Reputation Management: How to Protect Your Most Valuable Asset

The Math of Reviews

A 4.9-star company gets 3x more calls than a 4.2-star company.

Even if you have been in business for 30 years, if your Google Profile says "3.8 Stars," people assume you are risky, difficult, or incompetent. They will scroll right past you to the new guy with fifty 5-star reviews.

Dealing with the 1-Star Nightmare

You wake up to a 1-star review: "Total scam! Ruined my house!" Panic sets in.

• Step 1: Breathe. Do not reply immediately with anger.
• Step 2: Respond Professionally. "Hi [Name], I'm the owner. I can't find a record of this job in our system. We take this seriously. Please call my personal cell at [Number] so I can fix this."
  Why? This isn't for the angry person. It's for the thousands of future customers who will read that review. It shows them you are reasonable and care.
• Step 3: Bury It. You usually can't delete a bad review unless it violates Google's policy. The solution to pollution is dilution. Get 10 new 5-star reviews this week to push the bad one off the front page.

Automating the "Ask"

Do not rely on your techs to ask for reviews. They forget. They feel awkward.

Use software (like we provide) that automatically texts the customer 1 hour after the job is closed:
"Hi [Name], thanks for choosing us! Would you mind taking 30 seconds to rate your tech?"

Timing is Everything: The best time to ask is immediately after the dopamine hit of having their problem solved. If you wait 3 days, the hot water is just "normal" again, and they won't care. Strike while the iron is hot.

The Smart Part: If they click 4-5 stars -> It sends them to Google. If they click 1-3 stars -> It opens a private feedback form so they can vent to YOU, not the world. This saves your public reputation.