hvac-marketing-skills/skills/hvac-review-management/SKILL.md

name	description	metadata	compendium
hvac-review-management	When the user wants to manage Google Business Profile reviews, improve review volume, respond to reviews, or create content from reviews. Use when they ask "review strategy," "how to get more reviews," "review response," "negative review," "fake review," "review monitoring," "review content," "competitor reviews," "GBP strategy," "local SEO," or "customer reputation." Reviews drive local SEO rankings and customer trust—this skill turns review management into a systematic marketing engine.	version 2.0.0	mode tools enhanced db browse search analyze

HVAC Review Management Strategy

You are a review management specialist who systematically solicits reviews, responds professionally, analyzes feedback, and transforms reviews into marketing content. Reviews are social proof, trust signals, and local SEO currency.

Foundation: Read .agents/hvac-marketing-context.md before starting. All review responses reflect brand voice and customer communication standards.

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The Review Strategy Stack

Reviews serve multiple purposes:

1. Local SEO: Google ranks higher for contractors with more reviews (quantity + recency + rating)
2. Conversion: Prospects read reviews before booking. 1-star review kills 25% of leads.
3. Reputation: Respond professionally to negative reviews—shows you care
4. Content: Extract quotes, stories, and social proof for marketing
5. Product intelligence: Customer feedback reveals pain points and opportunities

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Phase 1: Review Generation System

Build a Solicitation Workflow

Create a post-service review request process:

Timing: Ask within 24-48 hours of job completion (highest conversion rate)

Channels:

1. Email (highest quality): Send templated email with direct link to Google Business Profile review page
2. SMS (fastest): "Thanks for choosing us! Could you leave a quick Google review? [link]"
3. QR code (physical): Leave business card with QR code linking to review page
4. Phone call (highest effort, highest conversion for high-ticket jobs)
5. In-person (during checkout): "Would you mind sharing your experience with a Google review?"

Email template:

Subject: "Thanks for choosing [Company]! One quick favor..."

Hi [Customer name],

We're so glad we could help with your [AC/heating/maintenance].
If you're happy with your experience, would you mind sharing a quick
Google review? It helps us serve more families in [City].

Leave a review (takes 2 minutes): [direct Google review link]

Thanks,
[Team name]
P.S. If you have any concerns, call us immediately at [phone].
We want to make it right.

SMS template:

Hi [name]! Thanks for choosing [company]. We'd love your Google review—
takes 2 min. Reply REVIEW or click: [short link]

Calculate Review Request Volume

Target metrics per month:

• Small company (10 jobs/month): 5-8 review requests = 1-2 conversions
• Medium company (50 jobs/month): 30-40 review requests = 8-12 conversions
• Large company (100+ jobs/month): 75-100 review requests = 20-30 conversions

Conversion rate: 15-25% of requests → completed reviews

Goal: 1-2 new reviews per week minimum (4-8 per month)

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Phase 2: Response Protocol

Positive Reviews (5 star)

Goal: Acknowledge, reinforce why they chose you, ask for referral

Template (50-75 words):

Thank you [name]! We appreciate your kind words about [specific service].
Our team takes pride in [quality attribute—reliability, attention to detail, etc.].
If you know anyone in [neighborhood/area] who needs HVAC help,
we'd be grateful for a referral. Thanks for choosing [company]!

—[Technician/Manager name]

Pro tips:

• Personalize: Mention specific service (AC tune-up, emergency repair)
• Add specific detail: Technician name, what they praised
• Create action: Ask for referral, mention loyalty program
• Sign with name: Shows real person responding

Negative Reviews (1-4 stars)

Goal: Acknowledge concern, apologize, offer to resolve offline, show you care

Template (75-100 words):

Hi [name], thanks for taking the time to share this feedback.
I'm sorry we didn't meet your expectations with [specific issue].
This doesn't represent our standards, and I want to make it right.

I'm [role] here at [company]. Could you call me directly at [phone]
or email me at [email]? I'd like to understand what happened
and see how we can resolve this.

—[Manager name]

Pro tips:

• DON'T: Defend, argue, or make excuses
• DO: Apologize, take responsibility, offer solution
• DO: Move conversation offline (call/email, not public)
• DO: Offer concrete fix (refund, redo work, discount next service)
• DO: Follow up in 48 hours with update

Example response to common complaints:

"Technician was rude"

I sincerely apologize that [technician] didn't treat you with respect.
That's unacceptable and doesn't reflect who we are. I'm removing him
from customer-facing roles and retraining him personally.

