selling cars is a complicated business. Sure, car buyers may know what they want, but if they come to your dealership ready to buy, whether or not they walk off the lot in a new vehicle often depends on their experience.
and what a consumer does after that experience can affect your dealer’s ability to attract more car buyers. If a satisfied customer shares their experience online, in the form of an online review, you’ll get the benefit of higher ratings and search rankings, as well as better online brand perception.
Reading: How to write a review after buying a car
On the other hand, if a dissatisfied customer posts a negative rant, the consequences can be damaging. in this case, a well-thought-out constructive response is necessary.
handle reviews gently
Your job as a dealership manager or the person in charge of your business’s online reputation is to get buyers to rate you and respond quickly to negative reviews. asking for and responding to reviews (the right way) is a great way to take control of your online reputation.
here are 10 essential tips for requesting and responding to online reviews of your dealership:
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ask for reviews after every customer interaction. appear on the first page of search results, or in google local 3 pack on mobile search , requires many recent reviews. People can review it without being asked, but a push to a review site to provide customer feedback increases the chances. have a consistent and repeatable process for soliciting reviews from all clients so that you have a representative sample that is fresh and relevant.
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Use a mobile app to submit and track requests. in the showroom, before a happy car buyer leaves your dealership, is the perfect time to solicit feedback. but the sales reps on the floor don’t have time to get back to their computers. online reputation management platforms that offer a mobile application address this need. the representative can simply text the review request to the customer, right then and there. done. in fact, text-based reviews receive up to 15 times better response rates than email requests.
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Thank people for their feedback. they took the time to respond, so thank them, even if they provide negative feedback. Even criticism is helpful – you can apply the lessons learned during staff training and standardize changes across dealerships. This ultimately leads to better customer service and more positive reviews in the future.
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Use the 20/100 rule when responding. Reputation recommends responding to at least 20% of positive reviews and 100% of negative ones. having a system and templates in place makes this process quick and easy. whatever you do, don’t ignore negative reviews: 33% of customers who receive a response to a negative review subsequently posted a positive review.
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Focus on the positive. After thanking them, keep your response upbeat and positive. resist the urge to defend yourself or point out what a disgruntled reviewer did wrong to contribute to a bad situation. instead, emphasize your commitment to the customer experience and make sure you’re doing everything you can to correct the problem.
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disconnect it. When responding to comments online, on a social site, or on an industry-specific review site, don’t get into a discussion about the person’s online experience, especially in cases of negative reviews. instead, invite them to contact you directly so that you can address any concerns in detail.
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Use templates. Use well-crafted, approved, templated responses that address typical scenarios. That way, your dealership managers and reps don’t have to write them from scratch. it helps prevent dishonest and inappropriate responses, and ensures that your tone and messages hit the mark. templates can be created and uploaded to your online reputation management platform for easy access from a drop down menu.
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Don’t remove negative reviews. Approximately 90 percent of customers suspect censorship when a business only has positive reviews. so it’s in your best interest to leave the occasional negatives behind. Being transparent about all comments, good and bad, builds trust with your audience and makes positive reviews more credible. Unless a review includes profanity or slander, you should leave all reviews open. this builds trust with your audience and adds credibility to your positive reviews.
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don’t pay for reviews. paying for reviews with any incentive (money, discounts, freebies, etc.) is not only immoral, it’s unnecessary. what you want is candid and honest feedback. what good are reviews if they are fake and don’t provide information on how you can improve customer service?
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Share the good stuff. leverage social media to promote good reviews. User-generated content (i.e., the text responses your customers leave to online reviews) is extremely valuable and helps you show how you’re fulfilling your mission of providing a great customer experience. You can even broadcast reviews to your dealership websites, so people researching your dealerships will see the accolades along with your high star ratings.
Learn more about how your dealership will benefit from orm strategies.
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