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Keys To Success: Managing Negative Reviews of Your Roofing Company in Google Local
If you're a roofing company, then you know that online reviews are important. A single negative review can have a significant impact on your business, especially if it's published on Google Local. As the old saying goes, "you can't please everyone." But that doesn't mean you can't try.
In this blog post, we will discuss the steps that you should take after receiving a negative review online. We'll also provide some tips for preventing negative reviews from happening in the first place.
Why Online Reviews Matter
Online reviews are important for two reasons. First, they provide potential customers with valuable information about your company. Many people are driven by social proof, so a potential customer will likely read through a company's online reviews before choosing to do business with them.
Second, online reviews can impact your search engine ranking. Google uses something called "proximity" when determining how to rank businesses in the local search results. This means that businesses with a higher number of positive reviews will tend to rank higher than businesses with a higher number of negative reviews.
If you want to attract more clients, then your online reputation should be managed with as much attention to detail as your actual roof installation process.
Always Respond To Negative Reviews
It can be tempting to simply ignore negative reviews because they are hurtful or sometimes even unwarranted. However, it's important to remember that potential customers will be reading these reviews. If you don't respond, then they may get the wrong impression of your company.
Be sure to post your response to the negative review on the online platform where potential customers can see it. This shows that you're taking the customer's complaint seriously and are willing to address it publicly.
Neglecting the customer is one of the top reasons that roofing companies fail. Ignoring the complaint will only give the impression that your business is unreliable and does not care about the quality of your work, but your company may be stretched too thin to find time to respond to reviews. If your business has a large number of reviews coming in, it may be beneficial to hire a customer support representative or marketing to stay on top of these reviews.
Respond To Negative Reviews Quickly
It's important to respond to negative reviews as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the worse it will look. When responding to a negative review, always remain calm and professional. Take the time to read the review carefully and understand the customer's concerns.
After you have read the customer's complaint, craft a response that addresses those concerns. Thank the customer for their feedback and let them know that you're sorry they had a negative experience. If appropriate, offer to make things right. Maybe the roof that you installed developed a leak and you can offer to repair it for free. These resolutions will impress the upset client and improve their opinion of your company.
When A Customer Is Still Unhappy
If you have responded to a negative review with an apology or an offer to make it right, but the customer is still unhappy and continues to give poor feedback about your business online, then you may need to take more drastic measures.
You can reach out to the customer privately and try to resolve the issue offline. If you're still unable to make the customer happy, then you might need to consider legal action if they continue to speak poorly about your business. This is usually a last resort, but if the customer is making false claims about your company online, then you may have no other choice.
In some situations, you may also need to simply let it go if you have already apologized and offered a resolution. One negative review may hurt your reputation, but you can bounce back by committing to gathering more positive reviews that outweigh the impact of that one bad review.
Prevent Negative Reviews By Asking For Customer Feedback
The best way to prevent unexpected negative reviews from ending up online is to ask for customer feedback during and after the job. This can be done through a simple survey or by asking customers to leave a review on your Google Local listing. As you rack up more positive reviews that outweigh the bad reviews, your business will be more visible in search engines.
When you're actively gathering customer feedback, you're also more likely to catch any problems before they turn into negative reviews. This feedback can also be used to improve your roofing business. For example, a customer may give feedback that your team left trash at the building site. As a business owner, you can address this with your roofing contractor team and set rules for pick-up and cleanliness.
Another way to prevent negative reviews is to have a system in place for tracking customer complaints. By keeping track of customer complaints, you can identify similar negative patterns and take steps to fix the underlying problems. This will reduce the chances of getting negative reviews in the future.
Negative reviews are unfortunately a common part of doing business online. As a roofing company, you need to be prepared to deal with these reviews in a professional and effective manner. By following the tips outlined in this blog post, you can minimize the damage that negative reviews can cause and maximize the representation of those happy customers.
Check out our blog for more roofing company tips like more effective sales presentations and roofing best practices.
AMSI is a roofing tool manufacturer and distributor. We provide quality products and quality service at a reasonable price.
Contact us to inquire about our product offerings.