HelpHound and a business - a conversation

This is a summary of the kind of conversation we have with every business we meet for the first time. Not every point is covered in every conversation - some are mutually exclusive, after all - but we hope this will form a useful basis for any business considering the benefits of professional review management for the first time.

We have written this as a Q & A, because that's how these conversations tend to evolve - in both directions.

Q 1: - from HelpHound: 'What steps has your business already taken to engage with reviews?'

A 1a: - from the business 'None - we don't understand the benefits'

A 1b: - 'None - we have considered it, but the idea that we will attract negative reviews has meant that we have done nothing.'

A 1c: - 'We invite our customers to write reviews direct to Google'

A 1d: - 'We invite our customers to write reviews to a reviews site'


We then mine down into those four answers...


A 1a: - 'None'

We ensure that the business understands...

• that having reviews on their own website will drive enquiries
• that having reviews on Google will drive enquiries direct and visits to their website

A 1b: - 'None - because we are afraid of negative reviews'

First, we agree. That's the best reason for avoiding reviews altogether. Customers are far more - about 15x more - likely to write a review if they have a complaint, valid or imagined.

Then we say 'If there were a way in which your business could engage with reviews without the risk of attracting inaccurate, misleading or unfair reviews and at the same time mobilising the silent majority of your happy customers to write a review, would you be interested?'

A 1c: - 'We invite our customers to write direct to Google'

Again: great. As long as you invite all of them (selecting 'happy' customers being against the law). But you will be missing out on...

• independently verified reviews on your own website
• an opportunity to correct inaccurate, misleading or unfair reviews pre-publication
• stars, scores and ratings in organic search
• stars, scores and ratings in the Google knowledge panel

A 1d: - 'We invite our customers to write reviews to a reviews site'

This is the most difficult - or easy - point to answer now, in 2018

• 'do you realise the harm such a strategy may cause your business?' Reviews sites predate Google reviews, and have, for service businesses at the very least, been superseded by those very Google reviews. Much more detail on this here and here.

Q 2: - from the business: 'Can you guarantee results?'

A 2: - Yes! We cannot guarantee precise numbers or amounts of cash, but we can guarantee the following...

• having independently verified reviews on your website will drive customers to contact you
• having a great Google score will drive customers to contact you
• having stars, scores and ratings in organic search will drive customers to contact you
• having stars, scores and ratings in local search will drive customers to contact you
• having HelpHound's Resolution™ moderation will minimise the risk of inaccurate, misleading or unfair reviews appearing - on your own website or on Google
• you will be able to measure these results every month when you receive your Google My Business report

  You won't need to take our word that we are performing for your business - the evidence will be there in black-and-white, every month, in the form of the Google My Business report every business listed on Google receives. 

Q 3: - from the business: 'Will you support us to ensure HelpHound's review management works for us?'

A 3: - Yes: we are not simply selling software; we are aware that HelpHound is judged by the results our clients achieve, so we support them every inch of the way until those results are achieved, month in, month out, and all the while your remain a client.

Q 4: - from HelpHound: 'So what's stopping you?'

By now the only answer to that question should be 'money/cost'! So let's look at that: HelpHound charges most types of business less than the cost of a (modern!) mobile phone contract a month (and the price of a visit from a half-decent plumber to get your business up-and-running), so just how many more enquiries or calls a month will we need to generate for you - you tell us. That's your answer to this question.

...and there might just be one more - from you:

Q 5: 'How long a contract are we committing to?'

A 5: None - zero - no contract.