Even if your techs show up to every job on time and perform it spectacularly, they’re likely to forget to ask for a review, or the customer never delivers the review promised.
Service businesses, especially in North America’s competitive landscape, live and die by their customer reviews. 45% of customers today read reviews online, mostly before purchasing products or services. Considering that, it’s not surprising that even businesses with just one negative review are struggling, and teams with low rankings work tirelessly to raise their ranking. In fact, Harvard Business Review found that for every 1-star increase on Yelp, revenue increased by 5-9%.
But how should you ask for a positive review, and who is the most likely customer to provide your team with one? We spoke with our partners at Signpost, who recently came up with best practices that can help grow your business, alongside some free templates that will make review requests easy.
Ask the right customers for a review
The truth is, not every customer buying from you would like to leave a review. Even the most satisfied ones have plenty of other things to do. Furthermore, even those stating they’ll recommend you to their friends often do so offline in a more natural conversational arena. And oftentimes, older customers might run into technical difficulties with online review sites and need additional guidance.
Naturally, you’re on the hunt for a customer who can upload a positive review, preferably 5-star, to any of the review sites out there (Yelp, Thumbtack, Angi, TaskRabbit, Google My Business, and so on). Here are a few tricks on how to locate these top customer fans and make them your online brand ambassadors:
Look for customers who:
- Have shown extensive satisfaction with your service, preferably by becoming repeat or long-time loyal customers
- Have some technical orientation (knowing how to use a computer or navigate the review sites via smartphone is key!)
- Have a generally positive outlook on life
- Have a way with words
- Have an influence on their online community, either on their social channels or on various groups
- Have shared positive feedback on your team before
To locate these customers, we suggest mingling with them yourself. Join neighborhood community groups and social media channels. If your most active and engaged clients are among your clientele, they should receive service from your best techs in the field!
When to ask for a review
There’s no one correct answer here, but the general rule of thumb is only to ask for a review when a job is done. It’s better not to count on a positive review when the customer’s problem is yet to be solved or before ensuring that the customer is satisfied with the service provided. Here’s when to ask:
- Right after the job has been completed: You want your customers to leave a review when their experience is fresh, and they want to reward your business with a token of appreciation.
- After the customer has shown loyalty for a few months: A customer who keeps asking for your team for six months or longer usually works with you by choice rather than chance. Jump on a call with them to find out what keeps them coming back and politely ask them to recommend you to others in their network.
- Following a customer service interaction: Train your customer success specialists and/or dispatch & scheduling team to pay close attention to the tone used by your prospects. As said, customers who show explicit satisfaction or a generally positive attitude are more likely to leave a positive review than others. Have your representatives ask that kind of customer for a review in a polite, non-aggressive way.
How to ask for a review
That’s the million-dollar question! Many businesses have difficulty asking for feedback, even when their customers collaborate and ask how they would like the review to be written. Luckily in today’s digital age, we have access to tools like review templates and apps such as Signpost that automatically request reviews, making it easier to include the request as part of your regular customer interaction.
Whichever way is more convenient for you to ask for a review, it’s important to consider that most users read reviews on their online devices. Consumers using a mobile phone are actually 127% more likely to purchase products than those using a desktop device. That means that if you have to choose one medium to use for sending review requests, we recommend you choose SMS. That medium is twice as recommended if you send the review requests to younger recipients. Your happy customer is already on their phone reading your text request, so it’s a no-brainer for them just to hit a link and pop in their review!
What should your review request look like? That’s where our expertise comes into play. We have written some short templates that you can plug your business info into and send to your clients without breaking a sweat.
Template 1 (recommended for first-time customers):
Hi [First Name], thank you so much for your business!
Most people, including yourself, rely on online reviews to know if a business will meet their needs. If our service met your expectations, I would appreciate leaving a review on our Google My Business page.
Leaving your thoughts here will only take a minute: <link>
We appreciate your time. Have a great day!
Best,
[Your Name]
Benefits of this messaging:
- It acknowledges the customers who have just had their first experience with you.
- It leaves you room for improvement in case the customers aren’t fully satisfied.
- It motivates the customers who wouldn’t normally leave a review because they consider it a bother (easy-to-click links are key!)
Template 2 (recommended for loyal customers):
Hello [first name],
Thank you for being a loyal customer!
If you enjoy working with us, we would love it if you could leave your feedback on our Google Business Page.
Thank you, and have a great day!
Best,
[Your name]
Benefits of this messaging:
- It shows gratitude for your loyal customers.
- It leaves you room for improvement in case your customers aren’t fully satisfied.
- It motivates loyal customers to help you grow your customer base.
Template 3 (for the general audience):
Hey [First Name],
Thanks so much for supporting our local business!
If you had a great experience with us, we’d appreciate leaving a few words on Google My Business by clicking here: <link>
Thanks and have a great day!
[Your Name]
Benefits of this messaging:
- It’s a one-size-fits-all for both new customers and recurring ones.
- It leaves you room for improvement in case your customers aren’t fully satisfied.
20 more hacks to get more reviews
We hope that these tips have been helpful for you in your business. Now that you know the basics of getting reviews check out the free Signpost guide 20 Hacks to Get More Reviews to take it to the next level.
Want to learn how Workiz and Signpost connect to help you get the lead, get the job, and get the review? SignPost and Workiz work together seamlessly thanks to Zapier integration, making connecting the two platforms super easy. Check out our partners at Signpost to learn even more about how you can get more reviews, repeat business, and referrals! Give it a try today.
