We can’t overemphasize the importance of online reviews for field service companies. 62% of consumers say they look at online reviews before selecting a service provider and it’s not just the star ratings they’re checking out.
Top Concerns for Consumers in Reading Online Reviews
When asked what they paid attention to when reading reviews, here’s what consumers had to say:
- 58% – How recent reviews were
- 57% – Overall star rating
- 50% – Quantity of reviews
- 49% – Do reviews sound real
- 43% – Customer sentiment
- 39% – Whether businesses responded
This is why reviews are important for your business overall. You need enough volume for people to trust the reviews. They also need to be genuine and they need to be recent.
How to Get Customers to Give You Reviews
Whether you’re in the plumbing, electrical, painting, or roofing industries, you’ve got a unique opportunity to get reviews. You’ll have multiple interactions with customers before, during, and after visits.
Manage the Onsite Visits
The biggest determining factor in whether you’ll get positive – or negative – reviews will be a customer’s experience with your company. When technicians are on-site, ensure your tech visits are spotless. Make sure invoicing and payment systems are easy to use. Ensure you’re providing status updates, reminders, and customer communications promptly.
Encourage Reviews
When you have satisfied customers, encourage them to leave reviews. They’ll be your best references. And most of the time, it’s as simple as asking.
You need a formal process to encourage reviews, including:
- Techs should always ask the customer if they were satisfied with the job, and if there’s anything else they need to do. Then, ask for a review before they leave.
- Incorporate requests into all of your follow-up communications. Consider texting or emailing after each visit to check satisfaction and ask for reviews.
- Do quality control calls to ensure customers are happy. If they’re not, addressing the issue may help prevent negative reviews. If they are happy, guess what? Ask for a review.
- Follow-up with direct mail or email as part of your ongoing marketing campaigns.
Make It Easy to Leave Reviews
Make it easy for customers to leave reviews how and where you want them. Have techs leave a business card with the review site information. Include the link in your texts or emails. Display it on your website.
Connect with Your Best Customers
If you’re trying to increase the volume of positive reviews, consider reaching out to prior customers and asking them to post.
Monitor Social Channels
You should also monitor your social platforms carefully. Solve problems quickly to avoid them getting repeated online. When there’s a positive comment, thank them publicly and send them a private message asking if they’ll leave a review.
Consider Incentives to Employees but Not Customers
It may be appropriate to offer incentives for your field reps when they get positive reviews for their work.
Do not, however, offer an incentive in exchange for leaving a review. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is bringing cases against companies who do that.
Check Your Reviews Regularly
Make sure you have strong reviews on your site by providing solid customer service. Getting a bad review is not necessarily a bad thing. Just make sure you respond in a professional and timely manner. When customers see only glowing reviews, it can make them question their overall authenticity.
People know that no business is perfect. They’ll judge a business by how they handle problems when they do arise. By addressing poor reviews quickly and offering a reasonable solution or accommodation, it can turn out to be a net positive.
Pay particular attention to reviews on Google through your Google My Business page. Managing and responding to reviews on Google may impact your search ranking results or listing in Google’s local map pack.
Keep Your Brand Authentic
People can spot a phony a mile away. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it and fix it. Whatever your brand values are, live by them. Customers value the authenticity of the brands they choose and the quality of businesses they support.
Make sure your brand resonates with them on a personal level. Your brand message should be consistent across your website, social media, and any other ways you connect with customers.
Why Technology Matters
Invest in technology that will manage the entire customer experience from start to finish. FieldPulse, for example, can help you engage with your customers more thoroughly than traditional means of phone calls and paper invoices. At the same time, it provides tools to manage your business, schedule your service teams, provide route planning and tracking, and handling purchase orders and invoicing.
The Key to Positive Customer Reviews
Positive reviews are important to attract new customers. The only way to get consistent, five-star reviews is by taking care of your customers in the first place. This means providing stellar care in every interaction.
Contact FieldPulse today to learn more about how to provide the best customer experience and how we can help grow your business.
