Mastering Online Reputation: A Guide for Multi-Location Business

Reviews: The modern word of mouth

Establishing a robust online reputation involves more than just a handful of favourable reviews. It encompasses various factors, including the quantity, quality, and timeliness of reviews. Reviews are important for any business as nearly 90% of consumers report reading a review before making a purchase or working with a local business.

Today, online reviews have filled the need for modern customers and are now the trusted source when it comes to making purchasing decisions.

The influence of third-party opinions on purchase decisions:

A testimonials’ trustworthiness: Around 72% of consumers reveal that positive testimonials and reviews significantly boost their trust in a business or brand.

The persuasive power of reviews: 70% of consumers place more trust in online reviews than they do in traditional advertising, finding them more dependable and compelling.
Pre-purchase evaluation: An impressive 95% of consumers never fail to consult a review before making a purchase.

Building a solid online reputation: More than just reviews

Your online reputation encompasses everything potential customers discover about your business online. It’s not just about having a few positive Google reviews; it’s about the overall volume, quality, and timeliness of these reviews. This holistic view helps customers make informed decisions about your business. Several factors contribute to the nearly instant opinion a new customer forms about your brand:

Total number of reviews: A higher volume of reviews generally increases credibility, especially in the eyes of potential customers.
Third-party review sites: These are usually specific to your industry and generally increase credibility. This is especially true when the reviewer is seen as a voice of authority in the industry.
A strong social media presence: Active engagement on platforms like Facebook and Instagram is essential to increase brand visibility and add credibility to your brand.
Review ratings and rankings: Your average review score and where you tank in search results impact trustworthiness.
Review responses: How you respond to both positive and negative reviews reflect your commitment to delivering excellent customer service.

Overcoming the challenges of managing your business’s online reputation

Managing reviews for businesses with multiple locations can present challenges, but it’s an opportunity to showcase excellent customer experiences across the board. Businesses can confidently improve the quality of reviews by implementing thoughtful strategies at each location, creating a positive impact on their overall reputation.

The most common challenges that multi-location businesses face include:

Negative organic reviews. Without a structured review request process, it’s likely that the majority of organic reviews are left by dissatisfied customers. This can create an inaccurate representation of the typical customer experience and skew public perception negatively.
Visibility issues. New customers will struggle to find your business if it lacks relevant, recent, and plentiful reviews that utilise SEO keywords. Absence from the top Google search results hampers customer growth, too, as potential leads can’t find your business easily.
Inconsistent review quality across multiple locations. Some of your branches may accumulate positive reviews, while others fall short in both quality and quantity. Without a standardised process for soliciting reviews across all locations, each store may handle reviews differently, which can lead to inconsistencies.
Lack of a formal review process. Even willing customers often don’t know how or where to leave positive reviews without clear instructions. Negative reviews also suffer from a lack of follow-up, with no documented process for addressing issues and encouraging customers to update their feedback.
Competing review requests and NPS surveys. Balancing the timing of review requests and Net Promoter Score (NPS) surveys is tricky. Sending both of these too close together may overwhelm customers and cause them to ignore one request for the other.
Ineffective methods for soliciting reviews. Traditional methods such as mailers, phone calls, and emails often go unnoticed or ignored. These outdated techniques lead to a lower response rate from customers asked to leave reviews.

Strategies for building an online reputation that actually works

Implementing a well-thought-out online reputation program will help build brand awareness, drive more customers to your store, and increase your ability to compete with other businesses online. Here are important steps you can take to develop an online reputation program:

Two men smiling at each other

Step 1: Collect valuable insights.

Begin by gathering information from each of your brand locations, dealers, and/or franchisees. Understand their needs and existing processes for collecting reviews to determine which methods are effective and what areas need improvement. This will help create a unified process that works for every location.

Here are questions you can ask each franchise owner and/or store manager:

Do you know how many reviews have been posted online for your store location?
How are you currently collecting reviews from customers?
How many reviews do you collect on average?
How are you following up on reviews for your specific location, and how do you respond to both positive and negative feedback?
What would you like to see in a new online reputation management program?

By addressing these questions, you can gather valuable insights that will help in designing an effective and cohesive review management strategy for all your branches.

Step 2: Define objectives and KPIs.

