Richard Bustillo on Reputation Management - Automotive Management Minute

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Comment by Ralph Paglia on May 8, 2012 at 9:57am

I just watched this video again and what really strikes me is the sincerity with which Richard has embraced the use of online dealership review and ratings sites for identifying a higher percentage of customers who are NOT completely satisfied so that his team can use what they have been trained and empowered to do in converting the "Less Than Completely Satisfied" into raving fans and Rick Case Honda customers for life... Kudos to Richard Bustillo for being one of those rare General Managers that "Get It" in a big way!

Comment by Mark Tewart on May 7, 2012 at 10:09am

Online or offline, reputation management is more about doing the right things than managing the reputation. Factories were the worst offender of this principal by promoting CSI SCORES instead of truly taking care of the customer. The message was more about scores than happy customer who could be loyal. Good points.

Comment by Richard J Bustillo on May 4, 2012 at 10:12am

Yago,  the reality is that the reputation we have is this industry is because of the way we have treated customers in the past.  It has been my experience that we only care about the good surveys.  I believe that if we gave the same effort to resolving the upset customers we could change the perception nationwide.  We are in the best industry in the world, we do devote tons of resources to reputation management.  The reality is that it starts with the cultures in the individual stores to make a difference. 

Influencer Comment by Marc Bodner on May 3, 2012 at 12:22pm

Great piece Richard.  As you said in your comments, a great deal of "Reputation Management" is reactive, not proactive.  You find 5 or 6 bad Google reviews on your site and the activity begins to "collect" good reviews.  A process needs to be in place to make sure day-in, day-out your store gets written feedback from customers, and management has the ability to immediately confront unhappy consumers. 

Comment by Ralph Paglia on May 3, 2012 at 12:15pm

Yago brings up several very valid and strong points in defense of the auto industry's status quo... However, given the reputation that the retail auto industry has had in various parts of the country, I would suggest that the status quo simply doesn't provide a competitive advantage any longer... What Richard describes in this video is a cultural shift within the dealership that goes beyond the industry's  status quo and provides an experience something like buying shoes at Zappos.com - And, I have been in Richard's store and it truly is a different culture compared to many other dealerships.  I have also seen similar customer service cultures at Sewell Lexus in Dallas and North Park Lincoln in San Antonio... When I first started working at Courtesy Chevrolet in 2005, I was instructed by the owners to simply "Do the right thing" when it came to resolving customer concern issues.  So Yago is right, there are many dealerships where the culture that Richard refers to in this video flourishes, but I believe as an industry we do have room for a lot of improvement overall.

Comment by Yago De Artaza Paramo on May 3, 2012 at 9:29am

Richard,

Manipulating is a strong work and not easy to do in large scale. Few and far in between customers can be truly manipulated if the experience is really a bad one. Dealers have been forced in many cases to take a proactive approach to seek positive reviews because companies like Yelp clearly promoted a "anti dealer" review culture. Furthermore customer learned to use negative reviews as a leverage tool against dealers in many cases what amounted to absurd claims and situations.

Your remark "truly start taking care of our guest" also implies that dealers don't currently do that which makes me disagree with the statement. I'm sure you have been taken care of your customers for years. The car business probably put more resources than any--or many other--businesses into policy, compliance, and processes all oriented to a better customer experience, satisfaction, and safety in their purchase. No other business has more scrutiny by government agencies--Attorney General, DOL, FTC, and every person with a law degree.

Comment by Richard J Bustillo on May 3, 2012 at 9:12am

We need to stop trying to manipulate customers into giving us good reviews and truly start taking care of our guest.  We as dealers have to change the culture.

Influencer Comment by Michael McPherson on May 3, 2012 at 6:56am

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Bravo! This kind of culture can be your competative advantage. It's what makes your dealership so special, PEOPLE. When your good, it's easy. It's when you stumble and the action taken that seperates you from all others. Run toward the problem not away from it. You'll learn alot.

Comment by Bruce Polkes on May 2, 2012 at 6:46pm

Thanks for another insightful principle, Richard.  Your philosophy is right on point and the execution at your dealership by you and your team carries it through. I love the way you combine the "old world" foundation of Customers First with today's technology of using reputation management.  That's a winning combination.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom with the idustry! 

Comment by Jennifer Sanford on May 2, 2012 at 6:17pm

Richard, your message is on point.  Business reviews are about more than stars.  The suggestions and even complaints help us improve areas that may have been ignored or underrated.  The format of your message was beautifully executed.  Love the video and the professional format.  Really love the bullet points at the end.  You're doing a great job sharing your wisdom with the community at large!  Thank you!

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