Page 24 - On The Move - Volume 16, Issue 4

By Steven R.
Finlay

Sr. Editor at WardsAuto

ranking of business-reputation strength dispels
HIGHER REPUTATION
A some negative stereotypes about auto dealerships.
SCORES LEAD TO
According to Reputation.com, dealerships Key report findings: MORE SALES, SAYS
received better overall customer sentiment THE 2019 AUTO
and higher reputation scores than the • Lexus has the highest average
other major industries the company has reputation score (700+) for REPUTATION REPORT.
examined. Dealers are among the most auto brands.
responsive to online customer feedback. • Lincoln is generating some of
That’s according to the 2019 Automotive the most favorable consumer
Reputation Report for which Reputation. sentiment within the industry. reviews, positive or negative.
com analyzed online data on more than • Consumer review volumes are Daily reports are reviewed at all
16,000 U.S. dealerships. The report covered the greatest for Toyota retail levels of our organization, including by our
reviews, listings, social media, search results dealers among all OEM brands. CEO and president.”
and customer engagements from sources • Google dominates online
that included Google, Facebook and third- review volume. Reputation scores can change quickly in
party automotive websites. • Tesla has the poorest response the so-called feedback economy, says
rate to consumer reviews and Reputation.com CEO Joe Fuca. “Consistent
Auto retailers posted an average reputation engagement in the industry. monitoring, responding and engagement
index score of 607 (on a 0-to-1,000 scale), are essential to successfully maintaining a
edging out the hospitality industry (605). Findings suggest Tesla’s low score could positive online presence and proactively
They also led the way in review quality, be due to a failure to respond to negative mitigating potential customer issues.”
averaging 4.4 stars out of 5 over the past 12 reviews. Tesla responds to just 1% of the
months. negative reviews it receives online, by Higher reputation scores lead to higher
far the lowest among the manufacturers sales, says the report.
“Managing your online reputation is vital in the report. Tesla dealerships came in
in any industry, but you could argue it’s with an engagement score of 3%. No Auto dealers see about 1% increase in
even more significant in the auto industry, other manufacturer’s dealerships had an sales for every 30- to 40-point increase
considering 95% of vehicle buyers use engagement score below 42%. Only 7% in their reputation score. Dealers who
digital sources to conduct car-buying of Tesla dealerships claimed a reputation manage their reputations effectively
research,” says Michael Fertik, Reputation. score above 700, easily the lowest rate can achieve a 10% increase in average
com’s founder and chairman. “Proactive among dealerships analyzed. sales volume. In contrast, dealers
communication is how brands can win whose reputation scores decrease
business in the digital age.” Conversely, In comparison, dealership chain Sonic see a corresponding drop in sales,
“a lack of engagement with consumers Automotive scored high. “We place according to the report by Reputation.
on social channels and search engines significant importance and invest our com, provider of a cloud-based reputation
could lead potential customers to consider efforts in managing our and customer-experience-management
competing brands or dealers with better online customer reviews,” says platform.
reviews and responses,” he says. Rachel Richards, Sonic’s chief
marketing officer. “We closely
monitor and respond to all

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