The HomeStars Best of Awards was established as an annual honour to celebrate the Pros who went above and beyond the customers’ expectations. This is also based on our three pillars of integrity, customer service and consistency. Best of Award winners are recognized by HomeStars with an official certificate and an Award Badge on the HomeStars profile. In addition to this, winners are also invited to an in-person awards gala ceremony where they are awarded an exciting care package with HomeStars branded collateral that can be displayed on your vehicle and much more. However, the most important takeaway is perhaps the homeowners’ trust that you earn with an Award Badge on your profile. In our homeowner survey, 75% of homeowners stated that they were more likely to hire a Pro with a Best of Awards badge. Among our listings, only 2.5% of Pros have won the awards, which translates to more opportunities for Pros with the Badge. These are pros who have delivered constantly and have gone above and beyond client expectations time and again. It’s a coveted spot, that is up for grabs, for anyone who is willing to commit to these standards of excellence.
As you prep for the qualifications for the awards, here are 3 things to avoid that can cause disqualification from the HomeStars Best of Awards:
Not Updating The Verified Status On Your HomeStars Profile
Perhaps the most important criteria for qualifying for the Best of Awards is having the HomeStars Verified Badge on your profile. The badge is a sign of trusted pros that homeowners can choose with confidence. As a part of the verification process, HomeStars runs a background check to ensure that Canadian homeowners are matched with the best pros in their area. This verification is done on background checks, soft credit checks and licensing checks. Once you have everything in order, you can request a Verification Badge by getting in touch with a customer success manager. If you already have a Verification Badge, ensure that it has not expired as these badges need to be renewed every three years. This process has to be completed by 31st December of the previous year to qualify for the Best of Awards.
Star Score Lower Than 85
The HomeStars Star Score is a trust metric that is dynamically calculated, based on previous experience with customers. When you finish a job, your customer is asked to review your work based on their satisfaction and likelihood of recommending you. This calculation also takes into consideration the recency, responsiveness and reputation of the profile. Thus, you can maintain a healthy Star Score by responding to reviews and customer queries, keeping the profile updated with services and recent reviews etc.
Tampering With Reviews
At HomeStars, we take integrity very seriously and we place the homeowner’s experience at the forefront. In order to maintain the business’ reputation, you must be careful when responding to homeowners or working on their projects. Learn how to respond to negative reviews, instead of bullying customers into taking down reviews. If you tamper with the reviews or have too few reviews, it is a criterion for disqualification as the business cannot be verified and the recency is unclear. Harassing customers to leave reviews or remove negative reviews is a big red flag when it comes to Best Of Awards qualifiers.
With these tips, you can avoid being disqualified and stand a chance to win our Best of Awards! After all, these awards translate to better brand building, which ultimately gets more eyeballs on your profile and thus gets you more opportunities. Don’t miss out on this chance to stand apart from the competition and build your brand value while closing more opportunities. If you have any more questions, you can reach out to your customer success manager!
