Dane Beazley’s Australian plumbing company, Gold Coast Plumbing, was doing fine. And that was a huge problem. 
Dane didn’t start his business to do “fine”; he had a vision of becoming the community’s premier plumbing company.  Dane was confident that once his team got a job, they would showcase top-notch work—the only problem was getting jobs in the first place.  
Dane’s first thought was to maximise online reviews, the lifeblood of local business. Businesses with only one or two locations don’t have the luxury of building brand awareness and trust through storefronts across the country. Instead, they rely on customer reviews to attract new clientele. As every small business knows, online reviews can either trumpet the sound of success, or ring the death knell. 
Over the next few weeks, Gold Coast Plumbing received a handful of positive reviews, but not enough to solidify their status as a premium company. 
“We had some testimonials on our website,” Dane said. “But nothing like the social proof that comes from a good number of Google reviews.”  
That’s when Dane turned to Podium. With Podium’s Reviews tool, Golden Coast Plumbing was able to automatically ask every customer for a review. After a completed job, customers would simply receive a text link to the company’s Google review page and rate their service. The process was so fast and easy for customers that within two years, Gold Coast Plumbing’s reviews skyrocketed from 50 to 400. 
Even better, the number of positive reviews was helping Dane realise his dream of GoldCoast Plumbing being the area’s premier plumbing company. 
“I believe there was a point where we hit a certain number of reviews, and we were seen as an authority in the field,” Dane said. 
With this newfound status as a gold-standard company, Dane said Gold Coast Plumbing was able to charge a greater fee for their high-quality work. 
“It’s about raising the standard out there, because if everybody can raise their standard, we can all charge a little more,” Dane said. “It’s disappointing when you hear of guys out there that are just charging enough to cover their materials, when they could be living a life they get a lot of enjoyment out of.”
One reason Golden Coast Plumbing continues to get such great reviews is their emphasis on customer service and eagerness to go the extra mile. For example, Golden Coast Plumbing has recently implemented Podium Webchat—a tool that enables the company to chat with customers and set appointments through text. 
“Right from the very first moment we make contact, the customer has that sense that ‘yeah, I’m dealing with a company that cares and has taken the time to acknowledge me,’” Dane said. “And if they have to change a booking, they can just reply via text—how easy is that?”  
Additionally, Dane says Webchat has increased inbound leads by 20% because there are fewer missed calls and more text messages. Employees can respond to these texts at any time and interact with a greater number of potential clients. 
Above all, Dane knows that the key to a truly exceptional business, and fantastic online reviews, is delighting customers in as many ways as possible. 
“People aren’t wowed by average anymore,” Dane said. “You won’t get a good review from just doing average things; you need to go beyond that. It’s like what Podium is doing by being a leader in their field. If we align with people like that, it’s only natural that all boats float on the rising tide.”

How Gold Coast Plumbing turned a pipe dream into reality