Can I offer you [50% discount on next service/full refund] to earn
your trust back? Call me directly: [phone].

"Charge was higher than quote"

I understand the frustration when a final bill exceeds estimate.
Let's review what happened—some repairs take longer than expected,
and we should have communicated that real-time.

I'm reviewing your invoice now. Call me to discuss: [phone].
I may be able to adjust charges or explain the difference.

"Took too long to respond"

I'm sorry you felt ignored. We try to respond to all requests
within 2 hours, and we dropped the ball. I've reviewed our
dispatch system and made changes to prevent this.

Can I earn back your confidence with [faster callback guarantee/discount]?

Ambiguous Reviews (3 stars)

Goal: Ask clarifying question, offer to improve, move to positive if possible

Template (50-75 words):

Hi [name], thanks for the review. I notice you gave 3 stars—
I want to make sure we delivered fully. What could we have done better?

If there's something we can improve, I'd like to fix it.
Call me at [phone] or reply here.

—[Manager name]

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Phase 3: Competitive Review Monitoring

Weekly Review Audit

Your reviews + competitor reviews:

1. Check your Google Business Profile: Any new reviews? New rating?
2. Check top 3 competitors: How many reviews? Average rating? Latest feedback themes?
3. Identify gaps: What complaints do they get that you avoid? Vice versa?

Use Compendium if available:

SELECT
  company_name,
  gbp_rating,
  review_count,
  review_themes (top 5),
  avg_response_time
FROM gbp.competitor_data
WHERE region = 'your_region'
ORDER BY gbp_rating DESC;

Fake Review Detection

Red flags for fake reviews (yours or competitors'):

Obvious fakes:

• 5 stars with vague praise ("Great company!" with no detail)
• Multiple new 1-star reviews in one week from anonymous accounts
• Reviews from people with no history (no profile photo, no other reviews)
• Grammatically incorrect (suggests translator/outsourced writing)
• Generic praise unrelated to your services

If you suspect competitor fraud:

• Flag to Google: "This review may be fake" → Google investigates
• Document pattern (date, text) for Google support
• DON'T: Create fake positive reviews to counter (violates Google policy, hurts you more)

To prevent fake reviews of YOUR company:

• Monitor new reviews daily
• Flag suspicious ones immediately
• Ask satisfied customers directly (real reviews dominate over time)

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Phase 4: Review-Driven Content

Turn Reviews into Social Posts

Template 1: Testimonial Post

LinkedIn post:
"[Customer name] just shared this about us:
'[Quote from 5-star review]'

We take pride in [specific attribute]. If you need [service type]
in [area], we're here to help. [CTA: Call/Book]"

Attachment: Screenshot of review + rating

Template 2: Before/After Story

"When [customer name] called, their [AC/heating] was [problem].
Here's what they said after we fixed it:

'[Quote from review]'

This is why we do this work. [CTA: Schedule your service]"

Template 3: Address Objection

LinkedIn:
"One concern prospects ask: 'Will the repair cost more than expected?'

Here's what [customer name] said:
'[Quote about honest pricing/communication]'

We believe in [pricing philosophy]. Read our reviews: [link to GBP]"

Create Review Highlight Page

On your website, create /reviews page featuring:

Structure:

• Star rating + count (live feed from GBP if possible)
• Highlighted testimonials (5-7 best reviews with photos)
• By service type (AC reviews, heating reviews, emergency repairs)
• Video testimonials (if you have them)
• Trust badges (Google ratings, industry certifications)
• CTA: "See more reviews on Google" + "Schedule your service"

Content:

---
# Customer Reviews & Testimonials

4.9 stars (247 reviews) on Google

## AC Installation & Maintenance
[3-4 best AC-related testimonials with customer photos]

## Heating Repair & Installation
[3-4 best heating-related testimonials]

## Emergency Service
[3-4 best emergency/quick-response testimonials]

[Video testimonial 1]
[Video testimonial 2]

...

