If you’re like most businesses, you’ve likely got a great product or service and an even better team of people who provide it. But what if there’s something else that could make your business even better? What if I told you there was a way to boost customer satisfaction scores, improve employee engagement, and even increase sales without spending any more money on advertising? It sounds too good to be true, but online customer reviews are here!
Make a Good Impression
The first step to making a good impression is ensuring that you make one at all. A first impression often makes or breaks your customer's experience at the dealership, so it's important that they know why they should come back. Here are some tips for giving them an experience worth remembering:
- A clean shop is the first step to getting your customers to review you. If your facility isn't spotless, then it's likely that your customer will be hesitant about leaving a review online.
- Make sure the staff is friendly and helpful; if they don't know how to do something, they should be willing to find someone who can help out instead of just saying "I don't know."
- Provide a comfortable waiting area with plenty of seating that doesn't feel cramped or crowded. The restroom should be clean and easily accessible from anywhere in the building (not tucked away in some dark corner). If there's no place for people waiting on their cars, consider offering them coffee and cookies while they're waiting—it'll earn you extra brownie points (and maybe even some great reviews)!
- Offer complimentary shuttle service for customers who live far away from your shop so that they don't have to worry about getting back home. It's a small gesture that can make a big difference.
Get Noticed
In order to stand out from the crowd, you need to be creative. The best way to do this is by thinking outside of the box—literally! There are lots of ways that you can get noticed without relying solely on traditional advertising methods like billboards or radio spots. Try offering free merchandise to people in exchange for a review. Everyone loves getting something for free, so this is bound to work out well!
Here are 3 ways to make your dealership stand out:
- Use social media to connect with your customers and followers. This is an easy way to spread the word about your dealership without spending a dime! Try using hashtags to get noticed by people who are interested in cars. You can also create accounts on sites like Facebook and Twitter and use them regularly so that people know who you are.
- Offer free gifts or discounts for purchases over a certain amount, such as $500 or more. This will encourage people to spend more money at your shop and generate some positive reviews of their own!
- Host a local event to raise money for a charity or cause that’s important to you. If you’re interested in helping out a local school or charity, this is a great way to get involved and show your community that you care. This is a great opportunity to promote your business and get some free advertising!
Ask for Reviews
Make sure you're getting the word out to your customers that they can leave reviews online. You can do this by including a link or button on your website, email templates, social media and mobile app. Telling customers how easy it is to leave a review will boost their confidence in doing so and increase the likelihood of them leaving one for you.
Here are 3 tips when asking for reviews:
- Make it easy for the customer. Include a link or button for them to click on and share with their friends.
- Don’t be pushy. Make sure your customers know that they can leave a review without feeling pressured to do so by you or someone else.
- Use the right language. If you want to get more reviews, make sure your customers know exactly what they need to do when reviewing their experience with your business.
Respond to Good Reviews
Responding to good reviews with a personal touch is a great way to engage with customers and encourage more positive reviews. People are drawn to businesses that make them feel special, so thank your customers for their patronage and ask if they need any help. If you do this consistently, you’ll see an uptick in the number of people leaving you good reviews over time.
Handle the Bad Ones
If you get a bad review, don’t panic! It’s inevitable that some people will not be happy with their experience but will not take the time to leave a review about it. If someone does leave one, you should respond quickly and professionally. Your response doesn’t have to be long or elaborate but respond to it quickly and professionally. Apologize for any inconvenience caused by the bad experience, making sure to highlight what you are doing to fix the problem (if possible) and ask if anything else can be done to improve their experience. If you do this consistently, then people will see that you care about them as individuals and will be more likely to leave a positive review after their next visit.
Follow Up
After the service is done, send a quick email to your customer and ask them for feedback. It is important to thank them for their business, and it is also important to ask for feedback. You can do this by asking what they liked about the service or experience and if there was anything else that could have been done better. This will help you improve your customer service in the future!
Use a Shuttle Management Software
If your shop doesn’t already have shuttle management software like Quickride, it’s time to get one especially if you are offering a courtesy shuttle service. It will help you manage your shuttle fleet, schedule appointments, and communicate with customers, which is especially useful for drivers going to multiple locations. You can even use this software for managing reviews in Quickride platform.
Quickride offers the convenience of managing and optimizing your dealership's fleet. Customers have an option to rate their Drivers or Service advisors at the end of their shuttle rides. This will give you an option to recognize the good work of your employees and improve customer satisfaction. You can also use this data to identify areas where you need to make improvements.
Conclusion
If you are not already doing so, now's the time to reap the benefits of customer reviews. Customer referrals can bring in new business and help spread word-of-mouth about your dealership. It's also a great opportunity to build relationships with customers. The more you interact with them—whether by referring other buyers their way or inviting them into the showroom for another visit—the more likely they'll feel like part of your business!