Keys to mastering your online reputation

June 2, 2015
It’s now impossible to ignore how your online reputation plays a role in the public perception of your auto shop.

With today’s digital reliance stronger than ever, it’s impossible to ignore how your online reputation plays a role in the public perception of your auto shop. Consumers are putting more and more trust in online reviews — almost equaling the weight they give personal recommendations from friends and family. According to a 2013 BrightLocal Consumer Review Survey, 79 percent of consumers place equal weight on both online reviews and personal recommendations.

While online reputation management remains a thorn in the side of many shop owners, adopting a head-in-the-sand attitude to customer reviews will hurt your bottom line in the end. Can you afford to ignore it? Most likely, the answer is no. Luckily, shop owners can take matters into their own hands and positively influence how they’re perceived online.

Take responsibility
It’s essential to have profiles on each of the foremost social networks and review sites. Note: If you’re a franchisee, check your corporate policies before proceeding. Claim your shop’s listings on major review sites like Yelp and Google Plus and remain active on content sites like Facebook and Twitter. Just “having the lights on” isn’t enough. Establish your presence now, lest you be forced to learn the ins and outs of a network should crisis strike.

More importantly, creating profiles allows you to tweak your notification settings, allowing you to choose to be alerted about customer activity involving your business listing or page. Doing so gives you the opportunity to respond in a timely manner.

There are thousands of social networks and review sites out there — not to mention millions of blogs — so, obviously, you’ll need to prioritize your time and resources. If a particular review site doesn’t show up until Page 20 of your Google search results, then you shouldn’t pull out your hair over it. You can catch many new mentions by setting a Google Alert for your business name and city, and free social listening tools like Topsy can help notify you of the occasional mention coming up from the depths of the Internet.

Respond, publicly and quickly
Remember, how you handle reviews doesn’t affect only the reviewer. Potential customers and even current customers are checking out your review sites, even if it’s just to look up your hours or phone number.

Your responses should send a clear message: We care about our customers’ satisfaction and will go above and beyond to ensure each compliment, question and/or complaint is addressed. We’ve seen that personal attention do more for a business than posting a sales-y “Our service is the best in the world” message.

If you received a positive review, congratulations! Be sure to express your gratitude to your customer by posting a public response to thank him or her for taking the time to review you. Doing so will strengthen your relationships with these customers and make them more likely to advocate for you in the future. It can also encourage other happy customers to leave reviews themselves, because they know they’ll receive that same treatment.

If you received a negative review, the first thing you should do is take a look into the experience described by the reviewer. Are the comments valid? Which of your staff members interacted with the customers, and what are their takes on the situation?

If your business was in the wrong, apologize and take personal responsibility for resolving the issue. Outline what you’re going to do about it — we’ve seen anything from issuing a genuine apology to immediately dismissing a disrespectful employee. Most customers just want to feel like they’re being heard, and they’ll appreciate the personal attention.

If the customer was wrong, then you need to outline all of the information you gathered about the situation in a matter-of-fact, respectful manner. Oftentimes, it’s a misunderstanding. The customer may be confused about something, and leaving the review was his way of venting. Records are your friend here. Do you have a copy of the invoice? Can you take a look at the security camera in the corner and verify (or debunk) what was described?

I handled a review for a customer once, in which the reviewer accused her auto technician of smoking in her car. The security footage showed it was actually her husband. Now, that’s a delicate situation in and of itself, but it really describes how your response as a business owner can affect your reputation — to your benefit or your detriment.

Listen and learn
Positive or negative, reviews from customers can also be a valuable learning tool for you and your team. It’s easy to see your shop through rose-colored glasses, especially because it takes up so much of your consciousness on a daily basis. Reviews can provide a new, more objective perspective.

If your customers all rave about your accommodating hours, you’ll know this will be an irresistible hook for attracting new customers. You can then play it up in your marketing materials, when, otherwise, you may have focused only on your customer service skills or the certifications of your technicians.

If you start seeing a pattern with the same issue coming up again and again, then you have a business problem — not a review site problem. Your customers will tell you what’s important to them, be it a rude receptionist or the vending machine in the waiting area being empty. Learn from their feedback and make the necessary changes in your shop.

Ignore the trolls
There may come a time when, despite your best efforts, you find your customer unwilling to engage with you in a respectful dialogue. It’s reasonable — and warranted, even — to feel defensive. You pour your blood, sweat and tears into your shop daily, and someone’s attacking it! How dare he?

Now, a pep talk. Your customers aren’t stupid. Or crazy. One complaint or a temporary dip in your Yelp rating won’t send them running for the hills — unless you give them a reason to do so by dealing with a situation poorly. Users are pretty savvy and want to see the overall picture of your business, so a negative review isn’t the end of the world.

And if a customer turns into a troll? Your time would be better spent attracting others who fit your ideal customer profile than trying to win over the rabble-rouser.

Be proactive
Practicing quality customer service online goes beyond just listening to your customers and responding to reviews.

The best way to ensure you’re being found is to claim your business listings and make sure all of your information is updated. Check your business name, address, phone number and website, in particular. Also, you’ll want to add a brief description of the services you offer — most sites include a bio section — and fill out all fields related to your services completely. If someone is searching for a shop that offers a shuttle service, and you forgot to include that, you’re probably not going to show up in their search. Don’t forget to add photos with captions that’ll help prospective customers see what life is like at your shop either.

To generate more and/or better reviews, first focus on awareness. Many happy customers don’t realize you need their help; and, even if they do, they don’t know how to help. Train your staff members to ask customers to review you. For example, after turning the keys back over to a customer, your tech could say, “We’re always looking for feedback for how we can best serve you. We’d love to hear your thoughts about your experience on Google Plus.” Reinforce the message by putting the site(s) of your choice on your receipts, invoices, brochures, flyers and whatever else you hand out to customers. If you have an announcement screen, put it up there, or put a sticker in the window. The same applies online. Link to the sites from your website and cross-promote your review sites on Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.

We caution you to avoid overwhelming them with information, so ask for just one thing. Don’t say, “Please review us on Yelp … and Google Plus … and Cityseach … and … and … and.” Focusing on one thing at a time will get you better results.

Final thoughts
As in the “real” world, the best way to manage your online reputation is to provide an excellent experience for your customers. There are no shortcuts, but the more committed you are to quality customer service, the more likely you are to attract customers who will become loyal advocates for your shop for years to come.

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