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<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nYour best salesperson is wrapping things up with a satisfied buyer, and you can\u2019t help but overhear their conversation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you so much! I\u2019m really happy with your dealership customer service. I\u2019m glad I didn\u2019t pay attention to the negative online reviews,\u201d says the buyer.<\/p>\n
\u201cNegative reviews? Where\u2019d you see those?\u201d your surprised salesperson inquires.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, there were quite a few. I think I saw the reviews on Yelp and Cars.com,\u201d she replies.<\/p>\n
Your heart sinks. You\u2019ve been so busy at the dealership that you haven\u2019t been keeping up with your online reputation. You just assumed everything was fine and didn\u2019t think to check any online review websites. Could they be contributing to the slow couple of months your dealership has been having?<\/p>\n
According to recent statistics<\/a>, 86 percent of people will hesitate to purchase from a business that has negative online reviews. That’s a huge amount of people. And it doesn’t require a ton of negative reviews, either. Just one deeply\u00a0negative review in a sea of good reviews could be enough to make potential shoppers go somewhere else. \u00a0Now that you\u2019re aware of the problem with your dealership\u2019s online reputation and the pattern of poor reviews, you need to figure out how to nip it in the bud as soon as possible \u2014 and the primary solution may lie with your dealership customer service<\/a>.<\/p>\n List all of the complaints and rank them in order of priority. Your top priorities should be issues that are mentioned the most, or complaints that have the potential to harm your business (like those that could result in legal action). You can\u2019t solve all your problems at once, but you can certainly identify, prioritize, and create an action plan.<\/p>\n After a little investigation, you could determine that the problem was not your dealership\u2019s fault. You don\u2019t want to say it that way, though. You want the customer to feel validated, but you don\u2019t want to throw your business under the bus completely if it doesn\u2019t deserve to be there (remember, other potential customers will be reading your answer). Usually, the beginning of your response will go one of two ways:<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry we messed up.\u201d <\/em>= Yes, we made a mistake.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry you feel that way.\u201d<\/em> = Your feelings are valid, but we don\u2019t necessarily feel the same.<\/p>\n Go on to explain your side of the story in a friendly, non-confrontational manner. Tell the customer you\u2019d love to make it up to them \u2014 it could be something as simple as offering them a free oil change. The goal is to clear the air, make your customers feel heard and appreciated, and try to turn things around.<\/p>\n Take your bad online reviews as a lesson and completely overhaul how your dealership handles customer service in all departments. Put yourself in the customers\u2019 shoes, study local dealerships that get the best reviews, and get input from your employees. Create and establish new policies that ensure your customers are getting the absolute best customer service possible.<\/p>\n Remember, it\u2019s not just about the \u201cbig stuff\u201d; it\u2019s in the details, too. For example, when your customer buys a car, take a picture of them with it. When you mail them a thank you note<\/a>\u00a0(yes, a real thank you note \u2014 not an e-mail), include a print of the picture for them to keep. It\u2019s a nice gesture that\u2019s simple to execute and can go a long way with your clientele.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t take back past failures, but you can improve dealership customer service positive way, earn better reviews<\/a>, and hopefully begin to balance out those negative ones.<\/p>\nIdentify your problem areas when it comes to dealership customer service<\/h3>\n
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First, visit every online review site you can think of that could contain reviews for your dealership. Popular sites include Yelp, Google Local, Cars.com, BBB, and even your dealership\u2019s Facebook page. Read every single review, and then read them again. Take notes, and write down the major issues mentioned in each post. When you\u2019re done, review your notes and look for reoccurring themes.<\/p>\n\n
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How to apologize to unhappy reviewers<\/h3>\n
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While you begin to address your dealership’s shortcomings internally, you should also take the time to apologize to each reviewer individually, if you feel it\u2019s appropriate. Read each review and talk to the members of your staff who were specifically named or may have been involved. Get their sides of the story to understand the full scope of what you\u2019re dealing with.<\/p>\nYour dealership customer service should be memorable \u2014 in a good way<\/h3>\n
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All types of customers write reviews, but usually, you\u2019ll find the most posted by those individuals who are really happy or really disappointed. That means if your dealership customer service is generally pretty good, it\u2019s probably not enough to get glowing reviews. You don\u2019t want pretty good \u2014 you want outstanding.<\/p>\n\n\nInterested in an Affordable, Full-Featured Auto Dealer CRM?<\/h2>\n
Schedule an AutoRaptor Demo Now!<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n