SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE

Transcription

1 SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE THE DEALERSHIP S GUIDE TO ACHIEVING A POSITIVE ONLINE REPUTATION

2 IN THE PAGES AHEAD PAGE 4 Introduction to Online Reviews PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 PAGE 8 PAGE 18 The Opportunity in the Service Lane Understanding Dealer Reviews on Cars.com Ratcheting up Your Online Reputation The Four Steps to Success Service Reviews Checklist for Success

3 90% of consumers who read online reviews claimed that positive ones influenced buying decisions, while 86% said buying decisions were influenced by negative ones. Source: The Customer Service and Business Results by Dimensional Research for Zendesk, /19

4 REVIEWS IN AN INSTANT, THE INSTANT THEY RE NEEDED When I am shopping for anything I usually like to read reviews online...i read a lot of reviews on Amazon, and it s just like that with cars. Chris O., The Car Shopping Journey, Cars.com and Conifer Research, 2013 It s late at night and one of your customers, Chris, is heading home after a long day at the office. He takes his usual route, thinking about plans for dinner and the work he has to do in the morning. As he pulls up to a stoplight he hears an unexpected grinding noise coming from his brakes. He s been coming to your dealership for routine maintenance for the past three years, but since his car is just out of warranty, he starts to weigh his options. Chris has a choice to make. When he gets home he pulls out his smartphone to look up the reviews of local repair shops, then goes to the website of the nearest service chain to compare specials. The decision he makes will be based largely on experiences others have shared online. Is your service department showing up? 4/19

5 WHAT SERVICE CUSTOMERS ARE REALLY SEEKING It s understandable to think that online reviews are not especially important that price is the only thing customers care about when getting their vehicles serviced. With big box chains and local competitors constantly undercutting price, it s easy to believe service is in a pricing and profitability race to the bottom. But car owners are showing us otherwise. Your store has a unique ability to differentiate its brand and demonstrate to customers what they want to know most that they ll pay a fair price and have a great experience by having their car serviced at your dealership. And because service customers outnumber sales customers nearly 10 to 1 at the average dealership, 1 there s no better place to start building online reviews than from your dealership s service lane. DO REVIEWS REALLY MATTER? Online consumer reviews rank as one of the top three most important components, along with technician certification level and warranty, in choosing a vehicle service provider. 2 DO SHOPPERS REALLY READ REVIEWS? Only 10% of in-market buyers 3 stated that they would not seek out service department reviews prior to purchasing a vehicle. 4 WHAT S REALLY AT STAKE? To start: post-warranty work. On average, dealerships lose out on upwards of 60% of service revenue for vehicles that are over three years old. 5 1 Cars.com custom analysis of NADA 2013 Data, GfK Search and Price Estimator Research, Defined as planning to purchase a new vehicle In next 12 months. 4 Online survey by Harris Poll for Cars.com 3/31/14-4/2/14 among 2,024 U.S. adults (18+). 5 The Changing Service Loyalty Landscape, February /19

6 Consumers turn to Cars.com for reviews more than any other automotive review destination, including Yelp and Google+ local. 1 By building up your store s online reputation through dealer reviews, you have an opportunity to influence potential customers throughout their Cars.com experience, as well as through traditional search. Here s how Cars.com dealer reviews show up to potential customers: Dealer Search Results Page Dealer Profile Page Price Estimator Now that we ve covered the basics, it s time to develop a plan to start managing your reputation on Cars.com 1 Digital Air Strike, Spring 2013 Automotive Social Media and Reputation Trend Study. 6/19

7 RATCHETING UP YOUR SERVICE REVIEWS CAN HELP YOU AND THE ENTIRE DEALERSHIP When choosing a dealership to purchase from, 64% of shoppers 1 consider service department reputation to be a factor in their decision. 2 1 Defined as planning to purchase a new vehicle in next 12 months, indicating significant/moderate factor. 2 Online survey by Harris Poll for Cars.com 3/31/14-4/2/14 among 2,024 U.S. adults (18+).