Before launching an online reputation program, clearly outline your specific goals for your business as a whole. Determine what you aim to achieve and how you will measure success.

Possible goals and their measurements may include:

Goal: Increase brand awareness.
- Measurement: Number of reviews, increase in web traffic, improvement in search rankings.
Goal: Stand out from the competition.
- Measurement: Higher search rankings and more reviews compared to competitors.
Goal: Increasing your business’s customer base.
- Measurement: Increase in web traffic, correlation between leads/bookings and revenue growth.
Goal: Improved customer experience.
- Measurement: Increased star rating, number of positive reviews, and overall increase in review count.

Once your goals and KPIs are established, set up a dashboard to track each location’s progress. Share the results with other franchise owners or store managers to discuss solutions and make further improvements. Your Reputation Management software provider can assist in creating a tracking system to help set this up and streamline the process.

Step 3: Engage key stakeholders.

Determine which departments and team members are essential for your online reputation management program. To identify key stakeholders or participants, consider these questions:

Who will be responsible for monitoring incoming review data?
Who will analyse data to identify trends?
Who will direct reviews to the appropriate internal teams?
Who will handle responses to negative reviews?
Who will ensure follow-up on relevant customer feedback?

Additionally, seek out an executive sponsor to support your goals. This sponsor can offer backing and help promote the program throughout the organisation. This helps secure the necessary resources, facilitate cross-department collaboration, and enhance credibility to align the program with your overall business strategy.

Step 4: Map out the ideal customer experience.

As you develop your online reputation management program, aim to create a consistent and positive customer experience at each location. Document your best-case scenario for this process and consider both internal procedures and the customer’s perspective. To develop the ideal customer experience, address these questions:

When will the customer receive a review request?
Who will send the request, or how will it be automatically triggered?
How and on which channel will the customer receive the review request, and what will it include?
How many steps will the customer need to take to complete and post a review?
Can any steps be automated internally to streamline the review request process?
Are your employees trained to assist customers who have never left a review before?

By involving the right stakeholders and meticulously planning the customer experience, you can ensure a successful online reputation management program.

Step 5: Define program ownership.

To ensure the success of your online reputation management program, clearly define ownership across three key areas: review solicitation, review responses, and operational changes based on feedback. Identify which internal team or department will handle each responsibility and establish a clear process for transitioning between these steps.

Review solicitation: Assign a team to systematically request reviews from customers. This could involve automating requests post-purchase or incorporating review prompts into customer service interactions.
Review responses: Designate a team to monitor and respond to incoming reviews. This includes thanking customers for positive feedback and addressing any issues raised in negative reviews.
Implementing feedback: Allocate a team responsible for analysing review feedback and making necessary operational adjustments. This could involve improving processes, updating training programs, or enhancing product offerings based on customer insights.

By clearly documenting and assigning these roles, you can create a seamless and efficient online reputation management program that drives continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.

Step 6: Claim and manage your Google Business Profile listings.

First, claim the Google Business Profile for each of your locations if you haven’t already done so. Develop a plan to regularly verify and update the information to ensure accuracy.

When maintaining your Google Business Profile listings, be sure to include:

Business hours: Each location’s regular and holiday hours
Contact information: Phone number, including a textable number
Website link: Direct link to your website
Location Address: Accurate physical address
Photos: High-quality images of each specific location

Additionally, consider including:

Services/products offered: List the services/products you offer
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Address common queries
Updates and announcements: Regularly post updates or special announcements

Maintaining an accurate and comprehensive Google Business Profile is essential for attracting and retaining customers. By keeping your listings up-to-date, you ensure that potential customers have all the information they need to choose your business with confidence. This proactive approach not only improves your visibility in local searches but also enhances the overall customer experience, making it easier for people to connect with and trust your business.

Step 7: Launch a pilot program.

Begin by rolling out your program on a small scale. Select specific contacts or locations to start with and implement your program. Track your KPIs in these areas to evaluate performance and define success metrics beforehand to know when you’re ready for a wider launch. When it comes to your initial review requests, make sure to:

Personalise requests: Address each customer by name in the review request
Include review links: Provide direct links to review sites to make the process easy for customers
Express gratitude: Thank each customer for their business

By starting with a pilot program, you can refine your approach and address any issues in a controlled environment. This careful planning and evaluation phase allows you to gather valuable insights, ensuring that when you expand the program, it operates smoothly and effectively. Your pilot program’s success will serve as a strong foundation for a full-scale rollout, ultimately enhancing your business’s online reputation and customer satisfaction across all locations.

