Branding your Service Center is more than just having a “why service here” video on your website touting that you have OEM certified techs. Customers want more than that and they want to see who is working for you looking to see how they are rated. Most importantly if the advisor is rated!

There are best practices for collecting reviews that will brand the service center. The two top platforms to collect reviews are DealerRater & Google+ Here are the best practices to start branding your service center with reviews.

First, Let’s Update the Website

It sounds simple. Have the employees reviews listed online. But more often than not many dealers do not have any reviews posted on their site. Not even on their social media pages other than if a customer were to review them on FaceBook or Yelp.

If the customer can see 1000+ positive reviews on your website that are directly associated with customers experiences with specific advisors the review becomes that much more valuable. It allows the customer to connect with the advisor.

In fact, because of the branding, DealerRater offers for your service lane there is the opportunity to receive “DealerRater Connections” as the customer “connects” with you for services on an individual basis with an advisor as they’ve read your reviews!

They even offer the ability for the connection to be sent directly to both the advisor and the managers via email.

Check Out

How often does the customer leave happy at the cashier’s office? Or (better yet) at the advisor's desk for those who take payments in the lane!? That is the time to ask the customer to review his/her experience online.

Albeit, the customer is still going to receive the OEM survey. However, that survey is not “branding” your store. In fact, the OEM more often than not does not even include your reviews or customer feedback on their corporate site for your store. They don’t have any reviews, actually.

Thank You Email

Despite asking the customer in the lane to complete a review for you, it never hurts to include a link to your DealerRater profile in the follow-up email. This serves as a gentle reminder for the customer to hop on and complete a quick review on their experience at the dealership. I will offer, however, that it is not best to send out an additional separate email as the customer might get turned off with too many emails.

The bottom line is this: branding is everything, and it starts with what people see online. If they see positive reviews that are directly associated with the people that are representing your brand, then it creates an incredibly valuable image. One that lends it self in hand when customers are choosing their next service center!

Do you have your reviews listed on line? Do you use DealerRater with great success? What is the best way you have branded your service advisors & service center with online reviews?