8 Remember that a strong online reputation is the byproduct of a strong business, so as you develop and implement your dealership s online reputation management strategy, always look to identify opportunities to improve the way you interact with customers. Focus on these four key action areas to get your online reputation off the ground. STEP 1 STEP 2 STEP 3 STEP 4 Monitor Reply Ask Promote YOUR RECENT REVIEWS YOUR RECENT REVIEWS YOUR RECENT REVIEWS Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO YOUR Tom G. RECENT 2 HOURS AGO REVIEWS Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO Angie, HOW D WE DO? HOW D WE DO? HOW D WE DO? HOW D WE DO? 8/19

9 STEP 1: MONITOR Whose job is it to read new Cars.com dealer reviews at your dealership? Estimated dealership transactions per year: 1 Sales: 1,352 Service: 13,702 If you don t have an answer to that, there s a good chance you re missing one of the most basic elements of reputation management listening. Whether a customer posts to give praise for the speedy brake job they just had done or to complain about the cleanliness of the dealership s waiting room, you only hurt yourself by ignoring customer feedback. Perhaps your reviews are monitored by the sales department, and that is a great start. But is the information being shared with the service department? Your online reputation impacts the entire dealership, so it s essential that reviews are a focus for both the sales team and the service department. As a first step, work with your Cars.com representative to make sure you ve got the right dealership personnel (Sales, Service and GM) included on your Cars.com dealer review alert distribution list 1 Cars.com custom analysis of NADA 2013 Data, /19

10 STEP 2: REPLY If a service customer called and left an angry message on your Dealer Principle s voic , would that individual have his or her call returned? Of course, and reviews should be treated similarly. When customers take the time to provide you feedback, they appreciate knowing that their feedback has been both received and understood. This can be accomplished by providing a considerate response to them. Writing thoughtful responses to inbound reviews, good and bad, is an area in which most dealerships struggle. In fact, only about 20% of the dealer reviews left on Cars.com receive a personal reply. 1 Simply providing a courteous response will help you stand out from the competition. Whether it s due to lack of time or a perception that positive reviews don t need to be answered, not replying to customers who have taken the time to share their feedback is akin to having a shopper on the lot say, can you help me? and one of your employees responding by walking the other way. Make sure to include your Dealer Principle on any new review that comes in. I can t stress that enough. Jack Simmons, Cars.com Dealer Training Manager YOUR RECENT REVIEWS Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO Angie, Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a review after having your car serviced wi Remember, service customers are often repeat visitors, so it s essential to maintain your relationship with them 1 Cars.com internal site data, March /19

11 STEP 2: REPLY (CONTINUED) Here are two examples of how a GM or owner can respond to a review to offer thanks or correct a negative situation: EXAMPLE REPLY TO A POSITIVE REVIEW EXAMPLE REPLY TO A NEGATIVE REVIEW HHHHH Awesome Experience. By TL Warner from Whitewater, WI August 27, 2013 Review: Very positive experience. Very friendly people, nice facility, unbeatable prices. I had a brake job done on my 08 Altima and they were 1/3 less expensive than other repair shops. Will go there again, highly recommend! HH No Customer Service!!! By Ruth Hightower from Manchester, TN December 14, 2013 Review: I felt very uneasy during my visit last week. The service advisor just walked me in and then left to go work in the back of the shop nobody acknowledged that I was even there. I won t be back until this is addressed. Reply: Thanks so much for taking the time to write that awesome review! We look forward to servicing your vehicle for years to come. Doug Robertson, GM Reply: Ruth, I want to apologize for the poor experience you had in our service department, and I thank you for bringing this to my attention. I ll be discussing this at our weekly staff meeting to stress the importance of prompt, professional greetings with my staff. At your convenience, please contact me directly as I d like to offer you a complimentary oil change to account for the lack of service you received. Sincerely, Walter F. Mayweather, Owner /19

12 STEP 3: ASK Once you re comfortable monitoring and responding to incoming reviews, it s time to go on the offensive and actively ask for new ones. But whose job is it to ask for a review? Your store may already have a process for getting reviews from sales customers, so get together with your general manager and other key stakeholders to discuss how you may be able to incorporate existing processes in the service department. Asking can be as simple as handing out a postcard at checkout or scheduling a follow-up through your CRM system. HOW D WE DO? We not only respond to reviews on Cars.com, DealerRater or anywhere else that someone leaves a positive or negative comment, we call and thank them. It s something that s benefited us in the long run. Chris Slaydon, E-Commerce Director, Vernon Automotive Group 12/19

