By: Mathew Lee, Sales Engineer
Good or bad, online customer reviews are one of the most effective ways for your dealership, customers, and prospective buyers to read what people are saying about you.
Because online reviews can be read by anyone surfing the Internet, how your dealership responds to those reviews is critical. It creates a lasting impression, and has the potential to impact your customer retention significantly.
Here are six tips to respond to positive and negative online reviews respectfully and effectively:
- Respond quickly, but don’t rush. Customers appreciate knowing that your dealership truly cares about them and is listening to what they have to say.
- Let them hear from the top. Whenever possible, have responses to online reviews come from a manager.
- If you respond to one review, respond to them all. Make sure that all customers that take the time to review your dealership are given the same respect and attention.
- Always say “thank you.” By saying thank you, you show that your dealership values feedback- that you care and take customers’ opinions seriously.
- Think about the next customer. Remember, when responding to an online review, you’re not only connecting with the current customer, but considering shoppers that will read reviews throughout their vehicle purchase cycle. Demonstrate the level of customer service your dealership provides to all customers.
- Include your phone number. If the feedback you’ve received is negative, it is best to include a phone number in the response. This gives the customer a direct avenue to connect with someone about their feedback, and enables your dealership to take the conversation offline.
Dominion Dealer Solutions works hard to help dealers promote timely and appropriate business responses.
Users of our reputation and social media management platform, Prime Response®, receive notifications when customer feedback is offered. Dealers know exactly when feedback has been identified and are guided through the process, so the right person, at the right time, can address that feedback.
To simplify the process, dealers can respond to any Cars.com reviews directly through the Prime Response application. This function streamlines the reputation management experience by encouraging Prime Response users to respond to reviews in the same application that they use to track and influence online reviews.
Remember, online reviews are an increasingly important part of the purchase journey for automotive customers. If you’re looking to learn more about how you can better manage your online reviews, contact us today for a free presentation.
