Most consumers choose an HVAC contractor based on their online reviews. Before making a final decision, potential customers actively look for what others have to say about your business, and having plenty of online positive reviews automatically positions you as a top pick.
Reviews
Reviews also help you rank higher in search results, and buyers are willing to pay more for brands with lots of strong reviews. So how do you get more of them?
First, you have to create great customer experiences. Otherwise, customers will have no attachment to you or your business, and won’t care enough to leave you a review.
Review-worthy customer experiences
If your HVAC business is listed on another platform like Angi, you can push for reviews there
If you’ve created those review-worthy customer experiences, then the best place to earn online reviews is Google. If your HVAC business is listed on another platform like Angi, you can push for reviews there as well. Otherwise, defaulting to Google is your best option.
Whether you’re a smaller HVAC contractor aiming to build a stronger online presence or a well-established business looking to expand your customer base, these five tips can help propel you toward success and get more reviews over time.
1) Ask for reviews directly from customers after a service
One of the most effective ways to solicit a review is to ask your customers face-to-face. When you have that conversation in person, you can accurately gauge a customer’s response and understand their experience while leaving room for questions and clarification.
It’s easiest to ask for a review once a customer praises you for a job well done, once the opportunity arises, seize it.
Customer relationship
Personally thank them for their business and politely ask something like: “That’s so great to hear, I’m happy I could assist you with your repair! If you could spare the time, it would mean a lot to our business if you could share your experience on [review site].”
Or, you can opt to hand them a business card with a QR code that opens up your Google review page. The technician performing the service is the most likely to build the deepest relationship with the customer after learning about their needs, which is why they should be the person to ask for the review.
2) Request reviews via SMS
Reaching customers via SMS is a sure way to get your review request seen almost instantly
Thanks to high open rates, reaching customers via SMS is a sure way to get your review request seen almost instantly.
It’s a conversational approach to gathering reviews for your HVAC business, and you’re more likely to get a response since people are constantly on their phones.
Personalized message
Craft a personalized thank you message with a review link attached. It can say something like: “Hi, [First Name]! Thanks for choosing [HVAC Company]. To best serve you and others, would you mind leaving us a review? Here’s the link: [link]. Thank you!”
Several business texting services enable you to reach out to your customers for 1:1 communications, and some of them offer review management capabilities. From there, you can do things like earn, track, and respond to reviews all within one platform.
3) Email your customers to ask them for a review
Requesting reviews via email is a longstanding method of hearing back from your customers.
The key to email review requests is to keep them simple, especially if you’re just asking for general feedback.
Review process
After completing a service for a customer, the review request process can look something like this:
- Send over an email within 24 hours, preferably from the email of the person who worked directly with the customer.
- Keep your message brief, you want to respect the customer’s time.
- Have a very clear call-to-action link/button on your review page.
- Test a variety of subject lines to catch their attention, try using the customer’s name.
Email is an accessible way to get your review request seen, and doesn’t require any extra steps or tools. Apart from social media and text messaging, it’s the standard way to reach out to a customer after you’ve completed a service for them.
4) Use social media to encourage customers to actively engage with your brand
Engaging directly with users via social media encourages customers to share their experiences freely
Social media is an ideal place to boost your HVAC business’ visibility and gather reviews, especially since people flock to platforms like Facebook to ask their friends for service-provider recommendations. When people tag you in their posts or comments, that’s your opportunity to jump in and engage.
Engaging directly with users via social media encourages customers to share their experiences freely. Whether it’s good or bad, you need to address any concerns. From there, you can ask for feedback and direct them to your review page via a link.
Posting photos
Another way to encourage people to leave you a review is to post photos of recent installations, and repairs, and by featuring customer testimonials. Social proof can do wonders for your business and demonstrates that you care about giving your customers a stellar experience.
With an active social media presence, you have a higher chance of reaching a bigger audience, including potential customers who might be searching for a local HVAC service. Word of mouth is powerful, and when potential customers see your business page brimming with positive reviews, they’ll be more likely to choose you.
5) Follow up with customers and send reminders
If it’s been some time and your customer still hasn’t responded to your initial review request, you can follow up with a friendly text to refresh their memory. Sometimes, a gentle reminder can help you collect more reviews.
Emphasize how valuable their feedback is and how your business considers all reviews when improving the customer experience. The more feedback you collect, the more you’ll be able to monitor and improve your performance.
Identify trends, offer incentives
Don’t push customers to leave a review that could backfire and leave you with negative feedback
Identify trends in what people are saying, address recurring issues, and make the appropriate adjustments to enhance your services. Above all, it’s important to be polite. Don’t push customers to leave a review that could backfire and leave you with negative feedback.
You don’t want to come off as too persistent or spammy. You can even consider offering an incentive on their next service, such as a discount or a free seasonal inspection to encourage them to leave you a review. People like to share their opinions, sometimes it just takes an extra nudge.
Keep it personable when reaching out for reviews
Customers are more likely to respond to your review request when it comes from a real person instead of a generic message blast.
With any of these methods, you want to ensure that you’re keeping your interactions as personable as possible while adding your signature or a personal message from someone within your company. If anything, the message's sentiment will mean a lot to them.