Looking back on a very busy second quarter for GasBuddy Business Pages, I am excited about the strides we have made in offering a variety of leading-edge solutions for the fuel and convenience store industry.
While the GasBuddy app’s crowdsourcing format has built a community of drivers like no other, the overwhelming amount of online information available for consumers means it is getting increasingly important for businesses to “claim” and own their listings.
1. We added a new capability so that Business Pages clients can directly control their stations’ hours of operation in the GasBuddy app.
The consumer-facing GasBuddy app continues to provide the most trusted and comprehensive business listings for gas stations and convenience stores around North America—information that is then delivered to prominent apps, maps and search engines across the digital spectrum. Giving retailers the ability to control their station hours allows them to set their locations apart from their competition and gives consumers an extra measure of confidence with reliable, verified information.
We also listened to retailers and are offering many new capabilities through our reputation management solutions.
2. We implemented star ratings across the digital landscape.
In early Q2 we implemented the GasBuddy Rating, which is a compound, easy-to-understand overall star rating that is reflected in the GasBuddy app, mobile and desktop sites, as well as in search engine results that feature star ratings. The map on Station Profile pages of the GasBuddy Business Pages dashboard also allows retailers to view the GasBuddy Rating of nearby competitors for quick benchmarking.
We recognize that competitive benchmarking is important to driving key business decisions. In the Business Pages dashboard, we’ve also added some additional comparison metrics, enabling retailers to gain insight into performance by territory or zone (or however the organization segments their stations), by overall industry average, or by a specific competitor or brand.
3. We’re giving retailers better insight into the customer experience with custom ratings.
In addition to existing in-app ratings categories, Business Pages added even more value for retailers, giving them the benefit of leveraging the vocal GasBuddy community to gain insight on anything from products and services to elements of the customer experience. Adding custom ratings categories to their locations allows retailers to make informed business decisions, enhance their mystery shopping program and ensure locations are in brand compliance.
4. We made it even easier for retailers to respond to customer feedback with suggested replies to streamline response times.
Customer reviews are public within the GasBuddy app, and it’s critical for retailers to be in tune and engage as this feedback is actively shaping brands. A new Q2 capability allows retailers who don’t have team members designated to handling customer feedback to quickly and efficiently reply with a number of suggested responses. With this enhancement, we are enabling retailers to maintain an active presence and share feedback with the right people (look for the new “Share this Page” button throughout the Business Pages dashboard) in their organization without having to directly address specific comments.
5. We’re letting major fuel brands and retailers know how their locations are performing via weekly reporting.
Business Pages is focused on the success of our clients. It’s our goal to empower brands to employ the data at their disposal to make smarter, data-driven decisions across the organization. In Q2, we honed our weekly reporting capabilities to give dashboard users a Weekly Performance Report highlighting their GasBuddy Rating, foot traffic, price reports and reviews. We’ve also issued a weekly Dirty, Broken, Dangerous email that alerts retailers of problems that may require immediate action. Most recently, we’re offering marketers a weekly “brand” report showcasing how customers are filtering through your engagement funnel, from in-app impressions and engagement to station visits. We have even more robust reporting capabilities planned for Q3, so stay tuned!
6. We are offering increased visibility for priority stations.
Business Pages’ Station Watching capability, lets retailers “keep tabs” on selected stations throughout the dashboard. Watched stations filter to the top so organizations can keep a closer eye on ratings trends, written reviews and customer engagement metrics. This capability is helpful for marketers who may have just launched a campaign or a new product in a specific region, for sales teams to keep an eye on underperforming or high-achieving locations in order to make smart decisions around brand compliance and location inventory, or for operations teams who have recently had staffing changes and need focused insight into ratings and reviews around customer service.
Stay tuned to this blog, and follow GasBuddy for Business on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn for GasBuddy articles and reports, event information and other happenings in Q3.