Survey shows growing influence of online review sites

AUSTIN, TX — Software Advice, provider of detailed reviews and research on cleaning service software, recently conducted a survey of 1,239 U.S. residential service customers, which examined consumer usage of online review websites, like Yelp and Google Plus, when hiring filed service providers, according to SofwareAdvice.com.

The study found that 86 percent of respondents were willing to pay more for well-reviewed companies, with 10 percent willing to pay significantly more for these companies.

A whopping 96 percent of survey takers considered online reviews at least moderately valuable, and a quarter of the surveyed said these sites were extremely valuable.

The survey also suggests that women consider review sites more valuable than men when evaluating a residential service provider — 36 percent of women considered it extremely valuable, 17 percent of men said the same — but overall the number of men and women who considered these sites at least moderately valuable was equal.

For the cleaning industry specifically, the survey found that 74 percent of the respondents consulted Yelp when deciding on a provider — 40 percent of respondents consulted Google Plus, and slightly more than 20 percent looked to Angie’s List.

According to the survey, online review sites still trail search engines as a means for selecting a service provider, they are not far behind — 38 percent use review sites, 56 percent search engines. But respondents were eight percent more likely to use online means to find a provider than to use referrals from friends or family.

The study shows the importance for those in the carpet cleaning and restoration industries to devote more attention to creating a positive customer experience and encouraging customers to leave online reviews.

For the full breakdown of the survey’s findings please click here.