What to Look for When Reading Reviews for a Professional Painting Company
When searching for reliable, high-quality painting contractors near you, you’ll probably start by running an online search. Once you’ve found a handful of promising candidates, the next step is getting a read on their reputation. A simple star rating can give you a bird’s-eye view of a company’s merit but won’t tell you much else. For a more thorough understanding, you’ll want to read some online reviews. With such a high volume of reviews out there, though, it helps to have some benchmarks to consider before venturing into the weeds. Knowing what you want from a painting company and previous customer experiences will allow you to weigh each review you find more or less heavily. Ultimately, maintaining this critical eye will help you choose the best painter for your specific needs. With all this in mind, let’s discuss what to look for when reading reviews for a professional painting company.
What to Look for in Reviews of Painters
Authenticity
Online reviews can reveal plenty of important information about a particular painting company, assuming, of course, that they’re genuine. The phrase “don’t believe everything you read” has taken on a whole new meaning in the digital age. While major review platforms have done their best to mitigate fake and malicious reviews, some still seep through the cracks now and again. As we’ve discussed in previous posts, we at Nash Painting had a run-in with several fake reviews not too long ago -- these were deployed by a nearby rival in an attempt to tarnish our reputation. While we’ve mostly recovered from this incident, potential customers must remain vigilant when reading online reviews about local painters. Read our recent blog, “How to Know You're Reading Real Painter Reviews to Ensure You Get the Best Service,” for detailed advice on separating real reviews from fraudulent ones, regardless of the source or intention.
Variety and Quantity
A review’s authenticity is foundational for helping you select a painting company, but authenticity is far from the only variable to consider here. You also want to locate a variety of reviews for a particular painter, both in terms of the platforms on which they’re reviewed and the content of reviews themselves. It also helps if there’s a large number of reviews across these platforms; quantity isn’t everything, but it does convey stronger social proof as well as the company’s level of experience. Companies that have amassed a wide variety of legitimate reviews have clearly been active for some time and let you know they’re regularly picking up new customers. Finding variety in the reviews themselves is another plus, as it gives you a more rounded idea of the company’s strengths and weaknesses as well as their service offerings. One review, for instance, might mention a company’s competence with deck staining or that they knew how to skim coat drywall after wallpaper removal. These disparate takes can tell you about a painting company’s capabilities and commitments.
Specific and Detailed Praise
This might be a no-brainer, but it’s still worth mentioning. You want to hire a painting contractor that’s received more positive customer sentiment than negative remarks. That said, high praise is only half of this equation. When reading reviews, you don’t only want to see good things, but also thorough explanations of said good things. Put another way, praise that’s backed up with rich examples carries much more water than praise that lacks detail or emphasis. It’s not just about seeing buzzwords like “professional,” “trustworthy,” “timely,” etc. -- it’s about understanding why the company is worthy of those titles to begin with. The more detailed a given review, the more you can trust whatever high marks the company has received.
Review Red Flags
It’s obviously important to look for good reviews and their contents. It’s equally important to watch out for certain red flags. Indeed, there are several red flags to look for regarding reviews themselves as well as the painting service in question. As for reviews, we’ve already discussed the issue of authenticity and how certain markers may tip you off to a fake review. These red flags include things like odd post timing, poor spelling/grammar, repetitive reviews from suspicious authors, generic/short responses, and so on. Online reviews can also reveal various company-related issues that should stir any reader to perhaps look for a different provider. Some general painting company-related red flags to watch for include remarks like “poor communication, “poor results,” “disrespectful,” “inefficient,” “late,” etc. While one reviewer may have simply had a bad experience, multiple authentic accounts in this vein point to a serious problem.
Personal Deal Breakers
Not all comments necessarily fall into the binary “good” or “bad” categories, however. What works for one customer might not work as well for you. One of the reasons it’s so important to read multiple detailed reviews is to pinpoint any aspects of a painting company that might not gel with what you’re looking for. For instance, you might not want to hire a home painting contractor if their services are limited to basic interior or exterior painting. Even if said painter is known for doing a stellar job, you might require a company that can handle multiple tasks such as drywall repair, pressure washing, cabinet refinishing, wallpaper removal, and more. You might also be on a time crunch and therefore look for a company with a large workforce that can handle significant projects in a short amount of time. Whatever the case, online reviews can unravel certain deal breakers that force you to go elsewhere; a solid reputation matters, but so does a suitable mode of operation.
Responses from the Painting Company
When reading reviews for professional painting companies, you’re primarily looking for customer experiences in an authentic, objective light. That said, there’s also room for rebuttal. Whether a review is positive or negative, some residential and commercial painting businesses will go out of their way to write a reply. These replies might be a short “thank you for your feedback!” in some cases or more extensive in others. Reading company replies can be revealing in its own right, giving you a sense of how the painting service treats its customers publicly, even those who had a terrible experience. Prioritize companies that deliver generous responses, genuine apologies, and make a concerted effort to make things right when they go wrong. Avoid those that take jabs at previous customers, offer sarcastic remarks, or pass the buck (even if it’s warranted) onto the customer.
What’s in a Review?
There’s no way to read every single review for multiple painting contractors, and no one is saying that you should. By knowing what to look for when reading reviews for a professional painting company, you can streamline your online search and hire the right fit for your needs. Despite our particular review-related issues, Nash Painting is proud to have received high praise from a wide variety of customers across Nashville, Brentwood, and Franklin, TN. Click here to read some of these glowing customer testimonials. To learn more about us, our services, and our values, call us at 615-829-6858 today!