[CTA: See all reviews on Google] | [CTA: Schedule service]

Email Campaign: Leverage Reviews

Segment 1: Prospects (haven't bought)

Subject: "Why 247 families choose [Company] for HVAC"

Hi [prospect],

If you're researching HVAC contractors in [area], you're probably
comparing reviews. Here's what our customers say:

[3-4 best testimonials]

[Star rating visual] 4.9 stars on Google (247 reviews)

Ready to join them? Schedule a free inspection:
[CTA: Book now]

Segment 2: Past customers (bought 1+ year ago)

Subject: "Thanks for your review of [Company]—here's a special offer"

Hi [customer],

We saw your recent review: "[quote]"

Your feedback means everything and helps other families find us.
As a thank you, here's 20% off your next service:

[Coupon code]

Valid until [date]. Questions? Call us anytime: [phone]

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Phase 5: Competitive Analysis & Response

Monthly Review Competitive Report

Run this analysis quarterly:

Your company vs. competitors
├─ Review count: You [X] vs. Competitor A [Y] vs. Competitor B [Z]
├─ Average rating: You [4.9] vs. Competitor A [4.3] vs. Competitor B [4.6]
├─ Review velocity: You [8/month] vs. Competitor A [3/month] vs. Competitor B [5/month]
├─ Top complaint themes:
│  └─ Yours: [slow response, pricing]
│  └─ Competitor A: [poor communication, expensive]
│  └─ Competitor B: [scheduling issues, upselling]
└─ Messaging opportunity: You differentiate on [response time, transparency]

Develop Response to Common Competitor Advantages

If Competitor A has more reviews:

• Your action: Systematize review requests (post-service emails, SMS)
• Your messaging: "Quality over quantity—[rating] from verified customers"
• Your timeline: 3-6 months to close review gap

If Competitor B has higher rating:

• Your action: Identify what drives their reviews (speed? courtesy?)
• Your messaging: Match their strength or differentiate elsewhere
• Your timeline: 1-2 months to match rating

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Compendium Integration

Use Compendium to:

• Monitor competitor GBP profiles (if available in database)
• Identify themes in customer reviews (AI classification)
• Track seasonal review trends (do reviews spike in summer?)
• Analyze response patterns (do you respond faster than competitors?)

Example queries:

-- Your review themes by month
SELECT review_month, theme, sentiment, count
FROM gbp.review_analysis
WHERE company_id = 'your_company_id'
GROUP BY review_month, theme
ORDER BY review_month DESC;

-- Competitor comparison
SELECT company, avg_rating, review_count, avg_response_days
FROM gbp.competitor_benchmarking
WHERE region = 'your_region'
ORDER BY avg_rating DESC;

See COMPENDIUM_INTEGRATION.md for database connection details.

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Related Skills

• hvac-marketing-context — Foundation document. Run first.
• social-content — Turn reviews into LinkedIn/Instagram posts
• email-sequence — Review-based email campaigns
• copy-editing — Polish review responses and testimonial copy
• hvac-content-from-data — Use review data as content source

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Review Management Checklist

Weekly (30 minutes)

• Check for new reviews on GBP
• Respond to all new reviews (positive + negative)
• Check competitor new reviews (spot trends)
• Assign new reviews to response queue if needed

Monthly (2 hours)

• Review response metrics (avg response time, response rate)
• Identify top review themes (what do customers love? complain about?)
• Create 1-2 social posts from best reviews
• Brief team on feedback themes (speed, communication, quality)

Quarterly (4 hours)

• Competitive review analysis
• Identify messaging gaps (how do you differentiate?)
• Update website testimonials page with new reviews
• Analyze: What drives positive reviews? Fix what drives negative ones.

Annual (8 hours)

• Review strategy audit: Is your system working?
• Set review targets for next year
• Evaluate: Which service type gets best reviews? Most complaints?
• Plan improvements based on patterns

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Tips for Success

1. Speed matters: Respond to reviews within 24 hours. Shows you care.
2. Personalize: Use customer name, mention specific service, show you read the review.
3. Never argue: Even if a review is unfair, apologize and move offline.
4. Ask questions: If a review is vague, ask what you could improve.
5. Follow up: If you resolved a negative review offline, ask customer to update their review.
6. Incentivize reviews: Post-service follow-up email should include direct review link.
7. Make it easy: QR code on business card, SMS link, email link—multiple options.
8. Hire responsibly: Your team's behavior directly impacts reviews. Train on customer service.
9. Monitor fake competitors: Some contractors post fake negative reviews on competitors. Flag them.
10. Celebrate positive reviews: Share them internally, on social, in email. Build culture of excellence.