Did you know that 90% of customers say their choices on where to shop are influenced by online reviews?
While word of mouth referrals are often the most consistent means of getting new business in your garage, the vast majority of people will look you up on Google immediately after hearing about you. That’s why knowing how to get online reviews for your auto shop is critical for your success.
Ultimately, your potential customers will decide whether to do business with you based on what others have said about you online. In order to help you maximize your potential business from online reviews, we’ve created this useful guide for generating more reviews from your favorite customers.
Reviews for your auto repair shop prove to you, your potential customers, and the general public that you’re a quality garage anyone can rely on for great service. The more reviews you have, the better – for bringing in new clients, retaining previous clients, and for strengthening your local search engine optimization (SEO).
Positive auto repair reviews will boost you above your competition – period. Competition can get mighty fierce in the auto service industry, especially in metropolitan areas. As long as you repeatedly take good care of your customers and their vehicles, they’ll be happy to leave you positive reviews which differentiate you from your local competitors. And every review counts, no matter if they’re posted to Facebook, Google, Yelp, or otherwise.
If you aren’t asking your customers to leave an online review when they leave your shop, you’re missing out on great opportunities to gather tons of reviews. It sounds simple, but you’d be surprised at how many people will take the time to brag about the great service they got from your business.
All you have to do is be polite and courteous after providing exceptional service and they’ll be happy to leave you a review – no problem, right?
You can also use your auto shop website and email marketing campaign to prompt visitors to leave reviews for your auto shop. Create forms on your website that allow customers to submit reviews or link visitors to your Google My Business profile, and don’t forget to include similar links in your emails for satisfied customers to follow and leave their feedback. Remember: it never hurts to ask!
Make sure every piece of information about your business is kept up-to-date on any website, app, or other platform where customers can leave reviews. You don’t want someone to read a positive review of your business only to call the wrong number when trying to schedule service.
Ensuring your information (including address, website, phone number, hours of operation, social media accounts, and more) stays totally correct is as much a part of maintaining your online reputation as the reviews themselves. When prospective customers see you have a well-managed online presence, they’ll know that you’re a responsible, professional operation worthy of their time and money.
No matter how hard you try, you’ll never please everybody. Even if you’re the best auto service shop in the country, you might still have the occasional off day.
As a result, mistakes happen, and your customers may feel like airing their grievances online. The next steps are critical – whatever you do, don’t let those negative reviews stay up without responding to them directly.
Read any disgruntled customer’s feedback carefully, then respond with your plan to address the issue. If it’s a problem with your service, let them know you’ll make sure it never happens to them or any other customer again. After you’ve demonstrated professionalism and a genuine effort to correct your own mistakes, those negative reviews may transform into positive reviews after all.
Websites like Google which allow users to review local businesses are smart enough to recognize fake reviews. Even if you simply offer discounts or promotions for customers who leave positive reviews, Google can easily find out and penalize your business severely for generating them dishonestly. Recently, businesses misrepresenting reviews have even been fined by the Federal Trade Commission.
The best course of action is to focus on asking your customers for reviews without offering any incentives. That way, every review your auto service shop receives will reflect how your customers really felt about their experience with your services and your team. Since 40% of consumers develop opinions about businesses after reading reviews, you’ll want to make sure you’re 100% honest at all times.
Ready to learn more effective techniques for bringing in new business and retaining your existing customers for years to come? Check out the Castrol Insider resource hub!