The Importance of Authentic Reviews
Did you know that you can buy reviews? Most reputable service and review sites frown upon this practice and may even disable your account if they can catch you doing it. Yet, the practice of purchasing or “faking” reviews is rampant in the service industry and is very easy to do.
When shopping for lawn care services or any services for that matter, consumers should enter into the process cautiously. If you are researching companies online, be sure to pay close attention to things like followers and reviews. Ever wonder how a company can have five posts and 15,000 followers? Yep, those are fake. A little bit of cash can make that happen.
Here are a few things to keep in mind…
Some sites, like Facebook, actually allow companies to turn their reviews off. Why would a service company want to turn their reviews off?
Does the company have a lot of followers on social sites like Facebook and Instagram but not a lot of activity? Don’t be fooled by companies who have paid services to collect followers without actually engaging with their audience.
Does the company have a high number of reviews? Do the reviews seem inconsistent or generic? Are there a lot of 5-star ratings without any comments? Or are the only comments that seem written by a real customer all 1-stars? Buyer beware. There are sites out there that make money by allowing companies to purchase reviews for their chosen platform. Sites like this enable companies to get their ratings up by buying reviews to dilute the effect of unhappy customers that may have posted real comments.
The truth is…
Building an authentic online reputation takes time. It is really hard to get people who are satisfied with service to rate you. That’s work for them, and if your business is based on convenience, it’s not very convenient to have to go to a review site and write something. The reality is that people are more likely to voice their opinion when they are unhappy about something. It is simply human nature.
At Canopy Lawn Care, we pride ourselves on being customer- focused. We value our customer feedback greatly, and in addition to public online reviews, we also offer our customers the opportunity to review their service after each visit. Customers can not only rate the visit but also leave job feedback so that their Canopy Pro can tailor their service according to their preferences.
As a business, public reviews are not always fun to read and it is unfortunate when someone posts a potentially damaging review simply because they are being spiteful or mean-spirited. Or if they are not even a customer or worse a competitor posing as a customer (true story – it happened to us!) However, we believe all reviewsposted online, both good and bad, are genuine insights about the service that you have provided.
If we are alerted to a negative review, we always respond to the posting. Our goal is to offer outstanding service every single time. If one of our team members has made a mistake, we always want to own that mistake and try to make things right.
Whether through our customer service app or online, we take the time to respond to customers so that they know their feedback has been heard. You cannot buy authenticity and we know that nurturing our customers and legitimately trying to improve our internal processes based on their feedback is what will ultimately help us create long-term relationships and sustainable business.
Homes are personal. Reviews are important when it comes to your lawn care. You want to feel comfortable with the company and the service professional that is going to be performing work at your home. Be sure to do your research and be on the lookout for companies that may be doing a little “sleight of hand” when it comes to their online reviews. A reputable lawn care company will gladly direct you towards their online ratings, or even provide you with referrals from current customers. Do your homework and do not be afraid to ask questions!
Is there something that we can help with? Just contact us.
