Tom Ham’s tips for handling customer reviews in your auto shop

In today’s digital world, customer reviews are crucial for your auto shop’s success. Tom Ham, owner of Auto Centric in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and creator of AutomotiveManagementNetwork.com, joined PartsTech’s recent webinar to share how his shop tackles the art of review management.

If you missed the live webinar, you can watch it on-demand.

Why customer reviews matter

Having a solid review strategy isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for your auto shop’s long-term success.

“People expect everything instantly,” says Tom. Even when searching for a place to have a service performed, people don’t want to spend much time looking for the best place to go. “When people look for auto services, the first place they turn is Google,” says Tom. Google conveniently (and instantly) displays a list of nearby shops and their review scores — making it quick and easy for potential customers to pick a shop they feel is trustworthy based on a high rating.

Your overall star rating on Google is critical. “Most potential customers don’t read every review — they just look at the overall star rating,” Tom explains.

The importance of review management

“In our industry, you should aim for an overall rating of 4.5 stars or higher. If your reviews drop into the low 4s, it can raise red flags for customers.” Even one negative rating can seriously damage your overall score. “It can take 50 or more 5-star reviews just to offset a single 1-star rating,” Tom warns.

A solid review management strategy doesn’t just mean proactively asking for reviews from customers; it’s also about safeguarding your business from negative impacts that could linger indefinitely from a 1-star review.

“Think of review management as risk management,” Tom explains. “One-star reviews can take a massive toll on your overall rating and business. It’s better to prevent them than to spend time and effort making up for them after the fact.”

He shares that addressing reviews promptly and honestly is critical. “Act fast, gather details, and be transparent with the customer,” he advises. When a negative review is posted, acting immediately and reaching out to the customer within 24 hours is crucial to reaching a resolution in hopes that the customer removes or changes their negative review.

Tom also emphasizes that reviews directly correlate with your shop’s financial health. “Even a few bad reviews can significantly affect your revenue over time,” he adds.

How to think about each star rating

Here’s how Tom thinks about and approaches each star rating:

5-star reviews
These are the ratings you aim for all day, every day!

4-star reviews
“4-star reviews are a bit tricky,” says Tom. They are usually not bad reviews, but because of how the calculations work on Google Reviews, they negatively impact your overall score. However, these are generally given by folks who will never give anyone a 5-star review. “You’ll get some 4-stars,” says Tom, “You just have to accept them and move on.”

2-star and 3-star reviews
“2-star and 3-star reviews generally indicate that something went wrong. You screwed up. These customers are more thoughtful and didn’t give you a one-star because they saw some positive aspects, but there were also negatives. Usually, these ratings mean your shop must address or fix an issue. You can often talk to the customer, resolve the problem, and get them to update their review accordingly,” says Tom.

1-star reviews
These are the ratings you want to avoid. Not only should you do everything you can to get someone to change a 1-star review, but it’s even more crucial to prevent 1-star reviews from happening in the first place. See what Tom recommends in #3 below.

Tom’s top tips for managing customer reviews 

1. Automate review requests
Tom believes automating review requests is the best way to ask for reviews. His shop uses Shopgenie to automatically send review requests to customers after their service is complete. This guarantees that requests are always sent without relying on buy staff members to remember. “It’s all about consistency,” says Tom. “If you leave review requests up to a busy service advisor, it might not happen because they have a lot of other things going on.”

In addition to automation, Tom’s shop uses a calling service to follow up with customers. “We pay for an outsourced service that calls our customers post-service,” Tom shares. “They check how customers feel about their experience and ask happy customers for reviews. They also flag negative experiences, allowing us to fix them before they turn into bad reviews.”

2. Respond quickly to negative reviews
Tom underscores the importance of speed when addressing negative reviews. “Don’t let them sit,” he advises. When a negative review is posted, Tom immediately gathers all the relevant details — from service records to staff accounts — to understand what went wrong before contacting the customer. “It’s about staying on top of it,” Tom says. “Get all the facts and then reach out, ideally within 24 hours.”

Tom also mentions the importance of asking customers to update or remove their reviews once the issue is resolved. “In many cases, they’ll simply delete the negative review,” he says. “But sometimes, they’ll even upgrade it to a five-star after you’ve worked things out.”

3. Prevent bad reviews before they happen
Tom’s team takes a proactive approach to follow up with customers and address potential issues early on. By keeping thorough documentation, including digital inspections and detailed notes, they ensure clear communication with customers. This helps resolve any concerns or misunderstandings before they escalate into negative reviews. The goal is to address dissatisfaction early so customers feel heard and satisfied, reducing the likelihood of them posting a poor review.

Tom also notes that if you have a bad feeling about a potential customer, it may be best to politely tell them that you can’t service their vehicle. Some customers are just hard to satisfy, and if you feel like servicing them could likely result in a 1-star review, the best thing you can do to protect your business and prevent a bad review is to turn them away.

4. Address 1-star reviews directly
When a 1-star review does occur, Tom recommends addressing it quickly and offering a solution — even if that means offering some sort of refund. “I don’t like writing checks, but sometimes it’s the best option,” Tom admits. “If a customer wants $200 back to resolve an issue and remove a one-star review, it’s worth it. You don’t want that review lingering and hurting your rating.”

Tom recommends that shops put a line item in their budget each year for these situations.

5. Take your emotions out of the situation
Tom suggests a clever way to stay objective when responding to negative reviews — have a fellow shop owner handle it for you. The idea is simple: shop owners swap negative reviews and respond on each other’s behalf. This creates emotional distance, making it easier to provide calm, professional replies without the personal attachment that can cloud judgment. “When you’re not emotionally invested, it’s much easier to address the issue fairly and logically — without letting frustration get in the way,” Tom says.

6. Use review services
Tom’s follow-up strategy includes automated review requests while the experience is still fresh. As mentioned, he also uses a customer follow-up calling service — which not only helps uncover unhappy customers and prevent negative reviews but also presents opportunities for additional business. “It’s not just about reviews,” he explains. “Our follow-up team might discover that the customer has another vehicle that needs service or a job they didn’t initially mention. It’s a great way to capture more business while ensuring customers are satisfied.”

Turn reviews into a growth tool

For Tom Ham, review management is more than damage control — it’s a proactive strategy for business growth. Tom has built a review process that strengthens his shop’s reputation and customer base by automating review requests, addressing complaints swiftly, and preventing negative reviews before they happen.

“Reviews can make or break your business. If you treat reviews as an opportunity for improvement and growth, you’ll see the benefits in your ratings and bottom line.

Hear more details on Tom’s review management strategy in our on-demand webinar:

Q&A 

We were unable to answer this question during the live Q&A. Tom’s response is below. 

Question: 

When you come across a 1-star review in which the customer ” requests” to fix the situation, and it’s them clear they are trying to leverage the review to get more than the original situation was worth…would you then use that fact of the situation as a reply to the 1-star? i.e. “We attempted to resolve your repair situation personally, but a resolution could not be met because, etc, etc.”

Tom’s answer: 

1. If you can word it carefully so that you come across as genuinely trying to help and not being combative, then yes.
2.  Almost anything a customer might ask for can be converted to a dollar amount. Consider sending them what you believe to be reasonable and mentioning it in the response.