Decision-making of moving a company’s customers is influenced by more than just one thing. However, one major thing that drives their decision-making is online reviews. For instance, over 9 in 10 customers say online reviews impact their purchase decisions.
Moreover, 80% of consumers change their minds if they find negative online reviews.
Finally, almost everyone reads reviews before deciding to buy products or services. This is how important it is for moving companies to take care of their online reputation, namely online reviews.
Another critical piece of information is that customers look for recent reviews. For instance, 85% of consumers do not consider local reviews older than three months relevant when deciding.
Thus, it is essential for moving companies always to have new, updated reviews and manage their online reputation professionally.
Also, reviews are not only essential for customer decision-making. They play a vital role in other areas of business. For example, negative sentiment in online reviews can hurt the company’s website’s ranking. This, in turn, can hurt organic traffic and, finally, the number of conversions. But, for moving companies, both positive and negative comments can also tell what needs to be improved and which part the customers are satisfied with.
WHAT IS ONLINE REPUTATION?
Online reputation is made up of more than just your online reviews. For example, it includes what others have posted about one moving company brand (reviews) and what that company has shared online about itself.
Online reputation shapes what others think about a brand/company and how they act towards it, too.
Thus, a moving company’s online reputation can influence what someone doing research online thinks about their business and whether they will decide to book them for a move or not.
WHAT DOES ORM INCLUDE?
Before you can learn how to earn positive reviews for your moving company and deal with the bad ones, first, you need to know all the different sources where your customers can post reviews about your business. We have covered some of them in this section.
ORM or online reputation management for movers first includes monitoring and managing online reviews on platforms such as Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, Angi, Thumbtack, BBB, TrustPilot, and so on. So let’s dive into each one of them individually now.
Google Reviews
Every moving company needs to have a Google Business Profile if they want to be able to find customers online.
Why?
Because the large majority of potential customers nowadays first turn to Google when doing research. So, naturally, the first thing they will see when they google your brand is your overall Google rating. From there, they can even list all the Google reviews and read them one by one, based on their ratings.
Your moving company has probably already opened a Google Business Profile by now. It helps with reaching more customers. And this is also where most of them will leave positive or negative reviews. Over 7 in 10 customers say they are always willing to leave a review for a product or service they have tried. Thus, inviting them to give you a review would be a good shout whenever you get a new customer.
Yelp
Yelp is another popular choice for leaving reviews about many services, including moving companies. Along with Google and Facebook, it is one of the most popular online marketing spaces. After officially claiming the listing for your mover business and equipping it with accurate information about your business, your customers will also be able to leave a review for you there.
This online platform is a good way for others to learn about your business and see what others have had to say about their experience with your services.
Facebook reviews
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms and offers many business possibilities, too. For example, after you set up your Facebook page for your business, the reviews option will turn on by default, too. Customers can then go to your Facebook page and leave reviews that will be visible to the page admin and all the visitors.
Facebook reviews are another great way to stay transparent about your business and people’s experience with your services.
My Moving Reviews
One more specialized online directory is My Moving Reviews. It offers reviews of many mover businesses where customers can leave honest reviews. Like on any other platform with reviews, the company can respond to all the reviews.
Angi
Angi, previously known as Angie’s list, is another resource where customers can leave reviews, and the moving company can respond.
The reviews also include customer ratings of different factors in moving, including the price and punctuality.
Thumbtack reviews
Like Angi, Thumbtack is another platform that offers reviews for many home services. It gives a good business overview and allows customers to review the provided services and the overall experience.
There are many other platforms where customers can leave reviews for your moving businesses that you can look into. However, the ones mentioned above are only some of the most popular ones regarding moving companies.
However, other platforms where you can list your business and collect reviews are websites such as Yellowpages, Consumer Affairs, etc.
HOW CAN MOVING COMPANIES GET REVIEWS?
The main question regarding reviews for your moving company is probably how to get reviews or how to get more of them. There are specific ways to go about this to ensure that each of your customers is given a chance to share their honest opinion of their overall experience with your moving services.
Tools For Review Automation
Dealing with just reviews all the time can be a very time-consuming job. But it does not have to be. There are plenty of automation tools out there that you can use to help you get reviews from your customers. Some of them are ReviewBuzz, Podium, and BirdEye. Let’s take a closer look at each one.
Best Premium Review Automation Tools
ReviewBuzz – ($249/month per location) – allows movers to contact their customers through SMS and offer them a link so they can leave their reviews with just one click; managing and replying to all the reviews is also made easy.
Podium – ($449/month)- is an excellent option for home services, offers review automation, and allows fast communication with customers’ reviews.
BirdEye – (custom price) – one of the most popular tools for review management; allows management of 200+ platforms for leaving reviews; gives you a price based on your company and its locations.
