Before purchasing a service, a plurality of customers will read online reviews. One study finds that as much as 93% of people will read online reviews before completing a transaction, making it essential for business owners to not only get online reviews but also to make sure these reviews indicate a history of client satisfaction.
By encouraging customers to review your business, you’ll strengthen your word-of-mouth marketing and expand your client base. Here’s how to do it right.
Ask for Reviews
In most cases, happy customers are willing to share their opinions through online reviews; however, they might not automatically think to do so. In fact, one study finds that customers who had a negative experience are 2-3 times more likely to post an online review.
To address this, you’ll want to develop a process for soliciting feedback from all of your customers. After completing a service, you should ask clients, both in person and via email, to fill out an online review.
Be sure, however, to ask for a review in only one or two places, most likely Google, Facebook, or Yelp. If you ask for reviews in too many different places, clients might get overwhelmed or confused.
Be Professional and Thankful
When you ask for online reviews, you want to be as kind and neutral as possible. Most online review outlets like Google forbid you from cherry-picking positive reviewers, instead encouraging business owners to remind all customers to leave reviews––good, bad, and in between.
When receiving feedback, regardless of its positivity, you’ll want to take the time to thank each customer for submitting a review. For those who give you negative reviews, you’ll want to engage them further, understanding exactly what went wrong with your services and how you can potentially fix the situation.
Customers want to feel heard and valued, and online reviews provide another outlet through which you can engage your clients.
Automate the Process
Your shop employees are busy, and they might forget to ask every single customer to fill out a review. On top of this, it’s easy for clients to forget about in-person reminders the moment they walk out the door. Once a person takes back their vehicle and drives home, posting an online review might not be at the top of their mind.
To address this, you should set up automatic reminders sent directly to your customers using a solution like BayIQ. These reminders can be sent through either email, text message, or both, and they’ll include a link to post a review. This makes it as easy as possible for customers to hop online and share their thoughts.
Collect More Reviews with BayIQ
Using BayIQ, auto shops can automatically send emails to every client following the completion of a service. In addition to thanking them for choosing your shop, these emails can also include a direct link to posting an online review, increasing the likelihood of getting this type of feedback.
Additionally, BayIQ can also be used to respond to reviews, thanking customers for positive feedback and alerting you to negative feedback, which allows you to reach out to dissatisfied clients and fix the situation.
Depending on your clientele, a person might check Facebook, Google, or Yelp for online reviews, and with BayIQ, you can ensure that your reviews are published on each of these outlets. When a person reviews your business on one of these sites, BayIQ will automatically push the reviews to additional sites.
For the vast majority of people, online reviews play into their ultimate purchasing decision, making it essential for your business to have as many positive reviews as possible. With BayIQ, you can streamline the process of getting these reviews and start building positive word of mouth for your auto shop. Request a demo today to get started!
