroll Management

Whether you are using manual time cards, or an electronic system for your payroll, a POS system can help you better organize your payroll, by allowing you to quickly review employee hours in an easy and concise way. By investing in POS interface software, all the data on your payroll software is automatically entered into a central base for your review. But better yet, you can have your employees clock in and out on a POS system, and export that data to your payroll software or to whoever handles your payroll responsibilities. This reduces the amount of time and money you spend on payroll, and is a net plus to your bottom line.

Extra Marketing

A lesser-known benefit of a POS system is that it lets you advertise some of your deals and discounts on the cash register screens and displays. Studies have shown that retail marketing at checkout is effective, because a large percentage of customers make impulse decisions just as they are about to leave a retail business. Why not take advantage of those last minutes to promote your sales?

Credit Card Processing Functions

Although every POS system features a cash register, cash drawer, receipt printer and barcode scanner, an increasing number of systems also feature credit card and debit card readers. This opens up your business to these popular forms of payment, and can quickly boost your profits, especially if you were previously a cash-only, or cash and checks retail business. And with the advent of chip technology cards, these credit card readers are more important than ever, because millions of consumers now possess these cards, and a retail business that doesn’t have the technology to accept them, will lose customers to a business that is more forward thinking.

Step Up

Investing in a POS system may just be the boost your business needs to increase sales and make your work process more efficient. Benefits such as streamlined payroll processing, credit card and debit card processing, and visual marketing on checkout screens, can all give your retail business the advantages it needs to soar into the stratosphere.

Interested in a POS system, but not sure which one is right for your business? Contact us today and we’ll be happy to match you with the POS system that can enhance your business. Call 1-866-944-3244, or visit us online.

What KFC Can Teach You about Viral Negative Reviews

2017-11-06

In the world of social media customer reviews often come fast and furious. But while reviews which are glowing, uplifting, and positive rarely go viral, those which are negative, denigrating, and nasty often do. These viral reviews are often found to contain a shred of truth, but are not usually 100% on the money as it relates to the facts of the situation. This imbalance has left many business owners wondering what they can do to protect themselves from the occasional malicious review which gains traction with the public. In order to gain some perspective on the subject, let’s take a look at recent situation involving KFC.

KFC – The Victim of a Hoax?

Recently a woman took to social media to complain that her granddaughter had been asked to leave a KFC restaurant location due to the young girl’s facial bandages, which were the result of treatment after a dog attack. The woman said that the employee reported that customers had complained that the girl’s bandages were frightening or gruesome looking. And predictably, the social media world, and even the traditional media, took the woman’s account at face value and lambasted KFC for having been so insensitive. The company even issued a public apology and pledged $30,000 towards the girl’s recovery. But, after conducting a thorough review of the case, KFC concluded that the girl and her grandmother had not visited a KFC store on the day in question, and that the grandmother has been mistaken at best, or at worst it was all a hoax.

Corporate Compassion at Work

Despite the fact that KFC had cleared itself of any wrong doing the company continued to pledge its support for the young girl and the $30,000 toward her recovery. This is an example of a company which had been the victim of numerous rumors and social attacks over the years using another such an attack to essentially go on the offensive. By sticking to the facts and continuing to pledge its support for the young girl, was a victim of dog attack and seemingly of the hoax as well, KFC leveraged negative publicity and converted it into a heartwarming tale of corporate compassion.

Don’t Spin, Pivot

So often companies attempt to take negative stories about their products or brands and spin the stories in the company’s favor. However, as was seen in the case of KFC, spinning negative stories is not always the best way to go. Another option is to evaluate the news, assess its truth or falsity, and pivot company’s position in order to take the conversation in a different direction. KFC never attempted to explain why its employees acted in such a horrendous manner. Instead, the company took responsibility for its role in the events, even before it knew all of the details. Once the details became clear, the company respectfully revealed the facts to the public while continuing to treat the situation in a compassionate manner.

And as always, we’re here to help you. If you require any assistance with any of your Social Media or Internet Marketing needs, feel free to reach out to us at sales@servistree.com or call us at 1-866-944-3244. Keep up with the latest news and information and other small business news by subscribing to our blog by clicking here.

Why Personalization Will Make Your Rewards Program Come to Life

2017-11-06

The concept behind customer loyalty programs is simple: provide customers who repeatedly do business with your company an incentive and they will not only continue to do business with your company but they will likely even increase the amount of business they send your way. However, implementing loyalty programs is not free, and can often be costly. The costs associated with implementation often leave business owners wondering whether or not such programs are really worth it. Here we will take a look at various perspectives on the topic.

What is a Reward?

