4 Easy Ways to Ask for Online Reviews

Last year, The Grounds Guys launched Listen360 as our NPS Scoring System. This system provides the insight you need as a business owner to alert you of an angry customer and hopefully resolve the issue before that person leaves a negative review online!

Listen360 is a customer feedback and NPS tool and should not be confused with an online review platform. We hear from owners all the time about how it feels like a constant struggle to acquire positive reviews. To continue the upward trend in review acquisition and to make the process simpler for you, here are four easy and proven ways to ask your satisfied customers for online reviews:

1. Use our Leave-Behind Google Review Card

Cost: Low – print costs only

Why? This easy method has recently been implemented by Molly Maid’s “Race to 75” review contest, resulting in a Google review system wide increase of 43.8% (date range: April 2018 – December 2018) increasing systemwide Google reviews from 5,359 to 9,541 during that timeframe. What change did they make? They equipped their teams with a leave-behind asking and instructing customers to leave them a review on Google. By asking the customer in the home, and not relying on a follow up email or additional action, Molly Maid customers have been happy to leave their public feedback.

How? Order from Ad Depot and the cards will ship to your door. Hand a one to a customer towards the end of the project, asking them to help you grow your business by writing you a review on Google.

2. Text Your Customer

Cost: None

Why? Text messaging is an easy and effective way to ask your customer to write an online review for your business.

How? If you are speaking with a satisfied customer following their job, ask the homeowner if you could send them a text message with a review request. Then on your device, simply copy and paste a pre-written review request, including link, into a text message to the customer. Ask them to click on the link to make sure it is working properly and to write a review after you hang up and thank them for their business.

To set up your pre-written text message, we suggest creating a short link - rather than including a lengthy link to your Google listing. If you are unfamiliar with how to create a short link, contact Rebecca.cantu@nbly.com for assistance. The entire text should look something like this:

Please write a review for The Grounds Guys of Waco!

  1. Follow the link to our local Google page.
  2. Click the “Review” button.
  3. Login to your Google account.
  4. Rate us using the 1 - 5 star scale and leave us your comments.
  5. Click “Post.”

http://bit.ly/guywaco

Thank you!

3. Scorpion Dashboard

Cost: None

Why? Utilize your Scorpion Dashboard and send customers a link to a review site. The advantage of using this system is that it’s free, easy and the links are already built out for you (opposed to creating your own email/text system).

How?

  • Login your Scorpion Dashboard.
  • From the menu on the left side of the page, click “Reputation.”
  • Click the “Requests” tab found on the right side of the page.
  • To send a review request, click the blue “BEGIN” button.

The system allows you to input multiple customers at one time, so this would be a great opportunity to input all customers on either a daily or weekly basis (depending on the size of your operation).

  • Enter the customer’s name, email address and/or cell phone number.
  • Keep the “Happy” checkbox checked.
  • Once you have your customer information entered, click “SAVE.”

Within the dashboard, you will be able to see if the customer viewed the email and which links they clicked on. It generally takes a couple of hours for the customer to receive the message. Feel free to test this system out by entering your information so you can see firsthand what the email and text requests look like.

4. Paid Platform

Cost: $$ (Varied based on the platform)

Why? Some franchisees have sought out review acquisition platforms, such as Podium and Broadly (we are currently on-boarding Broadly as a PTN vendor – more to come on this). There are many options out there whose intent is to make asking for online reviews easier and more convenient for you and the customer. While these come at a cost, for a location who is running multiple crews and juggling many projects, this type of platform could have many advantages.

How? If you feel an automated system like this would fit your budget and your needs, ask your franchise consultant for more information. Your franchise consultant can share insights or put you in touch with an owner who has already started testing one of these systems.

Topics: Online Reviews


Natalie Walker, Brand Manager, The Grounds Guys

Natalie Walker, Brand Manager, The Grounds Guys

Brand Manager, The Grounds Guys

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