The way customers find businesses has fundamentally changed in the past decade. Consumers are more informed and empowered than ever to make better buying decisions, which puts the onus on businesses to own up to promises and provide good customer experiences.
The freedom of today’s online environment allows customers to do their research and decision making all from the comfort of their homes or offices. In fact, many prospective customers who contact you most likely have already made up their mind based on your company’s website, social media accounts and any online reviews.
Online Reviews Matter
One increasing way consumers are making decisions is by reading online reviews of a company or product. Chances are, if you’ve ever made a purchase online, you’ve probably seen a rating or review section on a product page; and maybe you’ve even changed your decision based on what reviewers had to say.
The same thing goes for businesses, and especially construction businesses. Websites like Angie’s List and Yelp exist for one big reason, for users to post about their experience with a business to help others make informed decisions.
Let’s take, for example, homeowner John. John hired ABC Construction Company to renovate his kitchen, but after a few months of work, he decides to terminate his agreement with ABC. Shortly after, he creates a Yelp page for the company and submits its first and only review.
“I hired ABC Construction Company for my kitchen remodel, and let me tell you -- what a major mistake on my part! Not only was the project two months behind schedule by the time I kicked them off the job, but they had the audacity to try and charge me more than our agreed upon price for my kitchen counters! The foreman who started the work was great, but then he got pulled from the job with no notice, and his replacement was less than ideal. I had to pay to get my carpets steamed because some of the guys tracked their muddy boots through my living room one day when I wasn’t home. Awful experience. DON’T DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE!”
This is a bad situation for ABC. Not only do they have a terrible review about their business sitting online for anyone to read, but they don’t have any positive reviews or online presence to counter the negativity in John’s review.
Skeptical About the Power of Online Reviews?
Put yourself in the shoes of a customer. If you read John’s review about any other company, would you want to do business with them?
The problem is, many business owners either don’t give online reviews the attention they should or know reviews are important, but just don’t know how to interact with the comments they receive. To get you started, here are a few smart strategies for dealing with online reviews:
1. Respond to Bad Reviews
The only thing worse than a scathing online review is a scathing online review with no response from the business or, even worse, the business does reply, but with an angry tirade against the reviewer (hint – your online persona should be just as professional as your in-person persona).
Think back to John’s review of ABC Construction Company. It’s going to look bad if ABC remains silent on John’s claims because, just like the defendant who pleads the 5th, silence can insinuate guilt. But what if ABC isn’t guilty? How do you think public perception of John’s review would change if ABC responded with the following?
“John, I apologize you had such a negative experience with ABC. Unfortunately, the completion date of your remodel was pushed back due to the major changes in layout you requested midway through the work. We make it a priority to keep customers up-to-date on any change in work schedules, and that’s why we had you sign off on an updated calendar, documenting the extra work needed as a result of the new changes, so you’d be aware of the schedule modifications beforehand.
The increase in price you mentioned for the counters was due to the unforeseeable shortage in stock of the granite you requested. We never want customers to feel blindsided by increases in price, which is why we had you sign off on the additional cost needed to have your preferred granite shipped from a vendor across the country instead of our usual local supplier before we placed the order…”
Suddenly, John’s story is cast in a whole new light, and you start to question his legitimacy as a reviewer. Seeing both sides of the story at least allows your business a fighting chance when being read by a potential customer online.
2. Ask Satisfied Customers to Write Reviews
Anger or upset over a bad business experience is often motivation alone to give someone the drive to log on and take the time to write a review, but happy customers are less likely to be as motivated. One easy way to increase your company’s number of positive reviews is to ask satisfied customers to write a review describing their experience with your business. The best time to ask for a few is immediately after you finish the job.
For example, if a customer thanks you for your hard work and expresses how pleased they are, you might say, “Thank you so much. We really enjoyed working with you. If you get a chance, would you mind writing us a review on Yelp?” (Hint: better yet, send them the link to your Yelp page.)
For some people, a verbal ask will be enough to motivate their review. However, for others, you may want to consider a follow-up reminder either by including a line like “Please review us on Yelp” on your final invoice, email signature or as part of any post-job materials sent to your customers.
And when someone does take the time to write a review about your business, remember to acknowledge them with a quick thank you comment.
3. Utilize Reviews as the Valuable Tools They Are
Getting the truth stings sometimes, but refusing to listen to legitimate complaints about your business will only hurt you in the long run. It’s inevitable you’re going to get a few accusatory (and untrue) reviews from people like John, but many of the reviews your business receives will contain invaluable feedback from your customers.
For example, if three reviewers comment that the same employee has a poor attitude, maybe it’s time to pull that person aside and have a chat. Use reviews for the tool that they are. Your customers see your business with a perspective you can’t, so utilize their observations to help better your company.
Need Help?
Contact us online or call 800.899.4623 to discuss your construction business.