Step 8: Full rollout to all locations.

After completing the pilot program, go over the results with your staff. If your customer review experience was generally positive, your internal team executed their responsibilities effectively and was able to keep the customers engaged with your review requests. This is a sign to proceed with rolling out the program to all contacts and locations.

As you transition from beta to a full-scale online reputation management program, remember to:

Set checkpoints: Regularly check to ensure everything is running smoothly
Explore different methods: Consider various review request methods, such as sending requests via text or email

By following these steps, you can successfully manage and enhance your business’s online reputation across multiple locations.

Step 9: Evaluate and report on program performance.

Once your online reputation management program is fully implemented across all locations, it’s crucial to evaluate its performance and report the findings. When creating a report, be sure to include the following:

Employee feedback: Gather input from both corporate and local employees on how the program was executed and their experiences. Employees may be able to provide some insight on how to improve processes further and pinpoint areas that need improvement.
Total reviews collected: Document the total number of reviews gathered across the business. Identify how many reviews are positive, neutral, or negative.
Trends and patterns: Identify specific trends or patterns in the reviews that can inform future changes and improvements. This will provide more insight into how each location can further enhance their business and customer experience.

Additionally, consider including customer feedback and satisfaction metrics, as well as an analysis of how the program has impacted your overall online presence and search engine rankings. These insights can be used to refine and optimise your strategy, ensuring continuous improvement and sustained success.

By maintaining a focus on performance evaluation and adaptation, you can maintain a solid online reputation and keep your customers satisfied.

Getting started with Google Reviews

Customers trust reviews from fellow customers more than marketing messages from businesses, as they serve as social proof. Google Reviews play a key role in shaping your online reputation as they provide a tangible verification of your business’s trustworthiness and reliability.

Google Reviews are directly linked to your search ranking, so it’s a smart idea to focus your efforts on reviews first.

What are the benefits of Google Reviews?

Increased brand exposure: Attract new leads and enhance online visibility.
Boost your SEO: Contribute positively to your search engine optimisation efforts.
Enhanced customer trust and loyalty: Build trust and credibility with potential customers.
Improve your conversation rates: Convert more leads into customers.
Improved click-through rates: Drive more traffic to your website through your Google Business Profile listing.

If you haven’t already, claim your Google Business Profile listing—for each store location. After doing so, verify your account via email, phone, or email to ensure that only key persons in your organisation have access to edit the details on your listing(s).

To learn more about how to add or claim your business listing with Google, click here.

For more information on how to verify your account with Google, click here.

To fully optimise your Google Business Profile listing, be sure to keep all of your information up-to-date. This includes details like your business hours, contact information, and physical address. After each listing has been reviewed and updated, start reaching out to customers for reviews.

How to enhance your online review requests

The next challenge is increasing not only the quantity but also the quality of your business’s online reviews. To boost your Google Reviews, consider these tips and tricks:

Optimise the timing of your review requests. Timing is crucial. Did you know that 70% of reviews are generated from post-transactional review request emails? Immediately after a customer makes a purchase, send a review request. Delaying the request diminishes the likelihood of receiving a positive review from customers.

Choose the right platform for your business. Another tip is to align your review requests with consumer behaviour and nowadays, nearly 60% of online reviews are posted from mobile devices. As people spend an average of 4 hours daily on their phones, transitioning from email requests (with a 20% open rate) to text messages (boasting a 98% open rate) can significantly increase your business’s review completion rates.

Increase review completion rates. To increase the likelihood of a review completion, communicate through channels that your customers prefer. Majority of customers favour text messaging for brand interactions so start texting before the purchase is finalised. Offer options like appointment scheduling, inventory checks, and connections with sales reps. Building this relationship early can lead to more positive reviews and shows customers that your business is there to assist them through every stage of the customer journey.

Provide all the necessary information. Make your review requests seamless by including everything your customer needs to complete your requests. This may include a thank-you note, a reminder of their purchase, a clear request for a review, and a direct link to the review page. Text messages are ideal for this, as they simplify the process and encourage immediate action. QR codes can also be added to reduce friction and make it easier for customers to leave their feedback.

