“Reputation management tells a story that is important to every store. Our goal is to ensure every guest receives a positive response and address any negative experiences promptly, but we were spread thin trying to keep up with reviews while also managing other aspects of our business,” said Southern Rock Restaurant’s Director of Marketing and Digital Activation, Carrie Spencer.

Southern Rock Restaurants (SRR), a major franchise operator in the GoTo Foods brand portfolio, operates 156 McAlister’s Deli restaurants across thirteen states and is expanding. The sheer volume of reviews SRR receives — over 25,000 a month — and the round-the-clock nature of online guest interactions made maintaining a stellar online reputation, essential in the fiercely competitive hospitality industry, almost impossible for the SRR team to process manually. The team also struggled to consistently post social media content at scale for franchisees to effectively engage with customers on various platforms and networks.

Just one month after launch, SRR was able to respond to 148% more reviews than it had previously. This increase in guest engagement translates directly into enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty. Timely and meaningful brand responses matter because 94% of consumers use reviews to make local buying decisions.

SRR also utilizes SOCi Social to address inconsistent social media posting. With a scalable way to post localized content for all franchisees across multiple networks, SRR increased its posting frequency by 900% on Meta in just 90 days, leading to an impressive 48% increase in engaged Facebook page users. By prioritizing customer engagement and efficiency, SRR exemplifies the transformative power of SOCi and SOCi Genius in helping the brand better know and understand its customers and overcome online reputation management challenges.

When businesses respond to customer reviews, 50% of customers report feeling satisfied that the response was helpful and met or exceeded expectations. Implementing SOCi Genius Reviews, SRR has cut its review response time by 55% and achieved an impressive 99% response rate within 24 hours. Spencer was even able to respond to a backlog of over 107,000 historical reviews by herself, amidst her other responsibilities.