Reviews can be great for your company. It increases your online presence and SEO, makes you stand out from the competition, and shows you have successfully provided quality service to multiple different people.

You should always ask your customers to leave a review after your services. In 2018, plumbing and HVAC businesses had an average of 40 reviews on Google. It is important for people to be able to see how trustworthy a business is before inviting you into their home or paying you for a service. Reviews are a great way to build that trust with potential customers before they even know who you are.

Make it easy for someone to leave a review, whether it be a Facebook review, automated email reminder, Google My Business review, or even just a tweet about how satisfied they were. The more reviews you have, the higher you will rank on Google searches.

Take the time to respond to your reviews. An Uberall study showed that 86% of people are more likely to shop at a store that responds to their online reviews. For the people leaving reviews, it makes them feel more validated and heard. If they took the time out of their day to leave a good message about your company, it is important to thank them.

But what should you do if someone leaves a bad review? Everyone makes mistakes and at some point or another, you are going to get a negative review online. It could be a broken HVAC system after a check-up, a miscommunication in scheduling, or even an employee accidentally coming off as rude. Sometimes negative reviews are out of your control; maybe you caught someone on a bad day, or a competitor is trying to get your ranking down.

Negative reviews can hurt your brand reputation and may possibly lead to people overlooking the positive reviews. Some people think the best option is to simply ignore bad reviews, but that is not the case. There is still a chance to fix the relationship and your online reputation with a good response to bad reviews.

First off, make sure to respond quickly while still maintaining proper grammar in your post. You should respond no later than 24 hours, but even if you miss that time window you can still reply. If you’re just starting to respond to your reviews, it can be beneficial to go back and see what other negative reviews you can respond to. Not only will you potentially get a customer back, but others looking at your business will be able to see that you care about customer service and are willing to try and make things right.

While responding, you should be as polite as possible and not downplay their side of the story, even if you disagree with it. Although it may be hard, don’t let your emotions get in the way. As a business owner, it will probably hurt to see bad things being said about a company you worked hard to build. Just remember that your response will be totally public, and you don’t want to have a reputation of fighting customers in the comments section. Put your emotions aside and respond professionally.

You shouldn’t have a template for bad reviews but a checklist of things to do. Each response should feel unique so the person leaving the review feels like you are actually trying to make things right and not just sending an automated response.

  • Greet the customer by their name, and make sure your post is friendly, professional, and spell-checked.
  • Address their specific issue and apologize for how things went.
  • Brainstorm a solution on how to fix the problem. It may be as simple as scheduling another maintenance appointment for their heating system.
  • Encourage the customer to reach out to you to discuss the issue further.

By making things right, you may get your customer back. Even better, you may be able to get them to change their review to a more positive one so your overall star rating goes up. It’s better to try than to let the bad reviews stay online forever.

Sometimes people will leave a 1-star review with no comment to go along with it. In this instance, still respond and apologize that your services weren’t what they were expecting. Ask them to elaborate on what the issue was, and offer to talk with them to make things right.

People can leave reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, Glassdoor, your website, or even in social media posts. Always be on the lookout for bad reviews and address them quickly so your company can stay at the top of Google searches with a positive brand image.

If you need help with responding to bad reviews or boosting your online presence with a custom marketing plan, Hudson,Ink can help. We specialize in contractor marketing and are here to help your business be the first option people consider. Email [email protected] or call 800-489-9099 today.