Best Cheap Review Automation Tools
Arrivala – ($29.99/month) – this platform offers a plan for both small and expanding businesses, allowing you to ask for reviews through SMS as well as manage your online reputation all in one platform.
These tools are only some of the ones available that will help you save time while managing your moving company’s online reputation. How do they help to save time? They allow you to automate replies to positive reviews, thus leaving more time to take care of those who leave negative reviews.
Different Channels For Communication
After picking a tool that will help you automate reputation management, you need to think of the channels you can use to communicate with your customers to ask them to leave a review. The following channels can be used here:
SMS – text messaging usually has high open and reply rates and is thus an excellent option for asking customers to leave a review. It is also very cost-effective and usually gives results straight away. A text message can be sent to the customer’s phone number soon after the move is made, asking for an opinion and leaving a link where the review can be posted (for example, Google).
Email – while it used to be the primary way to ask for customer reviews before, email is now so very wildly used that it cannot promise open and reply rates that are as high as those of SMS. However, it is still an effective way to get reviews. You can ask for a review in the email’s signature or in the body of the email.
App – apps are popular ways to ask for reviews, but moving companies are not likely to have an app.
Physical communication – Besides asking for a review through communication channels, it can also be done in person. So, when your team is with the customer, they may start praising your service. This is a great time to thank them for it politely and ask if they mind leaving a review and repeating what they have said to you.
Calls – asking your customers to leave a review over the phone can also be effective if you are on the phone with a happy customer, as it can be done naturally throughout the conversation.
Asking for reviews should not be done through just one channel as someone will be more prone to agreeing through a text message (younger generations especially), while others might prefer an email or even a phone call. Being able to choose the right time and the right channel here is also vital to getting positive reviews.
Create A Guide For Leaving Reviews
Besides having the channels through which you will contact your customers, it is also good to inform your customers of the simple ways they can leave a review for your services. Why? Some of your customers might want to leave a review but are unsure where and how.
Enter: a guide for leaving reviews. You can have a short guide that tells your customers the platform where they can leave a review and shows them a step-by-step process on how to write and leave an honest opinion on the platform.
Provide Direct Link To Google Business Profile
If you want your customers to leave reviews on your moving services on Google only, you can always include a direct link to your Google Business Profile when asking them to write a review. This way, your customers know exactly where to go to leave a review.
Sometimes, even when customers are pleased with your moving services, not all of them will go out of their way to find you online and leave a review. So this is an easy way to encourage it. Also, be direct with asking, as they might need a little nudge to comply and do it.
Personalized Follow-Up
Customers might appreciate it more if you call them up and thank them for their cooperation rather than sending them an automated email as a thank you. You can ask them for a second of their time to write a testimonial with a phone call or a thank you card.
Post Reviews On Social Media
Most customers like to be recognized, feel heard, and be in the spotlight for at least a moment. So what you can do is you can post the customer reviews on your social media and tag the customers who wrote them. This will be an incentive for others to write a review, as well, if they want to be in that same spotlight.
Leave Your Customers A Positive Review First
Another way to receive a positive review is to write one for your customer. Once you tell them how they were a great customer, they might feel slightly obliged to do the same for you. Of course, this is one of the tactics to be used for happy customers. So, choosing the right timing and person is of the utmost importance.
DETAILED GUIDE ON HOW MOVERS CAN GET A MORE POSITIVE REPUTATION
If you want to increase the number of positive reviews your customers are leaving, there is a beneficial strategy to achieve that. We cover this strategy in the steps below.
1st STEP: Act on the spot as you are finishing the job.
The first step towards a positive review is to be proactive and ask for it. So when your team is finishing a moving job, it is best to ask your customers on the spot if they are happy and if they would take a minute to write a review. Thus, physical communication is the best way to try and ask for a review.
Ask For A Testimonial Video
If they say they are happy to do it, ask them if it would be okay for them to take 30 seconds to a minute to record a short video testimonial for your business. Explain to them that video testimonials are essential to your business and that the video would be used on your website so that other potential customers can see it when deciding if they should book your moving company.
If your customer says they are not very happy with your job on the spot, then take the matter into your hands to resolve this with them. Do what needs to be done, if possible, to get your customer to be happy in the end and be willing to leave a positive review. You can read more about this in this section.
How To Film A Video Testimonial?
The first thing to do when your customer accepts to record a testimonial on the spot is to give them some questions they can answer in the video:
- what did they like the most
- was the job done on time
- was the price as agreed beforehand
- were there any added charges
- did anything get destroyed during the move
Why Do We Suggest Video Testimonials On The Spot?
Firstly, you can control the outcome of the review as you are only asking the customers who have said they are satisfied to record a testimonial. Secondly, if they record a testimonial for you on the spot, you will also have less trouble with them later. So, in the end, you can dedicate more time to those with complaints and ensure that they are satisfied and won’t leave a bad review.
