Home Service providers receive reviews, just like owners of other businesses. You’re providing a service to a customer, and some are inevitably going to be unhappy for one reason or another. But what exactly prompts those customers to leave a bad review in the first place?

There’s no way to know precisely what will make one leave a negative review, but we’ve got a rough idea. Here are a handful of common reasons why home service customers leave a bad review. When you know what to look out for, you can tailor your service accordingly to help avoid those areas that a customer might be more likely to react to negatively.

A Problem with the Service

When customers leave a bad review, it has to do with the service they’ve received more often than not. According to a study by Corra, a digital commerce agency, 52% of customers leave a negative review because of a problem with the service itself.

That’s more than half of every negative review. For comparison, Corra found that product issues account for 31.4% of negative reviews, while policy complaints are responsible for 16.6%. So, it’s clear that service is the #1 concern customers are likely to take issue with.

In this industry, providing quality service is the name of the game. Customers already value service above all, so doing your best to provide an exemplary experience when you’re performing a job is of utmost importance.

A Complaint with a Policy

As we touched on above, policy issues still account for roughly 17% of negative reviews. Customers hate being blindsided by hidden fees and other hang-ups in a policy, so be as clear as possible when explaining something.

Whether it’s your warranty agreement, repair schedule or just a disclaimer that emergency service costs extra, make sure the customer is fully aware of everything ahead of time. Arguably the only thing that customers hate more than paying more money is not being prepared to do so – be sure to explain the entirety of your policies up front.

An Issue with a Product

The other major player when it comes to leaving negative reviews is when a customer finds fault with a product. Whether that’s a new heat exchanger that cracks unexpectedly or a pipe fitting that warps for an unknown reason, products don’t always work the way they’re intended to.

What to Do About Negative Reviews

With how much people trust online reviews these days, it’s more important than ever to do your best to provide a service that will leave people more likely to leave positive reviews rather than negative ones. However, negative reviews are inevitable. It’s impossible to leave every customer 100% happy, but you can still take steps to minimize the damage.

  • Accept responsibility and apologize. Even though you might be in the clear, the customer clearly thinks it was your fault. Do what you can to make it right, starting by responding to their review in a positive, humble manner.
  • Try to explain what went wrong if possible, so that the customer doesn’t feel left in the dark about the issue. It shows that you care about the issue and want to make it right.

Unearthing the secret to Google reviews is a tough task, but it’s critical to helping your business take the next step. Lots of home service companies aren’t utilizing the full power of Google reviews and local service ads, and there is plenty of untapped potential there. Well, fear no more. Watch the webinar that VitalStorm and Podium hosted on Jan. 16, 2019 at 1 p.m. (CST) to learn how you can take advantage of all Google’s LSA services offer. We touched on topics such as Google reviews (and the importance they have), as well as handy tips and tricks to optimizing your reviews.

And if you’re ready for a comprehensive marketing plan that will truly lift your business above the rest, call VitalStorm at 1-877-311-5696!