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7 Ways Fuel Retailers Can Get the Most Out of Customer Reviews

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GasBuddy has made it even easier for fuel retailers and c-store owners to stand out from the competition by listening, responding and engaging with consumers through GasBuddy Business Pages.

The newest capabilities in station review management allow users to search by keyword to find topics that are most relevant to them, as well as sorting functions that separate the positive from the negative for easy prioritization and response. Here are just a few ways that fuel retailers can use GasBuddy’s ratings and reviews to manage their brand and grow their loyal customer base.

1. Listen.

Your customers define your brand based on their experiences at your stations. Spend some time reading what they are saying and looking for common themes in their reviews. You can learn about (and may be surprised by) what you are doing well, as well as areas that need improvement.

2. Sort through the noise.

Feeling overwhelmed by the number of reviews and don’t know where to begin? Filter your reviews by date, and tackle the most recent to quickly triage any negative reviews with a response. Wondering how customers feel about your coffee or in-store experience? Start with something specific by searching for keywords such as “coffee,” “service,” or “clean” to gain insight into how customers are talking about your brand.

3. Share it.

Now that you have all this information, what are you going to do with it? Filter by station list and share the reviews with station owners or district managers. Or filter reviews by positive or negative sentiment and send to your marketing team, customer service managers or operations staff for transparency and to devise both short- and long-term success plans company-wide.

4. Make it marketable.

Are you consistently finding that your ratings and reviews reflect exceptional customer service? Use these positive reviews to inform your marketing strategies, and let those who aren’t in the know about your station or store experience what they are missing.

5. Turn an unhappy customer into your #1 fan.ratingsreviews_phonescreen

You have the opportunity to win back a dissatisfied customer with a courteous, personal response to a negative review. If possible, don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and offer a special incentive to get them back into your store.

6. Find your brand advocates.

Just as important to responding to negative reviews is saying “thank you” to the loyal customers who have great things to say about your brand. Customers who are willing to share their experiences through word-of-mouth can result in a low-cost, high-return marketing approach, particularly for small businesses.

7. Fix problems.

Your job isn’t done when you respond to customers online. Deliver on your promises to clean the dirty restroom, retrain the cashier or fix the broken fuel pump. Responding to reviews by taking action is a great way to learn from and build goodwill with your most vocal customers.

Bonus Tip: See Your Station Through the Customer’s Eyes

From the station profiles section of the Business Pages dashboard, you can also quickly view an individual station’s or store’s public page within the GasBuddy website to see how your ratings, reviews and amenities display to consumers.

For budget-minded drivers, GasBuddy is the travel and navigation app that is used by more North American drivers to save money on gas than any other. Unlike fuel retailer apps, as well as newer apps focused on fuel savings, GasBuddy covers 150,000+ gas stations in North America, giving drivers 27 ways to save on fuel. That’s why GasBuddy has been downloaded nearly 90 million times – more than any other travel and navigation app focused on gas savings.