March 18, 2008 – (HOSTSEARCH.COM) – Verisign (http://www.verisign.com), an online security provider, will integrate Ratepoint’s (http://www.ratepoint.com) online reputation and customer feedback platform into its SSL offerings, it was announced yesterday. Ratepoint will be offered as a “value-added offering for customers to purchase as part of VeriSign’s retail SSL certificate”. According to the company, this agreement “reflects VeriSign’s commitment to help online businesses improve consumer confidence and trust by enabling consumers to rate their overall satisfaction in doing business with them”.
RatePoint provides consumers with a verifiable way of rating and providing feedback to a business. In addition, the system allows businesses to “connect” with their customers and “resolve potential disputes”.
“The combination of VeriSign SSL with RatePoint will provide VeriSign customers with another way to establish trust amongst its consumers,” explained VeriSign’s Senior Vice President, SSL, Mr. Chris Babel. “The market for RatePoint is relevant to businesses that use VeriSign SSL certificates to secure e-commerce transactions. Gaining the trust of consumers is vital to business success and adding a mechanism to collect and promote authentic customer feedback and ratings will only further that trust.”
“The VeriSign brand is a well-recognized symbol of a trusted and secure business, and the RatePoint solution further helps businesses promote, protect and manage their business reputation,” added RatePoint’s CEO and co-founder, Mr. Neal Creighton. “The natural synergies of both solutions further exemplify the power of this partnership for merchants and online consumers.”
A number of studies have suggested consumers look for online reviews before making online and offline purchase decisions. Many sites offer an opportunity for users to provide reviews, but, according to the company, RatePoint’s patent-pending offering offers consumers an “interactive method to provide feedback directly to a business, where potential issues are more likely to be resolved”.
“The rise of social media and user-generated content has propelled online reputation to top of mind for large and small businesses alike,” explained Toby Bell, Vice President at research specialists Gartner. “By taking a proactive approach to managing, monitoring, and protecting their Internet reputations, businesses will improve consumer confidence and trust.”