13 DO? STEP 3: ASK (CONTINUED) Never underestimate the power of a phone call: In 2013, the Larry H. Miller group saw a 408% increase in total number of reviews after implementing a process to ask customers for dealer reviews over the phone. 1 Over that same time, the number of reviews for stores that did not actively request customer reviews rose only 56%. 1 NUMBER OF REVIEWS +408% +56% 1 Cars.com internal site data, /19

14 STEP 3: ASK (CONTINUED) Still unsure about how to solicit a review from customers? Try a few of these tactics: Ask customers to write a review in person upon successful completion of repair work Send a follow-up thanking customers for their business that includes a link to your store s dealer reviews page on Cars.com Give customers a handout when they re checking out with the service cashier asking them to provide feedback online Attach a Cars.com dealer reviews mirror hanger* to every car before it exits the service bay Text message customers confirming they re happy with the repair work done and to ask for a new review Follow up with a phone call to thank customers for their business and ask them to share their experience on Cars.com Asking for a review is as simple as saying thank you. * Did you know Cars.com offers dealership support materials that ship to your door for free? Hugh Janda, Jordan Automotive 14/19

15 JUMP-START YOUR REPUTATION Looking to jump-start your online reviews? Your Cars.com representative can supply you with these easy-to-use materials free of charge. MIRROR TAGS POSTCARDS TABLE TENTS You can also place your order online at dealers.cars.com/store

16 YOUR RECENT REVIEWS HOW D WE DO? Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO STEP 4: PROMOTE Angie, Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a review after having your car serviced wi So you ve done the leg work to set up your store s processes, managed your team and built up a healthy base of service dealer reviews on Cars.com. Now what? Having dozens of great dealer reviews helps cement your store s brand on Cars.com, but it doesn t have to stop there. You ve earned them, so use your reviews to your advantage share them with prospects, promote them on your website, post them through social channels and maximize their value. HOW D WE DO? HOW D WE DO? Promote through direct customer communications Example: Send a link to your store s dealer reviews via , encouraging customers to visit your Cars.com reviews while discussing potential repairs over the phone. Promote through other advertising channels Example: Highlight your store s positive reviews in television and/or radio ads, and call out dealer reviews on your dealership s website. Promote on your lot Example: Showcase specific Cars.com dealer reviews on digital displays (TV screens) at your dealership and put out flyers or table tents that promote reviews in your service waiting area. 16/19

17 Remember again that the underlying foundation of a great online reputation is a quality customer experience at the dealership. As your store builds out its online reputation, on Cars.com and beyond, always look at feedback from customers as opportunities to improve that experience. 17/19

18 REVIEW: SERVICE DEPARTMENT REPUTATION CHECKLIST Now get your store s online reputation out of the shop with this handy checklist for success. Monitor Contact your Cars.com representative to get access to MyDealerCenter ( Verify the current distribution list for dealer reviews alerts s that are sent when a new review posts to Cars.com Check for existing Cars.com dealer reviews under the Reviews tab in MyDealerCenter Benchmark reviews of local service competitors on Cars.com and other review sites Ask Meet with your general manager and stakeholders to discuss existing processes for soliciting reviews Identify points within service workflow that are appropriate to ask for dealer reviews Gather resources (i.e., templates, POS materials) to support your team in asking for reviews Train employees on how to ask for reviews as a part of their customer-focused service process Reply Assign someone at the dealership to read and respond to all incoming reviews, both good and bad Escalate specific negative feedback shared through reviews to appropriate dealership personnel for action Promote Share your positive dealer reviews when communicating with new prospects online, on the phone and on the lot Proactively incorporate positive reviews into your store s external advertising when appropriate Correct process issues once customer feedback has been escalated 18/19

19 YOUR RECENT REVIEWS For more insights and best practices, visit HOW D WE DO? Tom G. 2 HOURS AGO Leslie W. 10 HOURS AGO Angie D. 1 DAY AGO Angie, Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a review after having your car serviced wi Follow us on these social networks: