Build a glowing reputation; start with your reviews 

… because online reviews can make or break the success of any local service business 

Whether we’re trying out a new restaurant, dentist’s office, or local service business, what’s the first thing we do after a quick Google search? We read the reviews. Online customer reviews are taken just as seriously as word of mouth — in fact, a new study shows that 49% of customers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family, and more than 99% of customers read reviews when they shop online. 

The impact of reviews on your home service business can’t be overstated

The success of any business can hinge on its online reviews, both positive and negative — particularly for local service companies. 

They can either make or break your business. When potential customers want to spend their hard-earned money, they turn to online reviews to learn about past experiences from your customers, and, of course, they’re more likely to choose your business if they read glowing reviews. 

For your local business, think of reviews as a trust signal that helps build up your local authority. And when you don’t collect and utilize those reviews, you may miss out on opportunities to attract more customers and build a great reputation. While customer reviews may feel out of your control at first — they aren’t.

According to research by SEO leader Moz, online reviews are the second most significant factor in dominating local search rankings.

Therefore, collecting positive reviews is not only about proving your ability to provide exceptional service but also gives Google a reason to showcase your business to potential customers. 

Here are some actionable strategies for collecting reviews and optimizing their impact on your business so you can build a strong online reputation and distinguish yourself above others in a competitive market. 

How to collect customer reviews online

We’ve got some basic strategies to keep in mind when you’re starting to think about winning some positive reviews:

Timing is crucial.

The best time to request a review from a customer is immediately after completing the service. When the experience is fresh, they’re more likely to leave a review. (Give the customer appropriate time to evaluate your service, of course, but you’ll know exactly when the quality of what you’ve performed will hit them.) 

Make it easy for customers to leave a review.

No one wants to jump through hoops to tell you what a great job you’ve done. Eliminate the friction by providing a link or instructions on how to leave a review on your website, Google Business Profile or Facebook. Send a personalized email (at the right time!) to the customer with the links and instructions — which you can also automate with the right software.

Personalize the request.

We’re human beings, and we love to feel real connections. Use your customers’ names in your request and mention specific details about the service you provided. And just as we learned in our first years of life, Our “pleases” and “thank yous” go a long way. Show your customers your heartfelt appreciation, thank them for choosing your company, and for trusting you and your services. 

Follow up with a reminder.

We’re all busy, and everybody gets sidetracked. You can follow up with a reminder email or SMS message a week after your initial request (and include the link to the review again). A gentle nudge never hurts, does it?

Should you incentivize reviews and, if so, how do you go about it tactfully?

No, you don’t want to bribe customers to leave a review — but you can certainly entice them. Keep in mind, though, that incentivizing reviews can come with its own set of risks and drawbacks if you don’t walk that line carefully. Make sure you understand and follow the terms of service for the review sites you’ll be using, and definitely don’t come across as desperate or manipulative. The best incentive really is to provide exceptional service, making the process easy, and cultivating a genuine and trustworthy relationship with every customer, in which case they’ll likely feel more than happy to help your business out with some positive words. 

CREATIVE (AND ETHICAL) WAYS TO INCENTIVIZE CUSTOMERS TO LEAVE REVIEWS

• Offer discounts or free services: For example, you could easily offer a 10% discount on the next service or a free inspection for every customer who leaves a review. 
• Offer them a chance to win: Contests that give customers who leave reviews a shot at winning a prize are always fun. After leaving a said review, you can enter them into a drawing for, say, a gift card or a free service.
• Send personalized thank-yous: Remember what mom taught us? “Please” and “Thank you.” Personalize your thank-you notes to customers who leave reviews.

Collecting Reviews with and without GorillaDesk

Tools are available to you that can help you collect customer reviews. But what makes a tool stand out is the ability to contextualize the automation process rather than sending out campaigns randomly.

Enter GorillaDesk. If you use GorillaDesk to optimize your business operations, the platform can accurately track service completion and subsequently prompt customers to provide feedback through strategically timed email notifications. Using these contextual data points can significantly enhance the likelihood of receiving reviews from satisfied customers.

Collecting reviews with GorillaDesk

Here is how GorillaDeskhelps you automate the review generation process.

Set up the ‘Appointment Followup’ email in your GorillaDesk account. Ensure you: 

• Enable the ‘Appointment Followup’ email by ticking the box below the green Follow-up #1 button. 
• Set to send this follow-up email ‘immediately’ after a completed job.

Here is what the final email looks like:

What makes this email tick:

• Personalization: The email includes the customer’s first name.
• A clear call to action: The email has a big “Leave Us A Review” that clearly states the next step for the customer.
• The post-script message includes an email and the phone number for customers to connect in case they are unhappy with the service.

Follow-up email

Here is what the email preview looks like.

Collecting reviews without GorillaDesk

As we saw above how GorillaDesk makes it easier for its customers to automate the review collection process completely. If you are not a GorillaDesk user, we still got you covered. Here are email templates you can use for setting up your review campaign.

First Email

• Subject Line: [First Name], Your Opinion Matters.

Hey [First Name],

Thanks for choosing [your business name]. It was a pleasure treating your home for  [service type].

I’m reaching out personally to ask about your overall experience.

We’re committed to being better every single day, and your feedback shows us how to do that. Could you please leave us your valuable feedback? It only takes a few minutes.

<CTA: ADD GORILLADESK SHORT CODE TO COLLECT FEEDBACK>

Thank you for your trust and support. I really appreciate it.

Have a great day!

Your Name

Position

Company Name

Contact Number

Follow-up Email

• Subject Line: Share Your Experience With Us, [First Name]?

Hi [First Name],

I just wanted to follow up on my previous email about your recent experience with [your company name].

Now that we’ve treated your home for [pest problem], we’d love your thoughts about your most recent experience.

Feedback from amazing customers like YOU help us improve our services and make others feel confident about choosing [your business name].  

<CTA: ADD GORILLADESK SHORT CODE TO COLLECT FEEDBACK>

Thank you for your trust and support. I really appreciate it.

Have a great day!

Your Name

Position

Company Name

Contact Number

Businesses Acing the Review Game with GorillaDesk

Over 3800 pest control companies are leveraging GorillaDesk to automate their review game and strengthen their online presence. Below are a few of them:

A) Finishline Pest Control 

B) Issaquah Pest Control 

C) Natural Resources Pest Control

D) Upstate Pest & Wildlife Control

So now that you’re fully equipped to begin gathering customer feedback — how do you handle negative reviews?

First and foremost, don’t underestimate them; they may prompt customers to move on to one of your competitors quickly. No matter how frustrated any negative review might make you feel, you’ll want to handle it with grace and professionalism rather than reacting negatively. Thank the customer for their feedback, offer to correct course by providing a refund or another type of fix to the solution, and ask the customer to contact you directly. Aside from providing excellent customer service and keeping up your warm relationships, you or a representative for your business can easily address each online customer concern personally, work to resolve the issue, and then politely ask them to revise their review.

You’ll want to monitor all of your review sites regularly for the good and bad and value quality over quantity. A few heartfelt, specific positive reviews will make more impact on potential customers that a few dozen generic and meaningless reviews. And let’s not forget: Collecting reviews isn’t just about attracting customers; reviews can also be a powerful tool for enhancing online visibility. According to research by SEO leader Moz, online reviews are the second most significant factor in dominating local search rankings. And according to another study, 87% of people do research on Google reviews before choosing a local business. Your reviews are more than just about proving your ability to provide exceptional service; they also give Google a reason to showcase your business online. Establishing a reliable process to generate reviews can unleash a torrent of good words to help your business stand out. Now go forth and start collecting those 5 stars!