Why, Where, & How to Get Customer Reviews for Fire Protection Businesses

In the digital era, everyone refers to customer reviews when making just about any purchasing decision. Whether you’re placing an order on Amazon or hiring a business, you likely take some time to see what others have said about the product or service. So, why wouldn’t your customers look at reviews for your business (and your competitors) when searching for fire protection and inspection services?

Word-of-mouth has been and will continue to be valuable in expanding your business, but in an increasingly digital world, online reviews are more important than ever. Not only do reviews play a critical role in your business’s reputation, but they also carry weight with prospects. Customers expect a business to have 100 or more reviews before they trust a company’s product, and they trust those reviews just as much as a recommendation from a close friend or family member.

Customer Reviews Help Grow Your Fire Protection Business

So, customer reviews are helpful, but do they really impact your bottom line? Positive reviews can play a significant role in helping you grow your business and retain existing customers by:

• Lowering customer acquisition costs: Attracting new customers is expensive. But if you want to grow your business, you’ll need to budget for customer acquisition. Positive customer reviews almost act as a form of free advertising. Consistent online reviews can lead to a higher conversion rate when potential customers find you through organic search.
• Increasing client retention: Happy customers are loyal customers. Positive reviews can foster better long-term relationships with existing customers, which can translate into repeat business, reducing churn and ensuring a more predictable revenue stream.
• Boosting employee morale: When satisfied customers recognize your team members for their expertise and service, it can improve morale and job satisfaction. It can also reduce turnover in an industry where it’s challenging to find skilled professionals.
• Support hiring: When you do need to hire new staff members, positive reviews help attract top fire protection professionals. People want to work for reputable and well-respected companies and will gravitate toward businesses with a solid online presence, positive reviews, and satisfied customers.
• Improving search engine rankings: The majority of people use search engines like Google to research companies, services, and businesses. Search engines often prioritize companies with positive reviews. The more positive (and real) customer reviews you have, the more you can improve your local, organic ranking–without spending more on advertising.

How to Claim Your Business Listing on Review Sites

The first step to getting customer reviews for your fire protection business is to make sure your business is listed and that you own and can update the listing with accurate information. These business profiles feature your address, contact information, operating hours, and more.

You know why your fire protection business needs customer reviews and you know where those customer reviews will live, but how do you get them?

While it can seem overwhelming with so many review sites out there, start with making sure your business is listed on the most widely used databases. 

• Google Business Profile (formerly Google My Business): Google offers a free local business listing service–you’ve likely seen these listings when searching for local businesses yourself. Once on Google Business Profile, click “Manage Now,” search for your business name, and follow the instructions to claim your business. You’ll need a Google account and must verify ownership through a postcard or phone call. Once verified, you can access your dashboard to update information and respond to reviews
• Yelp: Yelp is a review platform with a local business focus. Once on Yelp, click “Add My Free Listing” and search for your business. If it doesn’t exist, select the option to “Add a Business With This Name” and create a free listing. Once you claim your page, you can respond to reviews, update business information, and run targeted advertising campaigns.
• Better Business Bureau (BBB): While not necessarily a customer review site, BBB is a platform for customer complaints that provides businesses the chance to respond and resolve the problem. A favorable profile–which you can claim or create if it doesn’t exist already–builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to addressing customer concerns. While BBB doesn’t display traditional reviews, customers can file complaints and businesses can respond publicly.

These are just a few places to get started listing your business and gathering reviews. Other sites include Trustpilot, Yellow Pages, and Superpages. But ultimately, managing multiple review sites can be challenging, so focus on the ones that provide the most value for your business.

Strategies to Get Customer Reviews

You know why you need customer reviews and you know where those customer reviews will live, but how do you get them? Because people don’t necessarily think to leave a positive review after a good experience with your business, just ask.

One simple way to get customer reviews is to automate an email or text containing a review request following the completion of an inspection or service visit. And Inspect Point can help! In addition to helping you improve your level of service, Inspect Point supports your review-gathering efforts. Within Inspect Point, you can strategically pre-populate a “review requests” section within work orders and inspection reports. You can also use Inspect Point to provide customers with direct links to review sites to simplify the process and encourage feedback.

Additionally, you can consider using physical business cards or handouts that include a QR code linking to the review site of your choice. And it can’t hurt to train your technicians to request a review at the end of their visit. When you go above and beyond for your customers, they’ll more than likely be happy to leave you a positive review. So don’t be afraid to ask! With really satisfied customers, you can always request they leave reviews on multiple review sites to get the most out of their positive comments.

Your customers are people who want to make sure they’re getting the best service from their fire protection business. By getting positive reviews, you can help potential customers determine that your business is the answer.