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Quick Links: Trustworthy business? | Word of Mouth | Business Directories | Plug Rating | Keywords | Reading Plugs | Rating Slaps
iplug is a business directory – but one like no other!
Before you choose a business on iplug you can read their Plugs (feedback)
The businesses in your Search Results are ranked in order of theif Plug Rating – which is achieved only through collecting Plugs from customers
Most business directories give businesses a better search ranking based on th eamount of money they paid – which means that the businesses at the top of YOUR search paid the most to be there
You can be assured that the businesses at the top of iplug's Search Results got there through outstanding customer service, not deep wallets
Businesses listed on iplug are fully aware that their customers are likely to make public their experience with the company (Plug them)
You can be assured that iplug businesses will do their best to earn a Plug from you
When you're searching for a business or someone to provide you with a service or product, what are the factors you look for?
Trustworthy?
Reliable?
Reasonably priced?
Delivers on time?
Backs up guarantees?
Trustworthy? (worth another mention)
Sure you do. But the big question is;
Or a listing in a business directory, come to that?
The answer is that you can't. Ads and business directory listings are written by the business (or its marketing department) with the intention of attracting customers. They will say the things YOU WANT TO HEAR.
Who are you more likely to listen to;
The business owner telling you that they're your best bet?
Or a THIRD PARTY telling you that this company really rocks!
This form of third-party recommendation is called Word of Mouth and it's the oldest and most effective form of customer/business relationship in the world
Question...
Your car's just broken down, and you're pretty sure the last repair guy you used ripped you off, so which of the following new repair garages are you MOST LIKELY to choose?
Sorry, no prizes for getting this right – except great customer service!
What's wrong with Business Directories?
Not a lot, and they serve a purpose – so long as you know the score.
You get what you pay for...
Online business directories work like this: any business can list for free. In fact they encourage it. The business owner or manager needs only to upload the relevant information for the business to be included on the site's searchable database.
Sounds good so far.
Except for one thing...
Once listed, the business finds itself way down in the dispayed results, and...
...the only way to rise up those results is to pay the site money.
In fact the more money paid, the higher up the search rankings the business will get.
Which means...
When YOU search for a business on an online business directory, the ones that are presented at the top of the returned results have...
...paid the most money to be there!
While there's nothing wrong with a company paying money to advertise, in an online search situation are these businesses necessarily the best for you? (Remember: Trustworthy, Reliable, Reasonably priced...)
On iplug the ONLY ranking mechanism is Plug Rating
The iplug Plug Rating system
How does it work?
Customers of iplug-listed businesses are encouraged to Plug the business if they're happy with the experience
The more Plugs a business receives, the higher its Plug Rating
The higher the Plug Rating, the closer to the top of the Search Results the business comes when a new customer searches for their type of business
Searchers for businesses on iplug know that the businesses with the best Plug Ratings will come first in the results, and they can even read the Plugs made by previous customers before choosing to do business with them
The higher the Plug Rating the better.
A business’ Plug Rating is a number worked out from an algorithm. The more Plugs the business gets, the better their Plug Rating. If they happen to get a Slap, their Plug Rating goes down and the only way they can improve it is to get more Plugs. That’s good for their customers.
Businesses work hard for their Plug Rating, many offering incentives to staff to collect Plugs. The Plug Rating of a business is hard fought, and should be cheered.
Remember...
Nobody is going to Plug a business that lets them down.
Does this sound a little familiar?
For years the users of sites like eBay and TradeMe have used the feedback system to help them decide whether or not to do business with a total stranger – BEFORE taking the plunge.
iplug is bringing that feedback protection to every other business in the country!
Before you select a business to contact, you can READ THEIR FEEDBACK. But more to the point...
The business with the BEST feedback record (Plug Rating) comes first in the search results!
No other site does that!
How to use iplug to find the perfect business...
Using Keywords
When searching for a business, there are several ways to go about it. All of the methods, however, involve the use of KEYWORDS.
Start wide and work on narrowing the search
Enter the name of the business in the BUSINESS box if you are searching for a specific business, or the type of business if you have nothing specific in mind.
For example, "Joe's Plumbers" if you want to check out Joe's Plug Rating, or "Plumbers" if you're after a plumber but have no particular company in mind.
If "Plumbers" returns too many, and you have a specific task that you want from your plumber – such as fixing the spouting – try adding "spouting" to the search.
If your return is not enough choice, try broadening the type of business. For example if "Commercial Real Estate Motel Hotel" was unsuccessful, reduce it to "Commercial Real Estate".
Location
The same rules of broadening and narrowing apply to the location. If your search for Plumbers in "Te Aro Wellington South" has no return, just try "Wellington South", or even "Wellington".
If, on the other hand, your search for Real Estate Agents in "Auckland" returns too many, narrow the search by entering the suburb that you're interested in.
If you're looking for a company that serves the whole country, but too many come up when you leave the Location box blank, choose the nearest large centre for the Location. Nationwide companies will be encouraged to enter "Auckland", "Hamilton", "Tauranga", Wellington" etc into their location keywords.
