Also, it's worth pointing out that well maintained accounts with positive reviews would be more likely to appear within search results. What's referred to as the '3-pack' when a map and three businesses are shown, to show up here relies on your review ratings and volume, among other things. If your business relies on local search like this, it's important to manage your reviews.

Reviews are easily generated via the software that Podium or the less expensive and more comprehensive Social Ordeals offers.  Asking for reviews is a no-brainer but the email/text software not only requests it for you when or if you fail, but filters out the 4-star or less reviews.  If you have 1,000 reviews and aren't averaging over a 4.5 you are a B-dealer period. You HAVE to have the initiative to get the rep-management software or you'll never bring the average up fast enough.  Yes it's rigging the deck but guess what, Yelp rigs it against you.

Podium does not filter reviews. Dealerships generally have very happy customers, the problem is that organically generated reviews are polarized and don't truly represent your business. Using a software like Podium allows you to send invitations to more customers and makes it easy for them to leave you a review. We believe that reviews should be authentic and that dealerships should invite as many customers as possible to leave them a review. 

Hi Taylor, via Podium, explain what happens if someone writes a bad review after they're sent a text or email prompt.  

Hi Kelly, Podium connects customers directly to the site to leave reviews, we don't filter out negative reviews. So if someone clicks on the invitation and decides to leave a bad review that will be posted publicly. I hope that answers your question! If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out to me directly.

Thanks Taylor...

Yes... Ask for the Review!!!

@Taylor, nice. That does make it much easier to manage social media on one platform. Our one OEM has that service with Medellia. However, we are only able to respond to alerts/internal surveys within their platform. It does offer great insight though as to where you rank regarding customer satisfaction amongst all social platforms. Even breaking down the most commonly used negative/positive words! Neat stuff. 

So "techy." I have our staff adk for the review while they wait to go into finance. Bridges the time gap and it's done before they leave. 

It's definitely techie. Once it's set up it has it's own wings though.  Dealerships have several touch points in which to solicit a review, but restaurants, plumbers, doctors, dentists, hotels, mechanics and others don't have that opportunity or moxie, so an automated system that actually sends bad reviews out to pasture and promotes good ones is necessary.  Businesses get crushed by bad reviews and Yelp takes advantage of that fact to practically extort businesses into signing up with them under the unspoken guise that if they don't, they have no control over bad reviews.  Rep management software is the answer to Yelp's power play and diverts reviewers away from Yelp where businesses have no control.

We haven't had any Yelp issues so im blind to the matter. Google, Facebook, Car Gurus and Cars.com have been our go-to and of course there have been some rough one's but the overall purpose is just in my humble opinion. 

Don't forget also that negative reviews can have an adverse affect on your position in Google!