By Colby Shosted

Have you ever given a 5-star rating... before the service even started?

I did – and it backfired!

I was at a busy local burger joint, the kind with random knick-knacks on the walls—tacky photos, vinyl records, a Wurlitzer jukebox, and decor that looked like it came straight from a garage sale. My kind of place. After placing my order, the cashier flipped a tablet around, asking for payment and a quick rating of my experience. Feeling optimistic, I gave them a glowing review.

So, What’s the Beef? 🍔

Fast forward twenty minutes: still no food. My order was lost, and I had to flag down the staff to figure out what went wrong. As my hunger grew, so did my frustration. The glowing review I gave didn’t match the poor service I was experiencing, and I was stuck with major reviewer’s remorse. 😟

That’s when it hit me—timing is everything when it comes to gathering feedback. My premature rating didn’t capture the real experience, and the business ended up with misleading data that didn’t tell the full story.

Now, let’s talk about how this applies to your home services business, and why asking for feedback at the right time, using Net Promoter Score (NPS), is key to meaningful growth.

The Problem with Asking Too Soon

In the world of home services, whether you’re running a pest control, lawn care, HVAC, or house cleaning business, the timing of your feedback request can make or break your insights.

Just like my burger experience, if you ask your customers for a review or NPS score too soon—say, while the technician is still working or before the customer has seen the results—you’re going to get skewed data.

Imagine asking a customer how they feel about their newly cleaned home while the vacuum is still running or before the dust has settled (literally). Chances are, they’ll give you a surface-level response. They haven’t experienced the full service yet, so their feedback will likely be incomplete or overly optimistic.

But what happens when the experience isn’t perfect? Maybe the cleaner missed a spot, the HVAC unit isn’t working quite right, or the lawn wasn’t mowed to perfection. The real value of feedback comes after the service has had time to show its impact.

Why NPS Is the Perfect Tool—When Used Correctly

Here’s why NPS (Net Promoter Score) is a game-changer for home service businesses—if you ask for it at the right time.

NPS is a simple yet powerful way to gauge customer satisfaction. It asks one key question: “On a scale from 0-10, how likely are you to recommend our service to a friend or colleague?”

What makes NPS even more effective is the follow-up opportunity. After customers provide a score, you can ask them to explain why they gave that rating. This extra step gives you valuable insights into their experience, helping you understand what’s working and what needs improvement. But here’s the key—timing matters. ⏰

If you send an NPS survey too soon, like right after a service or when a customer is eager to move on (whether they’re sitting down at a restaurant or just after your technician leaves), they might rush through the survey. When people are in a hurry, they’re less likely to give thoughtful feedback, and you end up with quick responses instead of the real insights you need.

That’s why the timing of your NPS survey is everything. If you ask too early, you risk getting feedback that only scratches the surface. Sure, they might give you a positive rating at the moment, but is that their real experience? To get feedback that truly helps you improve, wait until the dust settles (both literally and figuratively).

When’s the Right Time to Ask?

So, when should you ask for feedback? Here’s the sweet spot 🎯 for different home services:

• Pest control: A day or two after the service. Let customers see if the pests have stayed away!

• Lawn care: Once the lawn has had time to settle. Does the cut still look sharp after a couple of days?

• Home cleaning: A few hours after the job is done. Are those baseboards still sparkling?

• HVAC services: Once the system has run for a while. Is it working smoothly? Have the problems stayed fixed?

In short, give your customers enough time to experience the full impact of your service before asking for their feedback. This ensures you’re getting accurate responses that truly reflect their experience.

That said, these time frames may not work for every business. We encourage you to test different timings to see what best captures the most useful insights for your specific services.

Why Accurate Feedback Matters for Growth

Collecting feedback too early is like counting your chickens before they hatch—it gives you a false sense of success. Accurate, thoughtful feedback from your customers is essential for improving your services, training your team, and ultimately, growing your business. 🚀

When you ask at the right time, you can:

• Identify specific areas for improvement.

• Celebrate wins that your team can replicate.

• Build stronger customer loyalty by addressing issues before they lead to churn.

And here’s a bonus: customers feel more valued when you wait for the right moment to ask for their opinion. It shows you care about their full experience, not just a quick score for the books!

Wrapping Up

The lesson from my burger debacle? Timing means everything, especially when it comes to NPS surveys for home service businesses. Asking too soon misses valuable insights that could help you improve your operations.

This is where Applause steps in. We automate your NPS surveys, ensuring you send them at the perfect moment—right when customers have fully experienced your service. Our platform integrates seamlessly into your workflow, helping you collect honest feedback and drive more Google reviews. ⭐️

With Applause, you’ll gain clearer insights, increase positive reviews, and create happier customers. Ready to take your feedback game to the next level? Let’s grow your business together. 🌟