Automotive Sector: How to Improve Your Company’s E-Reputation

Online reputation is a challenge for all sectors, and the automotive industry is no exception. Customer reviews and ratings — particularly on Google — should not be overlooked. They play an important role when Internet users need to choose a brand among the different players in the industry (dealerships, manufacturers, rental companies, garages, specialist shops, etc.).

Working on your online reputation also means gaining a competitive advantage over your competitors. It’s always proven to be a worthwhile effort, and can get you a lot of new customers.

Partoo is already helping many brands in the industry manage and centralise all their customer reviews with our Review Management solution. Audi, Porsche, Toyota, BYmyCAR, Volkswagen, Stellantis, among others, have already taken the plunge.

The results?

• 4.4/5 stars on Google
• +25% of reviews
• 84% of reviews treated in less than a week

Why is Online Reputation Key in the Automotive Industry?

Google is a must when it comes to choosing a mechanic, a body shop, or a car rental service, whether you want to check information such as the address, opening hours and phone number, or customer reviews to see what other users are saying about it.

Nowadays, Internet users no longer visit websites by default. The information available on Google listings, including reviews, is often all you need to make a choice. Taking care of your online reputation is therefore essential if you want to use Google Business Profile as a lever for acquiring new customers.

Google takes into consideration factors such as the number of reviews, the response rate and the score given by customers when presenting the results to consumers’ searches. All the more reason to give these strategic subjects the importance they deserve!

How to Manage Customer Reviews Efficiently

The goal is to turn customer reviews into a conversion tool to reassure your potential customers and to convince them that you are the best choice among all your competitors.

This is no easy task, especially when you have a whole network of local businesses to manage. So keep reading to learn how to launch an effective online reputation strategy.

Centralise All Your Reviews

Picture this: all your customer reviews centralised and available in a single platform, by point of sale. It may not sound like much, but it’s a precious help, especially when you have to manage the online reputation of an entire network. The number of reviews received increases every year. To keep up and not get left behind, you need to provide clear guidelines to the teams. Use a dedicated Review Management tool, such as Partoo, is also extremely helpful.

Reply to Every Single Review

It’s the ABCs of online reputation, the first instinct to adopt. You need to reply to all reviews, whether they are positive or negative. Be open and understanding, even if the tone or content of the comment is unpleasant. This is important for the customer experience, but also to give a positive impression to Internet users who check customer reviews.

What if You Delegated the Management of Reviews to Your Local Teams?

Many companies let their local teams manage their reviews. The online reputation strategy is determined centrally, and then applied locally by the teams on the field.

The strategy is often successful if it’s well defined and as long as the guidelines are crystal clear. Local teams are best positioned to respond to customers, as they understand their problems better than anyone. And it’s an opportunity to improve response time if your teams spend some time managing reviews every day.

Exploring the Full Potential of Reviews

Although it’s sometimes forgotten, customer reviews can also be used to improve the customer experience. It’s a valuable source of information, particularly when they are negative. It’s up to you to gather the negative reviews that can help you make improvements.

With Partoo, you can categorise your reviews so that you can easily identify your areas for improvement and the measures to be implemented to turn things around.

Now it’s the local manager’s turn to train their staff to improve the customer experience, and thus their online reputation. They will be able to implement the necessary actions with their teams.

Want to know more? Get in touch with our team!