The Educated Customer: How the Internet has Changed the Way People Shop for HVAC Goods & Services
There is no question that the Internet has vastly changed our lives over the past two decades. It has revolutionized the ways we shop, socialize, bank, find love, consume media, and acquire information. Brick-and-mortar retailers are losing business to online shopping, and most people do some Internet research before investing in big-ticket items. These changes are increasingly affecting the HVAC industry, as well. An online reputation can be an HVAC contractor’s strongest asset or greatest liability.
Over 90% of people regularly use the Internet to find information on businesses, yet a surprisingly high percentage of HVAC contractors do not have a website. Many can’t be found on Google at all, even when searching the business’s precise name and location. If a website isn’t in the budget, contractors can create a free Yelp page or Facebook business account.
HVAC contractors should try this simple experiment: Google one of your main services and the name of your town or area (for example, “air conditioning repair Toms River NJ”). Ideally, your business should appear somewhere on the first few pages. If it doesn’t, you have some work to do.
Establishing and maintaining a positive online reputation is extremely important for any business. Recent surveys consistently show that about 90% of consumers read online reviews before considering purchasing goods or services from a business, and nearly 70% of purchases are influenced by online reviews. Obviously, poor reviews can take away from your business, but because today’s consumers actively seek them, an absence of any reviews can have a negative impact as well.
Bad reviews can happen to even the best businesses on occasion, but fortunately there are a number of things you can do to deal with them. A public response to poor reviews can show that you value customer satisfaction, gives you a chance to win back your customer’s trust, and allows you to politely refute any unfair or untrue claims. Alternatively, contractors can reach out privately to see if the issue can be resolved. Oftentimes, these customers will remove the negative review when asked, or update it to reflect the positive resolution. Certain negative reviews can be removed from websites like Google, Yelp or Facebook if they meet certain criteria. Finally, asking customers about their experience at the end of your interaction is a good way to head off negative online reviews.
About E.P. Homiek
E.P. Homiek Sheet Metal Fabrication & HVAC Supply, with two convenient locations in Lakewood, NJ and Union, NJ, provides one- to two-day turnaround on all residential and light commercial ductwork, as well as one- to two-hour emergency fabrication service, rapid delivery, and competitive prices. HVAC parts, supplies, and equipment lines include Goodman, Honeywell, Bryant, Bradford White, Crown Boiler, Daikin, Weil-McLain, Sea Breeze, Generac, Fantech, ZM, A.O. Smith, Hart & Cooley, Malco, Mueller, and many more.
