12:15 pm, August 1, 2022
With the summer months upon us, it’s the time of year when many families will be looking to escape from the UK and soak up the sun in warmer climates.
Before booking a holiday, I usually look at popular review websites and try to get some idea of what to expect from the hotels I have shortlisted, as well as getting a general idea of other people’s experiences.
Whether it’s a holiday abroad, a new TV or even contemplating changing my vehicle, I always check the reviews of companies I’m considering buying from, and these reviews can sometimes be the difference in me picking up the phone or steering clear!
There are many in the trade I’ve spoken with over the years who have told me they fear customer reviews – so much so that they sometimes turn off the functionality or hide them on their social media channels altogether!
It’s understandable that when reviews are overly critical they can be interpreted as an attack on yourself and your business that you’ve shed a lot of blood, sweat and tears over while building it from nothing.
But although it’s important to remember that you can’t make everyone happy all the time, reviews of your dealership are certainly worthy of your attention, as you can bet that potential customers will be looking at your online reviews when considering buying a car from you.
When a customer leaves a bad or middling review, it’s easier to process it if you view it as an opportunity to improve your business, especially if trends appear where multiple customers state there is an aspect of your service that they’re unhappy with.
If there are simple fixes you can put in place to ensure that future customers won’t come across the same issue, you’ll have happier customers, better reviews and far more recommendations.
If customers are very happy with your service, then shout it from the rooftops in your advertisements and be proud to display the positives.
If customers leave very short reviews, ask for more information as to what element of your service they liked the most.
Whether it’s a good, bad or average review, it’s always best to reply, as potential customers will see how you manage customers and their experience of buying from you.
Replying to reviews will also show potential customers how you deal with issues when something goes wrong, which can instil confidence in those customers who haven’t decided whether they want to buy from you yet, and can make all the difference.
One advantage of managing reviews effectively is that previous happy customers may even come to your defence when others post bad reviews about you online.
Customer reviews are a gift that can help you become more efficient, create happier customers and even help you sell more cars, so make sure to keep on top of them!
This column appears in issue 173 of Car Dealer along with news, reviews, interviews, features and much more. Click here to read and download it for free!