Usually customers sign up for loyalty programs in exchange for the promise of a reward at some point in the future. Such rewards may be given by the retailer as a result of the customer having crossed a certain threshold of purchases, having remained a customer for certain amount of time, or any of a number of qualifiers. But, that which the retailer considers a reward is not always considered as such by the majority of customers. For example, while cash back is often desired customers, rewards which may mean “cashed in” at participating companies in a rewards network may be far less valuable in the customers’ eyes, depending on the extent of the network and the difficulty associated with redemption.

Rewards Programs for Data Collection

One of the primary reasons companies offer rewards programs is for data collection purposes. This data collection allows companies which offer such programs the ability to better identify which customers are making which kinds of purchases. This information can later be used for all manner of purposes including mass data analysis of customer preferences and trends, and more detail analysis of individual buying habits. Of course, when a company knows more about a customer’s buying habits the company will be in a better position to make personalized offers to that customer.

What About Rewards Personalization?

One of the most important aspects of creating a modern loyalty program, and making it successful, is ensuring that the rewards are as personalized to the customer as possible. For example, in a recent Forbes article the Tesco grocery store chain was praised for its “individual shopper targeted” offers which allow the company to send customized coupons to regular shoppers. The coupons are usually paid for by the suppliers and brands, reducing Tesco’s expenses. These kinds of personalized rewards were favored by customers over the 1% discount that Tesco offered as its standard premium in its rewards program.

Tiered Rewards

One way companies across many industries, including travel companies and casinos, have incentivized customers to stay loyal, while simultaneously incentivizing customers of other companies to come on board, is by offering a tiered reward system. Such tiered rewards may be referred to as silver, gold, and platinum or by other names such as the “Executive” or “Diamond” club. According to Forbes this kind of stratification may be somewhat effective, but is also be somewhat outdated. This is because the variation within each level will undoubtedly be wide. Retailers would do far better to leverage modern information technology solutions to offer personalized awards to each individual customer and client.

To learn more about how Servistree can help you develop an effective loyalty program call 1-866-944-3244 or info@servistree.com Keep up with the latest news and information and other small business news by subscribing to our blog by clicking here.

Improve Your Bottom Line While Catering To Your International Clientele

2017-11-06

People from all over the world flock to the U.S. for vacations, business trips and educational and medical services. Many U.S. merchants in tourist locations serve international customers such as sightseeing tour operators, golf and ski resorts, retail shopping, dining, and entertainment venues. As you can imagine, most consumers are more comfortable making purchases in their home currencies. Yet typically, credit card payments are made in U.S. dollars and converted later to the buyer’s home currency with the card holder paying a conversion fee to the card issuer. The visitor doesn’t learn how much they paid in their own currency until they get their statement. Now, there’s a smart alternative: Dynamic Currency Conversion (DCC) from Servistree, the merchant service provider with the #1 rated payment network for availability and reliability powered by Elavon®

Dynamic Currency Conversion converts dollar amount to the visitor’s home currency at the point of purchase, so they see their total in their own currency. With Servistree’s Currency Conversion service, international Visa® and MasterCard® credit card purchases are converted instantly at the point of sale (POS) to the cardholder’s home currency at a very competitive exchange rate. This eliminates unpleasant surprises for travellers when their credit card bill arrives. Elavon will rebate a share of the conversion fee to you, generating additional revenue for your business. The more international business you do, the more you improve your bottom line. Best of all, with Currency Conversion there are no activation fees, monthly fees or monthly minimums.

Improved customer service, your international customers know exactly how much they are spending in their home currency.
New source of revenue, you receive a portion of the foreign exchange conversion fee.
You get fewer chargebacks.
Your customers enjoy a very competitive currency conversion rate.

See how Dynamic Currency Conversion pays you back

Example: Specialty Retail Merchant

Bankcard Volume $375k
Convertible Currency Conversion (DCC) Volume $101k
Payment Processing Bill $11,150
Dynamic Currency Conversion Merchant Rebate $755

To learn more about our currency conversion contact us today at 1-866-944-3244 or sales@servistree.com or visit www.servistree.com. Keep up with the latest news and information and other small business news by subscribing to our blog by clicking here.

Credit Card Processing: EMV What does it Mean For Your Business?

2017-11-06

The date is set for a major change to the way credit card processing in the United States is handled. Starting in October of 2015, Visa and MasterCard will shift to EMV credit card technology to replace the swipe-and-sign system that we’re accustomed to today. The seed for an EMV transition has already been planted, and Visa has led the charge with a roadmap for EMV adoption with an August 2011 announcement that outlines a merchant incentive and a fraud liability shift.

The EMV system, which is used widely in Europe and other parts of the world, makes it more difficult for criminals to obtain sensitive payment information and replicate transactions. Each EMV enabled “smart card” contains an embedded microchip and requires a PIN from the cardholder in order to complete a transaction. In other words, the microchip encrypts the smart card’s information, and the PIN adds another layer of protection for consumers; no PIN, no payment.

EMV satisfies two main objectives. It decreases credit and debit card fraud on card-present transactions through increased security, and it creates a consistent cardholder experience worldwide through a global payments standard.