2nd STEP: Send text message reminders to leave a review.
If you don’t get your customers to write a review, as explained in the first step, you should not stop immediately. Instead, you should send them a text message up to three days after the moving job with a reminder to leave a review and a direct link where they can do so.
Text message sending can be automated with some of the tools mentioned above in this article, so if you want to save time, you can implement that. To do so, you will need to create a spreadsheet with the customer’s name and phone number where they can be reached.
3rd STEP: Direct Happy & Unhappy Customers To The Right Place.
When the customer clicks the link offered in the text message, the link should take them to a simple landing page. You must provide two options for happy and unhappy clients on the landing page. The satisfied clients will choose the “I would recommend” option, while the unhappy client will choose the “I would not recommend option.”
From there on, the happy and unhappy clients will be taken to two different pages.
Now, this is the catch to getting more positive reviews.
The first option – for happy clients – is a button they can click if they would recommend your business. From there, they will be presented with an option that will take them to your Google Business Profile or another source where they can leave a positive review for you.
The second option – for unhappy clients – works a little bit differently. When they click that they would not recommend, they will not be directed to the public Google Business Profile to leave a review. Instead, a contact form will open, where you will ask them to tell you about their experience and what should be improved to make the experience five stars.
With this contact form, you can internally take care of the issue rather than publicly. Also, as the customer’s answer will go directly to your inbox, you will be able to deal with it sooner and resolve the issue faster.
The contact form needs to look professional and detailed. It should include the following sections:
- First and last name
- Date
- Location
- The person they were in contact with
- What they are unhappy with
- What needs to be changed so they are happy
4th STEP: Software you need to do this.
Here you can learn which software you will need to create a landing page with two options for your happy and unhappy customers when asking them to leave a review.
A. Google Sheets
With Google Sheets, you can create a list of your customers you will ask for a review. In the spreadsheet, put in their names and their phone numbers. Below you can see an example.
B. ClickSend
With ClickSend, you can upload your Google Sheet with the prospects you need to contact and ask for a Google review through a text message. Also, there you can choose the sending time and what the message should be. Then, whenever you get new clients who need to be texted with a link for writing a review, you will simply have to upload it into your ClickSend account.
Bonus Tips
1. Offer excellent customer service.
A customer will recognize when your services towards them were correctly done. And if you go above and beyond for them, some will naturally want to show that in a review. For others, there are always a lot of channels that you can utilize to ask for a review.
2. Learn from negative reviews.
If you already have negative reviews for your services, there is one positive thing about them – they allow you to learn what you need to work on and what you need to improve in the future. For example, if a customer complained that something was broken during a move or that you were late to the appointment, then this is something that you will have to stop doing to reduce the number of those negative reviews. You can do that with better organization, and by being ready to offer a solution.
HOW CAN MOVERS FIX A BAD REPUTATION?
If you have received any negative reviews for your moving services, you must wonder what you can do to rectify the situation. Here, you can find out what you should do once a negative review sees the day on your company’s profile in simple steps.
1. Respond to it.
First and foremost, you need to acknowledge the person and the problem in the negative review, just like you would with a positive review. However, ignoring it is not the easy way out.
What you should do instead is you should reply to it. You should stay polite and professional. Do not take the negative comments personally. Instead, thank them for the observation and tell them that you will look deeper into the problem by contacting them so that you can resolve the matter to everyone’s satisfaction.
2. Call them up.
Once you have acknowledged their problem online, the next step is to take it offline and approach the customer through the phone if you have it. When you call them, ask about the experience and apologize for any inconvenience. But, taking it offline as quickly as possible is the best approach.
3. Ask what you can do for them to fix this.
Once you have investigated what the problem was on the phone, ask them what you can do for them to fix this. This might take them by surprise, and they might respond positively to this. Showing you are willing to do what it takes to rectify the situation and satisfy them is very important for your reputation.
4. Bonus tips: offer them one of these four benefits.
If the problem with the customer was that some things got destroyed or were broken during the move, you could offer them one of the following benefits:
- pay for the destroyed things
- give them a discount for the job
- offer to do a little extra free job for them (for example, move some extra stuff for them, like mounting a TV to a wall)
- give them a discount for future service (for example, if they have to move more things in the future).
5. Follow up with them.
Once the issue is resolved, this is not where the contact with the unhappy customer should stop. First, you should follow up with them to ensure that everything has been resolved and their satisfaction is no longer. Then, you can ask them if they were happy with how the issue was resolved. Also, if they haven’t, you can ask them to remove the negative review.
Not Every Job Can Be Profitable If You Want Customer Satisfaction
You need to know that your reputation is much more important than the profitability of that one job where the customer was not satisfied with the service.
