Clarington Honda Uses Online Reviews to Build Trust in a Highly Competitive Market

About Clarington Honda

Clarington Honda is an automotive dealership that prides itself on providing customers with the best possible experience. They look forward to the challenge of meeting and exceeding client expectations.

The Challenge

This branded dealership operates in a cut-throat landscape. “The central zone in Ontario is the most competitive automotive market in the country,” says Mike Clayton, General Sales Manager of Clarington Honda. “There are a ton of car dealerships in this area because there are a lot of drivers.”

As a result, it’s important for Clarington Honda to stand out from all of the other dealerships within driving distance. “In just 20 minutes, you can drive past several Honda dealerships alone, so we needed to give customers a reason to visit us over the other guys,” Clayton says.

In order to stand out, Clayton knows that he needs to build trust with prospects online. He understands that the best way to engage prospects is with customer reviews, because of the critical role they play in customer decision making. The dealership had tried to manually ask customers for online reviews, but the process just wasn’t working effectively. “It was slow and difficult for our customers because we didn’t have a simple way to request the review,” Clayton explains. They were looking for a streamlined process to increase their online reviews.

“With DemandHub, we’re able to build trust with our customers because they can see what others have to say about our business.”

Mike Clayton - General Sales Manager, Clarington Honda

The Solution

The client demographics at Clarington Honda vary greatly. “We see all sorts of people. Some of our customers are tech-savvy and have the latest gadgets and gizmos, and some of our customers are the total opposite,” says Clayton. As a result, they were looking for a solution that would appeal to the majority of their audience.

DemandHub Reviews was the answer. “It’s definitely working. We saw a major increase in reviews within the first 30 days,” Clayton confirms. “DemandHub is part of our daily operations for all of our 160 admin staff,”

With DemandHub, the dealership has a simple and intuitive solution that caters to their varied demographic. The Clarington Honda staff use DemandHub to text their customers for a Google review, and the customers are able to post one with just a few clicks — all within 30 seconds. The increase in reviews boosts the dealership’s online ranking with Google.

According to a recent study by Twilio, 9 out of 10 people want to use text messaging to communicate with businesses.

“The key for us was to get consistent reviews on a frequent basis so that we could keep our relevance up online to stay at the top of search results,” notes Clayton. “With DemandHub, we’re able to build trust with our customers because they can see what other customers have to say about us.” According to BrightLocal, 91% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

“We show our customers that we’re listening to their feedback by responding to all reviews online,” says Clayton. For a business that has a lot of local competition, standing out with customer service is critical.

The Results

Using DemandHub has been revolutionary for Clarington Honda. “We saw results right away,” confirms Clayton. With a simple and intuitive way to ask customers for reviews, the dealership saw an immediate response that helped to set them apart from their competition.

Take a look at the numbers:

• Clarington Honda gained 40 new Google reviews in the first 30 days, building trust with prospects online in a competitive environment.
• They improved their Google rating from 4 stars to 4.3 stars within 30 days, establishing their credibility as a business that values customer service.
• The auto dealership increased their reviews by 100%, building their visibility online.

Not only has DemandHub helped Clarington Honda build a solid foundation of feedback on Google, they have solidified their relationships with clients going forward. “Customers really respond to reviews,” Clayton says.

The reviews show customers that Clarington Honda values their input and that they do their best to provide a streamlined customer experience — down to the details. This is what enables them to stand out from the crowd, both online and in person.

Ready to Grow Your Business?

Our mission is to help local businesses grow by making it easier to communicate with customers. With modern messaging technology, your business can text review invitations to your customers, enabling them to post a review with just a few clicks in under 30 seconds.

If you’re looking to boost your revenue, the best place to start is with the online reviews of your business.