Blog – Are You Compliant with the Peer Insights Community Guidelines?

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Are You Compliant with the Peer Insights Community Guidelines?

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Last Updated: December, 1 2022

In recent months, we have seen an increase in vendors in violation of the Peer Insights Community Guidelines. The Community Guidelines policies are in place to ensure Peer Insights remains a trusted platform for end-users, vendors, and others. Have you and your team taken the time to review the Community Guidelines? Do you know what types of activities can result in penalties?

 

The most common mistakes made by vendors in 2022 include:

 
  1. Sourcing for 5-star reviews: Section 3.4.2 Guidelines for Sourcing Reviews specifically states “Make sure to solicit honest reviews- be they positive or negative. You may not solicit only positive reviews.” If a vendor is found to be sourcing only positive or 5-star reviews, Peer Insights reserves the right to reject and remove any and all reviews that we deem to have potentially been improperly sourced.
    2.  

    Takeaway: Ask for honest feedback or an honest review. Do not ask for a 5-star or positive review.

     
  2. Tracking of reviews/reviewers: All reviews on Peer Insights are anonymous, and as such we take anonymity very seriously. Vendors should not communicate with any customer about their review in any manner. It is not acceptable for vendors to involve themselves in the review process with their customers after they have made the ask to write a review. Honest feedback is much easier for reviewers to write when they are confident that their identity is being protected. Please ensure you are not tracking reviews or your reviewers. Again, action will be taken if any vendor is found to be violating a reviewer’s anonymity. Please refer to the Community Guidelines, specifically Section 3.1 Vendor Guidelines Overview and 3.4.2 Guidelines for Sourcing Reviews, for further information.

    3.  

    What if your customer reaches out to you with a question about their review/submitting a review? If your customers have any questions regarding their review, please ask them to directly reach out to PeerInsights@gartner.com or loop in your aligned Program Manager. This will maintain the anonymous nature of the platform. Our support team is happy to assist them.

     

    Takeaway: Invite all customers to leave a review. Do not track individual reviews or try to identify who wrote a review.

     
  3. Over-incentivizing reviewers to write a review: The guidelines for offering incentives to your customers as a ‘thank you’ for leaving a review are very strict. $25 USD value is considered nominal and must be adhered to whether you are offering gift cards, swag or charitable donations. The intent of an incentive is to thank a reviewer for taking the time. Incentives may not be combined with any offerings from Gartner or other sources. The total incentive may not exceed $25 USD. For a more detailed understanding of Gartner’s incentive policies, please review our Community Guidelines.

    4.  

    Takeaway: Leverage the Peer Insights approved incentives, like the Vendor-Funded gift card program. Do not offer more than $25 USD for a review.

Vendors who violate our Community Guidelines will be notified and may be subject to penalties such as an alert on a vendor’s profile, or suspension of services.

 

If you’re unsure if your sourcing strategies or practices are in line with the Community Guidelines, you are always invited to send your questions or proposed plan directly to your Peer Insights Program Manager for a review and suggestion session. Additionally, feel free to reach out to PeerInsightsVendorSuccess@gartner.com with any questions.