Getting Customer Reviews Online for your Storage Facility
It's safe to say, more and more business is driven online everyday. Everyone (including our customers) has access to the internet in a way that they never have before. In fact, almost everyone in the US carries around a mini computer in their pockets (i.e. smartphones) with 24/7 internet access.
More and more, people rely on the internet for all of their research and this includes who they want to use for Self Storage. We know that customers are researching self storage pricing, location, and hours online, but even more importantly, customers are looking for REVIEWS!
Getting and managing reviews has become a crucial part of the self storage business. Below we'll talk about some of the sites to watch and manage as you operate your self storage.
Facebook
It seems that almost everyone in the US is on Facebook and that means that your self storage facility should be on Facebook as well! If you haven't already made a Facebook Business Page, you definitely need to. Luckily, it's very easy to do. At the top your your Facebook page is a Create button. This will give you the option to create a business page. The process should only take about 5-10 minutes to set up and can be a valuable avenue to collect reviews.
Google My Business
If there's one thing on the internet that can't be overlooked these days, it's google. The thing is, even if you aren't intentionally putting your business on google, google is probably doing it for you! The problem with that, is Google is sourcing information from wherever they can find it, and it isn't necessarily accurate. The most surefire way to avoid this is to take control of your business on google. This happens through claiming your Google My Business listing. Much like Facebook, it's not especially difficult to do. Just go to Google My Business and click on Create or Claim my listing. Again the initial process is very quick, but Google adds a level of verification by sending you a postcard with a code to your address. You need to verify your listing once you receive the postcard by entering it online. Once this is set up you will be notified any time someone leaves a review for your self storage facility.
Tips on how to respond to customer reviews
Make sure to reply to all reviews, even the ones that are bad.
You need to be prompt in responding to reviews and post a response within 5-7 days.
Be personal about your responses. If you remember a customer's specific situation or interaction, mention something positive related to that in your response.
ALWAYS Thank each customer for their review.
For negative reviews, DO NOT accept blame or apologize. However, it's also crucial that you're not combative. Acknowledge the issue and their feelings (even if they are wrong), and offer a means of communication. Show other customers that it's you take feedback seriously and you're interested in solving customer issues.
If the customer leaving the negative review reaches out to discuss it further, make sure that you're very responsive. It's important to listen to them and do your best to resolve for a positive outcome. Also, if you offer to connect and they never reach out, you can state that in a response on Google as well. Just remember, the point is not to be combative, but rather come across as earnestly trying to solve issues.
Something you can do to help get more customer reviews is to set a goal. I suggest one Google review and one Facebook or Yelp review every quarter. That is just two reviews every three months and eight for a whole year. Hopefully you will get more, but you need to start somewhere and be realistic. It can be difficult to get your customers to follow through. So, you need to ask every single happy customer, and any business partners you work with or who have a storage unit. It will pay off eventually, you just need to be persistent.