HomeFinder.com captures 10x more reviews with a Twilio-powered solution

As one of the sites under HomeFinder.com, MovingCompanyReviews.com (MCR) is dedicated to making it easy for consumers to review as well as find reputable movers. Powered by Twilio, MCR’s automated consumer phone reviews make it convenient for consumers to leave a voice review about their movers on move day—right from their mobile phone.

Increasing reviews while ensuring authenticity

With “reviews” in its name, MovingCompanyReviews.com knew it needed to get reviews right. Getting as many verified reviews as possible is the lifeblood of its business. When they’re trustworthy, reviews offer an invaluable service to consumers. If fraudulent, they lose their value, threaten the reputation of the site, and jeopardize the consumer’s move.

It turns out that time is of the essence when it comes to capturing reviews. Getting information from consumers about their move is best done right after the move actually takes place. That’s when the information is fresh. Unfortunately, it’s not the most convenient time to capture reviews—people are often stressed, tired, and overwhelmed. One of the only things they have handy is their mobile phone, which in most cases is a smartphone. With this insight, a completely mobile-friendly review process (with a fun move-day incentive like pizza) seemed like the best possible solution.
 

Texts and positive incentives boost reviews

“Given our need to capture reviews minutes after a move has happened, Twilio was the only solution that made sense,” said Doug Breaker, CEO of HomeFinder.com, the umbrella site for MCR. “The automated review experience and flow had to be extremely easy for consumers to complete on their mobile phones.”

Twilio offered the best API capabilities to support all of MCR’s requirements for automating the review process: texting, calling, voice recording, transcription, and interactive voice responses (IVR).

When searching for movers on the site, consumers can opt-in to complete a review on moving day in return for a $10 Domino’s gift card. Those who opt-in receive a text indicating the phone number they should call to start the review process. The consumer is then prompted through an IVR to rate their mover and share what the moving company did well and what can be improved. The voice review is then captured and recorded, with the whole process taking less than three minutes.

Once the review is complete, the consumer needs to provide a picture of their Bill of Lading (BoL) to verify that the move took place. Previously, MCR used a cumbersome file upload service, which required the consumer to take a picture of the BoL and then upload it through a website. MCR is now planning to integrate MMS picture messaging with Twilio to streamline this process. Once the review is verified by an MCR member, the reviewer receives their Domino’s gift card via email.

“Twilio is a great tool to use as a developer. The documentation is easy and vast, its pricing is transparent, and it’s so easy to get started,” said Breaker.

MCR built the first version as a prototype in less than three days and had it live in production within two weeks. In the near future, MCR will also soon be taking advantage of Twilio MMS, which will enable consumers to simply text a picture of their BoL receipt to MCR—a huge improvement in convenience, which it expects will increase its probability of obtaining a verified review. MCR expects that the full MMS implementation, including testing and verification, can also be completed within 72 hours. It also plans to add call tracking for moving companies listed on its website.
 

Increased reviews and decreased costs = SUCCESS

Twilio has played an important role in increasing MCR’s review volume; compared to those notified by email, consumers who receive a text message on moving day are ten times more likely to leave a mover review. More verified reviews contribute to a trustworthy reputation, and more business.

In addition, compared to its previous provider, which required a long-term contract with minimum spend of thousands of dollars per month, Twilio’s pay-as-you-go pricing model offered considerable cost savings and faster time to market. MCR is saving about 75% on the voice solution and the development costs saved from the MMS capabilities will be in the thousands.

“Twilio has been critical to our success, as we’ve experienced 400% year-over-year growth and thousands of moves per month,” said Shannon Cullins, General Manager of MCR. “With Twilio, we’re confident we have a solution that can seamlessly grow with our business, powering a growing number of reviews and creating exceptionally happy customers on their moving day.”