So what does it mean for merchants? The progression towards the more secure technology will not be effortless. Merchants will need new equipment to communicate with the microchip-enabled smartcards, and consumers will be required to obtain and use the new cards. Another aspect of the transition will be a shift in liability under the EMV system, which could serve as an incentive for merchants and consumers to adopt the new technology. After the system is made available, liability for fraudulent transactions will be held by the party with the lesser technology. For example, if a merchant is not equipped to process a transaction with a microchip-enabled smartcard and fraud occurs as a result, the merchant will be responsible for the loss. Likewise, if a consumer is late to the EMV party and pays via swipe-and-sign when the merchant is EMV-enabled, the consumer will be liable for any losses resulting from compromised data.

As we move closer to the transition date set forth by Visa and MasterCard, merchants will start to see more and more customers with these smart cards. While there will undoubtedly be some growing pains during the shift, especially for merchants, the gains made in consumer protection and decrease in fraudulent activity will prove to be beneficial for both sides of the transaction. Business owners are encouraged to check with their merchant account providers well in advance of October 2015 to make sure they’re equipped for the change.

The Bottom Line
All U.S. merchants are responsible for making hardware and/or software upgrades necessary to support the new EMV technology. The consensus among the major card issuers is a push for increased security of data which translates into less vulnerability to data breaches and the costs associated with card fraud. Protecting consumer data is everyone’s responsibility and in the best interest of your customer. Most businesses cannot afford the damaged reputation and drop in sales that result from a data breach and scammed customers. Many vendors are ready with equipment that will accommodate both old and new EMV technology, and here at Servistree we have the solutions and expertise to help you make the transition smoothly without breaking the bank.

Give us a call with any questions about your credit card and payment processing needs at 1-866-944-3244. Or visit our website www.servistree.com. Keep up with the latest news and information on credit card processing and mobile payments along with other small business news by subscribing to our blog by clicking here.

Reviews Are Critical

2017-11-06

If your competitors consistently have more reviews than you, they’re going to consistently outrank you on local search terms. Reviews don’t only help your local search position, though. They also increase the likelihood that a visitor turns into a customer. When a customer sees a Google+ Local page or Yelp page with lots of positive reviews and responses to those reviews from the business, what kind of feeling do you think they get? For me, personally, it’s the final push I need when before making a buying decision.

So how do you get reviews? Sitting back and waiting for them to come on their own doesn’t cut it. For the most part, the people that leave unsolicited reviews on Yelp and Google+ Local are going to describe a negative experience at your business. If you want a consistent influx of high quality reviews, you’re going to have to work for it.

Servistree is here to give you 8 simple methods you can begin implementing today to improve your reviews on Yelp, Google and other popular local business directories.

If your Google+ Local and Yelp pages were stagnant for the most part, getting 10 reviews in 1 week is going to look unnatural. This may lead to filtered Yelp reviews (and Google+ reviews) which is a messy situation to deal with. If you’re just starting out, you should try to get 3-5 reviews per month. Remember: local SEO is a marathon, not a sprint.

Okay, here are the tips!

Family & friends – You have them for a reason, and that reason is to help you promote your business. If you’ve done work for family or friends, there’s nothing wrong with asking them to leave you a review. Don’t abuse this tactic right away; you don’t want to use up all of your family/friend resources in the first week of building reviews!
Email signature – Do you email customers and business partners? You should add a link to your Google+ Local page and Yelp page in your signature with a short blurb that say something like, “Have we done business together? Please review us on Google+ and Yelp!”
Ask! – It’s important to get in the habit of asking for reviews whenever the situation presents itself. Did you just have a great interaction with a customer in your restaurant or store? Ask them to leave you a review! You may be surprised how many people are willing to help you when asked.
Reach out to previous reviewers! – I’m sure you have other online profiles with some positive customer reviews. Why not reach out to them and ask them to leave another review on a different online profile? You already know they’re the type to leave a review and they like your business.
On the phone – Just have a great experience with a customer over the phone? Or did a previous customer leave a “review card” with their phone number? Ask them to review their experience with you online!
Review cheat sheet – Put together a brief “cheat sheet” that gives instructions on how to review your business. Provide links to your Yelp or Google+ Local profile, bonus points if you use bit.ly to shorten the link! Now hand this sheet out to customers you’d like to review you.
Website review page – Similar to the physical review “cheat sheet” but accessible online. Provide links to your online profiles with instructions on how to leave a review. Make the URL to this page easy to remember! You should be able to have someone easily remember how to find this page.
Email marketing (You do collect emails, right?) – If you don’t already collect emails, you need to start today. It’s as easy as collecting business cards or having a pen & paper sign-up sheet. When sending emails out to customers, always ask for a review or provide a link to your newly created “Review Page” on your website.