Resource Center

Aug 4, 2026

From Five-Star Service to Paid-in-Full: Closing the Customer Experience Loop

A great customer experience doesn't end when the job is complete. The post-service journey, collecting feedback, earning reviews, recognizing technicians, encouraging referrals, and even following up on payments, is where service businesses create lasting customer loyalty and business growth. When these touchpoints work together, great service becomes measurable momentum instead of a missed opportunity. In this article, we'll explore how connecting every post-job interaction helps businesses strengthen customer relationships while driving better operational and financial outcomes.

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Jul 22, 2026

What's a good Google Review rating and review count for home services?

In 2026, a competitive Google rating for a home services business is 4.5 stars or higher, backed by at least 20–99 reviews and a steady stream of recent ones. A high star rating gets you considered, but review volume, recency, and responses are what actually matter most.

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Jul 17, 2026

Why Google is asking your customers if their review was incentivized

Google is now sending some of your customers a survey asking what they paid for your service and whether or not their review was incentivized. Find out why.

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Build Better Scorecards: A Live Workshop for Smarter Performance Management

Join an interactive workshop where you'll help shape a live Scorecard and learn practical strategies to increase adoption and performance.

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Lunch & Learn: From Metrics to Momentum with Applause Scorecards

In this 30-minute live session, you’ll get a first look at what’s new with Applause Scorecards and learn practical ways to use performance insights to build transparency, coach technicians, and improve team performance.

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Applause Q2 Product Updates

Our VP of Product and Co-founder, Joel Ragar, with Senior Product Managers Christian Arntsen and Caleb Wilcox demo key features that were released in Q2 2026.

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The Fleet Savings Playbook for Services Companies

Your fleet is bleeding money on fuel, accidents, insurance, and fraud. This data-driven guide from Applause, Coast, Linxup, Truce, and Rancho Mesa breaks down exactly where the waste is and how services companies are saving $100K to $1M+ per year with the right stack of tools and strategies.

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The 2026 State of Home Services Benchmark Report

The 2026 State of Home Services Benchmark Report analyzes more than 18,000 real performance data points across 3,000 home services companies to show what great technician performance actually looks like today across productivity, quality, reviews, compensation, and motivation.

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The New Growth Guide for Home Services: Unlock Hidden Profit in Every Route

The new growth model in home services is service-led growth (SLG), a framework designed to help businesses grow quickly and cost-efficiently by getting the most out of their technicians.

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How A1 Air Conditioning & Heating Increased Reviews Nearly 5x and Membership Sales by 2x

A1 implemented Applause to keep Google reviews and membership sales front and center for every technician. The team launched recurring monthly competitions tied to these key business goals, giving technicians clear targets, real-time visibility into their performance, and meaningful rewards for hitting them.

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AAA Pest Control Drives 28% More Five-Star Reviews with Applause Competitions

How a new ownership team used friendly competition to drive engagement and accountability, resulting in a 28% jump in five-star reviews.

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Fast Action Pest Control Drives KPI Improvements Across 95% of Technicians with Applause

Applause helps Fast Action centralize performance data and drive technician accountability across branches.

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