Random Tags | View All
Welcome To HelpHound
Here we show you how to make the most of HelpHound, for yourself, and for your fellow members.
- What sets HelpHound apart from other web communities?
- Joining HelpHound
- Why Join?
- Adding a photograph to your profile
- Reviewing
- Why no stars? *****
- More details about yourself
- Use your address book
- Become an 'Elite HelpHounder'
- How do we keep HelpHound free for you?
- The 'They won't have time for me' syndrome
- The 'They're too big to take any notice of me' syndrome
- Tell your friends
- Use the HelpHound Blog
- The art of good reviewing
What sets HelpHound apart from other web communities?
We are an independent community of individuals who are dedicated to helping each-other find the best businesses and services...
- By sharing our experiences
- By listening to our members
- By encouraging dialogue - between you and the businesses you use
- By being all-encompassing - not just hotels and restaurants, not just plumbers and electricians
We also believe that explaining, constructively, to businesses and services what we want from them and how they can improve what they do for us helps everyone.
Of course there are going to be some businesses that are either plain incompetent or have motives other than the purest (and you can help us identify them), but most just want to be better at what they do for you.
HelpHound will help you whenever and wherever you need a business or service. It will help the businesses and services you use provide a better service to you and every other customer.
Joining HelpHound
It couldn't be easier - it's free and, at the entry level, we simply ask that you give us your name, email address and postcode (in the strictest confidence - we never disclose your personal details to anyone).
We ask for these details so we can preserve the integrity of HelpHound. We need this basic information to make sure everyone is 'real'.
Why Join?
Quite apart from all the other benefits of being a member described here, there is one simple answer...
Being a member of HelpHound will ensure a premium level of service from the businesses you use. Let businesses know you're a member and they will take notice.
Adding a photograph to your profile
Adding a photograph to your profile is optional. Why, then, do we ask you to? Because all research has proven that your fellow members and the businesses you review take your reviews more seriously if you do. See for yourself... your eye is immediately drawn to reviews where the reviewer has uploaded a photo.
You will also find that having your photo next to your reviews makes you more constructive and considered in your reviewing - it's human nature. It doesn't stop you saying exactly what you want to say... see 'HannahS's' reviews of Vodafone.
Reviewing
Now you are ready to post your first review. Think of the very latest business you have had contact with, today or yesterday. Then, simply choose either to recommend the business and to write your review, or to send the business a message.
Follow the common-sense guidelines next to the review box and you won't go far wrong. Upload an image if you have one - from the web or from your own photos - many members use their mobile's camera to great effect. Then type in one or more 'tags' to describe the business, e.g. for WH Smith you might add "books, stationery" as tags. Click on 'upload review' and you've become part of the HelpHound community - well done and have fun!.
Register or login to write a review
Why no stars? *****
Stars are so subjective - one person's ** is another's *, one's *** is another's ****. We reckon a business is either good, bad or indifferent ('room for improvement') and the three HelpHound dogs give you just that.
More details about yourself
When you feel confident, return to 'My HelpHound' in the grey toolbar (see below) and add more details about yourself. You must Register or login first.
Why do we ask for these? The HelpHound community works in lots of ways to help you. If we can build up a picture of your likes and dislikes we can let you know about other members' reviews when they are likely to be of interest to you. A simple example... you let us know you like seafood... a fellow member reviews a new seafood restaurant near you... we let you know.
Use your address book
At first, the 'address book' function might just look like a useful add-on. As you use it you will find it is invaluable.
Your address book not only keeps the details of all the businesses you use (or might use) in one convenient list - it enables you to instantly find what your fellow members think of any of your 'favourite' businesses, right up-to-date, because it stores every review written after, as well as before, you stored it in your 'address book'. You might not have been to your local Italian for a while - it might have gone off the boil. The mobile phone company you last used may have improved their service (they know HelpHound is watching them!).
You also get their contact details, web and email links instantly to hand. They may even be offering HelpHound members a 2 for the price of 1 that evening!
Become an 'Elite HelpHounder'
Elite HelpHounders - you'll see the golden paw next to their username - are the community's standard-bearers. They are chosen by the HelpHound team for the quality of their reviews. You can't volunteer yourself - but you can influence our choice of your fellow members by clicking on the 'Helpful' and 'Great' icons under each review.
How do we keep HelpHound free for you?
HelpHound allows the businesses you have reviewed certain benefits for a monthly fee. You can see these here. None of these give any business an unfair advantage or influence - unlike most online directories where more money buys more prominence. This helps us to keep the community free for you to use.
The 'They won't have time for me' syndrome
Many members, when they first come to posting reviews, are worried that if they give their plumber/electrician a review on HelpHound he'll get so busy he won't be available when they need him.
We've spoken to a lot of small businesses and 'one-man-bands'. They all suffer from feast or famine to one extent or another. Almost all tell us that if they found more customers they could grow and provide an even better service.
Most of all they welcome the testimonial aspect of HelpHound - they really appreciate being told they're good at what they do - and they'll be specially loyal to those customers who review them. It's not only human nature - it's good business sense.
The 'They're too big to take any notice of me' syndrome
It's only natural when faced with a huge multinational - a Vodafone or an AOL - to think that they won't be interested in one customer's opinion. A quick look around the web will show you that the reverse is true - big business is aware of the power of the web, they know they ignore it at their peril. See what happened to AOL when they mishandled a single blogger's post...
Remember that you are not alone! One of our first reviews was a for an HSBC branch in Exeter - the member had problems withdrawing cash. He probably thought this was a one-off until another member posted a review complaining of exactly the same problem at their Beeston, Notts branch. Maybe HSBC didn't know they had a problem either. They do now!
Tell your friends
Not just about HelpHound (although that's not such a bad idea!), but also when you find a business that you know will be useful for them. They'll really appreciate it. A good time to do this is just after you've added a review, or just read one - all you need to do is click on the 'Tell a friend' button...
Use the HelpHound Blog
Everyone at HelpHound HQ checks the blog all the time for comments from our members. We promise to respond to your comments and requests. Take a look.
The art of good reviewing
Here are two fictitious reviews of the same business. The reviewers both had similar experiences. You will see how much more helpful the second review is, both to fellow HelpHounders and for the business itself...
ACE Plumbers
They were late, they made a mess, they overcharged me and they didn't finish the job properly.
ACE Plumbers
Joe Smith, the plumber who attended, rang from his van to let me know he was stuck in traffic. He arrived ten minutes late. As the outflow to the bath was blocked there was a certain amount of mess when he unblocked it. I was surprised that he didn't have the right kit to finish cleaning up after himself, but he explained that he had used up his supply of rags at a particularly messy job that morning. The part that had failed was about 15 years old so he explained that they would need to order it, otherwise the whole system would have to be replaced, expensively. Joe returned three days later, finished the job and left the bathroom clean this time. The cost was £145 against an estimate of £90 when I first rang ACE, but Joe explained that this was due to the age of the part and having to return. Would I use ACE again? Yes, but I'd probably remind them that I was a member of HelpHound when I called!