Craft the perfect task. Your approach matters as much as your timing. Thank customers for their purchase, explicitly request a review, and specify how long it will take. Provide a direct link to avoid friction and make the process easy and convenient for customers. In certain scenarios, explain why reviews are vital for your business to motivate customers further.

Here are a few examples:

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively improve your online review requests, leading to a stronger online presence and better customer engagement.

How to enhance your review request strategy

Managing multiple locations and a bustling review program means dealing with more than just positive feedback. Negative reviews, customer service inquiries, increased web traffic, and leads are common when more customers post reviews online. Whether your review program is centralised or managed by each location, optimising your review request strategy is crucial to achieve and maintain the best results for your business.

In line with this, here are the best practices to boost your review request strategy:

Standardise review requests across all stations: Some of your business locations may excel at requesting reviews more than others, but your brand should maintain a uniform approach. Use templates, scripts, and set times for review requests to guide customers. This creates a consistent customer experience, including when you ask for reviews.
Timing is also key as research suggests that the best times to ask for reviews are between 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. or 6:00 and 7:00 p.m. Regardless of the specific timing, make sure to ask within 24 hours of the customer’s purchase or visit.
Monitor key metrics. Collect and analyse data from reviews to improve customer experience and identify what your business is doing well. Track the number of reviews, average star rating, and search result ranking for each location, reviewing these metrics at least quarterly.
More reviews and higher average ratings should enhance your search rankings. Additionally, visibility on third-party review sites is essential for many industries, not just Google. Here are some examples of third-party sites for retail and healthcare:
Efficiently route negative feedback and service requests. Make sure that any negative reviews, messages, or customer service requests are promptly routed to the appropriate team or department. For location-specific issues, direct the feedback to the relevant local staff to connect local customers with their local business efficiently.
Respond to negative reviews promptly. Address negative reviews quickly and publicly. It’s crucial for potential customers to see how you handle negative feedback, as 97% of customers who read reviews also check the business’s responses to negative reviews. Additionally, follow up with a private message to the disgruntled customer whenever possible to show a personal touch and commitment to resolving their issue.
Leverage feedback to boost customer experience. Collect and analyse data and feedback from reviews to identify trends and patterns. Use this actionable feedback to develop and implement plans that enhance the overall customer experience.

The impact of reviews on buyer decisions

“Reviews impact my buyer’s decisions. That’s what I have seen, and that is what the data says. So I know if we have enough good reviews, people who are looking for carpet cleaners and run across my business will give us the nod.” —Chris Carson, Head of Marketing, Zerorez

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively manage negative feedback, enhance customer satisfaction, and use insights from reviews to continuously improve your service quality. This proactive approach not only improves your online reputation but also positively influences potential customers’ buying decisions.

Your online reputation matters—manage it with the right solution

Leverage every preferred messaging channel: Use one secure inbox to manage all messages from various channels like Facebook, Google, and others across all your brand’s locations.
Collect and assess reviews effortlessly: Sending review requests via text can significantly boost response rates, as it takes only 30 seconds for customers to respond compared to emails.
Seamlessly convert website visitors to text conversations: Convert website visitors into text conversations with a webchat feature that maintains ongoing communication.
Enjoy speed and convenience: Ensure all interactions, including scheduling, feedback, payments, and review requests, are quick and convenient.

Proven success with Podium: Get more reviews for your business

Trane Dealers: Achieved a 402% increase in online reviews by using Podium.
Vasa Fitness: Saw a 131x increase in average monthly reviews and improved their average rating from 2.9 to 4.0, marking a 38% increase.
Dunn Tire: Experienced a 41x increase in average monthly reviews and boosted their star rating by 5%.
American 1 Credit Union: Quickly increased their Google star rating from 3.9 to 4.6, generating over 1,000 reviews.
Ambiance Design Windows (Hunter Douglas): Witnessed a 500% month-over-month increase in reviews.

Press send with Podium.

Connect with your customers at every stage of their journey using Podium, the essential Interaction Management platform for multi-location businesses. Embrace the tools that enhance your online reputation and fuel business growth. Discover how to elevate the reputation of multi-location businesses. Watch our demo here.