For example, if you want to move from Wellington to Auckland, try "Removals" in the business section, and "Wellington" and/or "Auckland" in the location.
Spelling
Our search will find parts of words, so if you believe your spelling might be at fault, try part of the word – the part thatyou know is correct. If you want an Optometrist, but are unsure of the spelling, search for "Opt" and see what comes up. Failing that, use a dictionary to find out how to spell the word correctly.
Slang or simple words
Here's the scenario; you are looking for someone to design your back garden, and you know they're called something like a Landscape Architect or similar, but you can't remember the exact term. Try "Landscaper" or even "Gardener" first.
It's a numbers game
Remember, what you want is a choice of four to eight, with a variance in Plug Ratings. If only one comes up, keep searching, while if 200 come up, you might have to narrow things a bit.
Reading Plugs
To get a better idea of the business, you should look a little deeper than just the Plug Rating:
Some industries have more customers than others, which of course means they can get more Plugs. A popular bar may have heaps of Plugs from its hundreds of customers, whereas a one man band architectural designer only has a few clients and may consequently only have a few Plugs. Don’t look at a low Plug Rating as the only indicator of poor performance without taking the industry into account. (Check the percentage and read the Plugs!)
Some businesses within the same industry have more customers than others. More customers means more Plugs (potentially). A nationwide web design company with a staff of 30 and more than 1000 websites in its portfolio may have a much higher Plug Rating than a small agency with two employees, but it doesn't mean that the small operator isn't a better bet for you.
Check out their Plug Percentage. This tells you the ratio of Plugs to Slaps, and is like the Feedback Rating on popular auction sites.
Read individual Plugs to get a feel for the business. If everybody praises the steak at a particular restaurant, and you feel like steak tonight...
Read what the business has to say about itself on its listing page and understand what type of business they are, who its customers are, and how it serves them. Then see what the Pluggers are saying; if the business is called SPEEDY DELIVERY SOMETHING and the Plugs praise everything but the speed of their delivery, and speed is a major issue for you, then you have to ask the question...
To get a truly in-depth feel of the business, check out the calibre of the Pluggers themselves – especially the ones who have Slapped a business. If the business has a 'poor show' Slap from a Plugger who has only ever Slapped and complained, you have to weigh this against a Slap from a Plugger with mostly good things to say about businesses.
Business choices
At the end of the day, you have to choose a business that suits your personal requirements.
A printer whose Plugs abound with the quality of their output, but whose comments suggest they might be a little slow (in order to achieve that high quality) may not be right for you if speed and urgency are paramount.
Rating Slaps
Just because a business gets a Slap (a negative Plug) doesn't mean it's a poor business.
Here are some things to consider when you find a Slap...
The criticism might be misplaced (e.g. when a plumber is blamed for a courier losing the parts)
The Plugger could have been experiencing a very bad day, and now regrets their outburst
We are all human and some people just like to complain or be negative
Even the best company or employee can make mistakes or be the victim of bad circumstances
How to rate a Slap on a business
Read the Slap and compare it to the Plugs that the business has received. Was it an isolated incident, or is it a symptom of the way the company does business
Businesses have a right to reply to Slaps. What did they say? Did they promise to rectify the problem or were they rude?
Check out the page of the Plugger who made the Slap. Is all their feedback of a negative nature? Or is this Slap the first one after 100s of Plugs? Also check out after the Slap – there may be a Plug for the same business signalling that the issue was dealt with to the Plugger's satisfaction
Is the Slap a reasonable one? What if a business owner had a customer towed after parking in front of the loading bay – and the reply to the Slap indicates that this particular customer has been warned before
You cannot Slap a supermarket for the high price of vegetables, or a physiotherapist for no longer offering free ACC treatment after the government pulled the plug on the scheme
Using Slaps to choose a business
Some businesses will automatically attract Slaps.
Supermarkets, public transport services, towing services; few people will rise to the occasion to compliment a bus for arriving on time, or a checkout queue for moving swiftly. But that doesn't mean you can't use these Slaps to pick a business.
See how the business responds to its Slaps (if at all) and see also if the Slaps have a direct bearing on you. (Slow delivery from a pizza company has no impact if you always pick up).
Finally, for a 'Slap Magnet', the business with the least Slaps (or the one that has attracted the most Plugs) is still a good choice!
Summary
On iplug, New Zealanders Plug (or Slap) the businesses they use (give accurate feedback about their experience)
The Plugs gathered by a business go towards its Plug Rating
Searchers for businesses are presented with results that are RANKED by Plug Rating, with the best at the top
Searchers can READ the Plugs of a business before deciding to deal with that business
iplug is the only place where you can search for businesses based on their customer feedback, rather than what they've paid to list
For information on Plugging, the benefits of Listing Your Business, Getting Rewards or Fundraising with iplug, click on one of the following links...
