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Garside: Can you answer ‘yes’?

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Time 6:30 am, September 12, 2014

Screen shot 2014-02-18 at 11.27.42AS YOU might know, Car Dealer Magazine is once again holding the Used Car Awards on December 1 at The Brewery in London. However, you may not be aware that First Response Finance will be sponsoring the ‘Customer Care Award’ for the third year running, or the reasons why we believe all motor dealers should be going that extra mile to win this award.

As an industry, the motor trade has seen a great deal of bad press over the years; but now is the era of the consumer’s voice. We have recently seen the growth of review sites like reviewcentre.com, tripadvisor.com and feefo.com to name but a few.

These sites are dominated by consumers leaving both positive and negative reviews.


Providing great customer care and aftercare is now more important than ever. The rise of smartphone use has meant your customers are able to review your products and services on the go. Whether this is to give your dealership praise or to vent their frustrations; it’s all at the touch of a button.

Consumers are also visiting these websites to research companies before making their final purchases. They’re looking for a great company to buy from, not one that has failed to deal with an issue appropriately.

If a customer has expressed their anger through one of these sites, they are informing thousands of potential customers about your mistakes and bad customer care. In the long term your growth will slow and this will hit your bottom line.


In the used car trade we need to go that extra mile, always seeking to exceed expectations and create a great customer outcome! We should always be thinking ‘would I be happy if I was in their shoes?’

If you answer YES you are on the right path.

Who is Ben Garside? Ben is marketing manager for First Response Finance. Call him on 07817 518739 or email [email protected]

Rebecca Chaplin's avatar

Rebecca has been a motoring and business journalist since 2014, previously writing and presenting for titles such as the Press Association, Auto Express and Car Buyer. She has worked in many roles for Car Dealer Magazine’s publisher Blackball Media including head of editorial.



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