Corey Chase, Founder of Resident Review
For businesses, reviews are more than just feedback—they’re the lifeblood of their reputation. A single negative review on platforms like Yelp, Angi, or Google can derail years of hard work, especially for small businesses that rely heavily on trust and word-of-mouth to thrive. For customers, these platforms provide essential insights when choosing a business. But for the businesses themselves, there’s a glaring imbalance: where is the platform that allows businesses to evaluate customers?
Resident Review levels the playing field by enabling businesses to review homeowners, promoting mutual accountability and fairness in transactions. In the traditional review ecosystem, homeowners have the power to evaluate businesses, but businesses lack a corresponding way to vet potential customers. This gap leaves small business owners exposed to unfair reviews and unreliable clients, often compromising their Reputation Management efforts.
This inequity in review systems leaves businesses vulnerable to unfair treatment, late payments, and even financial ruin. Imagine pouring your heart into a job only to be stiffed or smeared online by a client who refuses to be satisfied. It’s a reality that many small business owners know all too well.
Resident Review is flipping the script by allowing home service providers to review their customers. Created by people who’ve lived through these challenges, Resident Review is designed to empower businesses with the insights they need to work smarter, safer, and more efficiently—putting a new twist on Reputation Management.
Corey Chase, founder of Resident Review, explained how online reviews can make or break small businesses. Sharing examples from friends and his own experience running a successful decorative concrete company, he noted, “They’d tell me, ‘I got a terrible Google review, and even after redoing the job several times, the customer still wasn’t satisfied.'” He added, “We ran into a couple of situations where we had customers that no matter what you did for them, you couldn’t make them happy… And if you’re a small business owner, a job like that could essentially ruin you.” Chase emphasized that negative reviews don’t just harm credibility; they can take a severe emotional toll and, when coupled with customers refusing to pay, can devastate small businesses and families.
Resident Review offers a unique solution to this long-standing problem. It’s a platform where business owners can review homeowners, providing valuable insights to other service providers in their area. By validating customers based on experiences shared by fellow businesses, service providers can avoid unreliable clients and prioritize trustworthy leads. For many small businesses, the ability to qualify leads before committing to a job can be the difference between success and failure.
Resident Review’s integrated CRM assists home service professionals in managing leads, customer interactions, and reviews, streamlining operations, and fostering growth. The platform gives business owners the knowledge and confidence to choose jobs wisely. This is especially critical for smaller operations that can’t afford to waste time or suffer financial losses. Corey emphasizes, “Information is knowledge. Being able to determine who you want to do a job for is valuable to a business owner.” Effective Reputation Management goes beyond just receiving reviews—it’s about ensuring businesses can actively manage their relationships with customers.
The company also champions fairness for vulnerable groups, including immigrant workers and small-scale businesses. These groups are often disproportionately affected by non-paying customers, and a single bad client can spell disaster. Corey points out, “If they’re in a situation where someone decides they’re not going to pay them, they don’t have a lot of recourse.” Recognizing the diverse nature of the workforce, Resident Review supports both English and Spanish, ensuring that more business owners can access the platform’s benefits.
For many small businesses that can’t afford advanced CRM tools like Salesforce, Resident Review includes a built-in CRM system tailored to their needs. The platform allows users to manage customer relationships, track reviews, and analyze insights. Integration with tools like Salesforce is available for advanced users, while a Google Maps overlay helps visualize leads and reviews by location. These features streamline operations, helping small businesses manage jobs efficiently and stay organized.
Resident Review is more than just a platform; it’s a movement toward fairness and respect in the home service industry. Corey believes in fostering a culture of accountability and mutual respect. By giving businesses the tools to protect themselves, Resident Review encourages positive interactions between service providers and homeowners. To learn more, visit resident-rev.com.