For example, let’s say something was broken (kitchenware or TV) during a move. Naturally, this is something your customer won’t be happy about. One way they can voice their unsatisfaction is through an online review.
And this one online review can seriously influence how your future potential customers see you. If they see a negative review, they might not want to do business with you, scared of having their things broken. The worst thing that a client can see from a moving company is reviews that say that stuff got broken during the move. Why? Because future potential customers, as we now know, read reviews before booking a service. And, we also know that 8 in 10 can change their mind if they read a negative review.
So, going out of your way to ensure that you have done everything possible to make your client happy is very important, as they won’t leave a negative review that will compromise your positive online reputation. After all, for example, for one broken TV worth $500, you could lose the next 10 customers who would pay $15,000 for your services. Not worth it, right?
How To Handle Clients That Say They Will Leave Negative Reviews?
Learn how to approach this situation step by step below:
1. Enquire about the problem.
One thing you can do for a client that has approached and says they will leave a negative review is to ask first what the problem was/is in person or over the phone. Once you know what the situation is, you can work towards solving the issue.
2. Apologize.
Another thing you can do is apologize and show them that they are working on fixing the problem. At the same time, you can explain, if possible.
3. Compensate for the issue.
Then, when the problem is solved, you can compensate the unsatisfied customer appropriately and ask if that is alright, so they do not leave a bad review. Finally, you can repeat the steps listed above on how to fix a bad reputation.
WHY MOVING COMPANIES NEED TO RESPOND TO ALL REVIEWS?
Not just a positive reputation or just a negative reputation needs to be acknowledged and responded to. Every review you get (unless proven to be fake and you decide to remove it) should be answered. There are a few benefits that you can see if you reply to all of the customers’ reviews:
- Leads to more reviews – if customers see that you are reading and replying to reviews, they will also want to voice their opinion as they like to be heard. Thus, responding to reviews can just lead to more reviews being written.
- Leads to a higher overall rating – the more reviews left on your company profile, the more positive they will be as you reply to them; a higher star rating is much desired.
- Adds SEO value – positive reviews and high rankings are good for your local SEO, but it is also an opportunity for you to use keywords and show your values in the replies, which can also help with SEO
- Shows good customer service – replying to your reviews promptly shows customers that you are not ignoring them even after you have provided them with a moving service, which just shows that you care about your customers.
Review Tracking Is Important
Besides having the channels through which you will ask for reviews, choosing a review automation tool, and deciding which platforms you will manage your online reputation on, it is also imperative to track your incoming reviews.
It would help to track how many reviews you are getting on how many customers, which channels are generating more reviews, and which ratings you are getting for which job.
By tracking, you can improve your review generation game and manage your online reputation in a better, easier way.
WHY VIDEO TESTIMONIAL IS THE BEST TYPE OF TESTIMONIAL?
We have talked briefly about asking your customers to record a short video for a testimonial for your page. Now, you might think this is not so important to ask of your customers. So, in the next section, you can read about the importance of video testimonials and why your team should ask clients to provide them.
It Helps To Build Trust
Video testimonials are very influential. When your target audience sees that you have helped others who went out of their way to record a short video as a testimonial, it will also help build trust with them. They can trust that your moving team can be good for them, just like it was good for the customer that is giving the testimonial. Around 77% of customers in one research said that watching video testimonials has motivated them to purchase.
It Has The Most Impact On Potential Customers
When a video testimonial is used on your website, social media, and ad campaigns, it is one of the crucial things that impact the decision of the potential customer to book you for a move. This is because it helps build trust and shows that your company has helped other actual human beings they can see. Moreover, 42% of consumers say this is why they like to see testimonial videos.
Where Can Moving Companies Use Customer Reviews?
Now that you know all the ways you can ask for and manage your customer reviews, it doesn’t hurt to see where you can utilize those positive reviews to show social proof and build trust with your potential customers.
Social Media
The positive reviews you get from your customer can be used on social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. These platforms have the potential to reach your target audience that will then see that you have left a positive impact on many of those who have trusted you with their move.
Website
Besides social media, your positive reviews on your moving company website are perhaps even more critical. And while you can include links to your Google, Yelp, and other reviews, it is better to embed them on the website. This way, you show social proof without encouraging the visitors to leave your website.
Marketing Campaigns
You can also use positive customer reviews when marketing your moving company’s services on social media, google, through email, etc. This way, you are showing your potential customers and target audience what you can also do for them while making them satisfied.
CONCLUSION
Online reputation and review management are vital in how others see your moving company. While it is not entirely in your hands, there are ways that you can manage your online reputation and keep everyone satisfied. Always encourage your customers to leave reviews when they are satisfied; if not, work towards fixing it.
