Repair Shop Advice

August 10, 2016

While your website is a critical piece of your reputation, there are just too many shops in many areas for customers to visit all of their websites. One of the things that customers do to winnow down which shops will get their attention is to look at their online reviews.

These reviews are getting more attention than ever. According to a recent study by Brightlocal, the number of people who use online reviews to judge businesses has jumped from 71% to 92% in the last 6 years. Seven out of eight people said they wouldn’t do business with a company that had one or two stars.

 

This isn’t bad news for your shop – in fact, it’s great news, even if you don’t spend a bunch of time online. That’s because shops that provide great service can easily ask for, and receive, online reviews, and those reviews can dramatically increase your shop’s business.

Getting people to submit online reviews is very easy. The best way is just to ask for them! If your customers understand how important it is to your business, and they’ve really appreciated your great customer service, they’ll take the time to say a few kind words about your shop and rate it five stars. When you’re checking a happy customer out and giving their keys back to them, take a couple of seconds to ask for that online review.

Always make sure to respond to reviews, both positive and negative. Responding to positive reviews tells reviewers that you took the time to notice that they helped out your shop and you’re genuinely appreciative of the support they’re giving you. It tells potential customers that you are concerned about your reputation, so you’re not going to do anything to them or their car that will damage your reputation. Try to make sure that your responses are specific to the review, and not a boilerplate “thank you” response that you send to every positive reviewer – your customers will notice that, and so will people considering using your shop.

For negative reviews, it’s tempting to be defensive, especially if the reviewer is making statements that aren’t accurate. Unfortunately, even if the customer is dishonest, when you defend yourself it can make you look like you are angry with a customer, which can turn new customers away from your shop. It’s best to try to walk a line, expressing regret that the customer had the experience they did and emphasizing how you try to make all customers happy.

To learn more about the importance of online reviews and how your shop can easily grow its base of online reviews, contact us at help@repairshopwebsites.com  or call us at 866-665-1605 and ask for a link to our webinar Remarkable Service: Why Reviews are Important and How to Get Them.