Marketing With Online Field Service Reviews
By My Service Depot on Thursday, July 6, 2017
In any industry, customer opinion counts. With so many avenues available online for customers to leave reviews of companies, some doubtlessly exist for your company. This creates an opportunity to respond to what consumers say about your organization. Online reviews represent a tremendous avenue for businesses to get feedback and acknowledge the needs of their customers. However, online reviews can also make a powerful tool for marketing. One of the most crucial things to remember with online reviews? These remain visible to a vast audience, so you must handle them in the right way. Be courteous, professional, and respectful to each reviewer. This will go a long way for your field service company. In a trade where reputation and relations make two core components, suggestions and critiques can play a monumental role in the way perception of your business by both current and potential customers.
Whether negative or positive, you should thank the review’s writer for their time. Something from their experience (good or bad) compelled them to give your company a review. When customers go the extra mile to leave a comment, it shows your product or services left an impression. Keep in mind; a review is not an attack. Do not get defensive, even if the reviewer has had a negative experience. The criticisms are merely feedback and an opportunity to expand customer satisfaction and strengthen your practices. Use the input to your advantage and turn your online reviews into marketing tools.
Should You Respond to Positive Reviews of Field Services?
Every review, whether it encourages or provides constructive criticism, needs a response. First, thank the customer for their comments, as their remarks help market and develop your business model. If they have praised the job your field technicians have done and feel encouraged to tell you (and the public) about it, the very least you can do is thank them for their kind words. Next, mention your company name in your response. Doing so will help gain an additional advantage in your reply: SEO. If your field service company name appears multiple times on a page, search engines will take notice and could put this in the search engine results page (or SERP) ensuring many users will see the positive review. This space also makes an appropriate place to do a little bit of advertising. If a consumer is pleased with the work your field technicians have completed, invite them to consider your business in the future or for an additional service. The last item your response should contain? A call-to-action. Have customers share their experience with friends and family and get your company name out to the public.
How to Acknowledge Negative Field Service Reviews
Within every company, mistakes will happen. Opinions will differ. These are inevitable aspects of running a service company. Schedules can get misaligned, and performances may vary from worker to worker. If a customer has had a negative experience with your company and left a review, answer it as soon as possible. Immediately responding to all reviews shows that your field service company doesn’t sweep issues under the rug. It illustrates that customer concerns remain a top priority and that your organization takes their reputation very seriously.
The first step in responding to a negative review? Apologize to the customer for their bad experience. Keep your response short and sincere. Keep your response to just a few sentences as a rule of thumb. Explain how the situation goes against the norm and does not represent how you typically conduct business. Let the reviewer know the steps in progress to rectify the situation and assure them that you’ve taken their words to heart. Again, do not become defensive in your reply. Constructive criticism can help form new policies and strategies, which make great ways to advance your business. Additionally, provide a “real world” contact to email or call to avoid a back-and-forth discussion in the public forum. Having an additional contact also shows the customer that you sincerely want to make their experience better.
Maintaining Your Good Name
Whether on your website, on social media, or on a public forum, you must keep up with your business’ reputation. Google reviews, Angie’s List, or Facebook… these marketing tools will help consumers gauge what to expect if they choose to do business with you. If someone considers your business against someone else’s, they’ll likely check third party sources for customer reviews (and how your company responds to them). Maintaining your presence on the internet and staying aware of your reputation will allow you to keep your reputation intact.
Lacking a good source of positive reviews for your business? Don’t forget the value of following up with customers. Some may not think about writing reviews, so even a follow-up call or a survey after the job can make a good reminder. This check-in can go a long way. Getting a satisfactory report or valid suggestion, even if it is not a formal online review, is still beneficial to your business and important to document. Field service companies that stay in-tune with customer needs will always grow their base and will always stand ready to dominate their competition.
