Getting and managing Google reviews is a critical part of running a local service business. Customers aren’t just going to provide you with positive reviews unless you truly blow their mind. You have to ask for feedback constantly.
The restaurant industry is probably the best at encouraging people to provide reviews. Many build their menu around picture perfect items., then provide QR codes on receipts and in store to easily share their pictures.
We’ll discuss the following aspect of getting reviews.
Why reviews matter
According to BrightLocal reviews are important to your business because:
- 97% of customers check reviews
- 41% of people check reviews before every purchase
- 47% of people won’t do business with a company that has less than 20 reviews.
- 31% of people expect a 4.5 star average rating to do business with you.
I don’t know about you, but that tells me that all business owners should pay attention to reviews.
Provide excellent customer service
The ground work for a positive review is providing great customer service. For local service businesses this means:
- Answer the phone when it rings
- Provide answers to every question the customer asks before booking.
- Be transparent with pricing.
- Give the customer a reasonable time-window.
- Confirm the appointment immediately and the day before (if it’s not emergency call)
- Send a text letting them know when you’re on the way.
- Take before and after photos to provide documentation of work (and also marketing materials)
- Wear booties if entering the home.
- Get approval for any additional work before doing it.
- Clean up after yourself.
- Make sure to ask for a review after completing the service.
Notice how all this is building up to a positive customer experience.
Ask for reviews after providing service
48% of people are likely to write a review if you ask. Meanwhile, only 2% to 5% do on their own. Make sure to ask every customer for a review before leaving the site by saying something like:
Thank you for choosing us to solve your cooling issue. We rely on reviews to get more business. We’ll be sending a review request via text message shortly. Please take a minute to complete it.
It’s that simple.
Use review request automation
Software like HousecallPro makes it easy to send every customer a review request after you complete a job. Watch the video below to find out how it works.
Teach customers how to write a good review
The quality of reviews matter. You need to show your customers how to write a good review. Encourage them to include:
- Company name
- The reason they contacted you.
- Service provided
- End result
Which of these reviews looks better?
Never buy reviews
Both Google and Amazon specifically prohibit buying or incentivizing reviews. In addition, fake reviews are punishable by the Federal Trade Commission with a penalty of up to $51,744 per violation. That means:
- No discounts for reviews.
- Never pay for reviews.
- Don’t offer gifts for reviews.
Read the company review policies on every platform you use.
Request removal of illegitimate reviews
When a review is spam or includes profanity you may ask Google to remove it. Learn about the removal process.