Chauffeur reviews: how to get positive feedback

Chauffeur reviews are a very important tool in defining the reputation and success of your business. 

Today, most customers rely on online feedback and testimonials before choosing a service, which is why attracting positive reviews has become so important for those working in the transport industry.

According to a report by BrightLocal, 49% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations from friends and family. Therefore, reviews will help you attract new customers by using them as a marketing tool to build authority and trust.

Why are positive reviews important?

Driver reviews are a way to increase your credibility in the eyes of your customers. Of course, getting positive reviews requires some work to attract them and get your customers to write something about you and tell you about their experience. There are several reasons to invest in review research:

• Build trust. Positive reviews are a sign of trust and reliability. Very often, new customers are unsure about which service to choose: in this case, they will be more likely to trust the experiences of others and choose you over the competition;
• Encourage word of mouth. Positive reviews are a powerful form of word-of-mouth. When customers share positive experiences, they create a ripple effect that can attract new customers and overcome any reluctance to book;
• Understand what your customers think of you. Reviews can highlight what your customers value most, allowing you to understand and maintain the strengths of your service.

How do you encourage customers to write reviews?

As we have said, reviews can bring you many benefits in terms of authority and incentive for bookings. However, even if a customer is happy with a service they have used, they may not always spontaneously leave a review. 

There are strategies that you can try to get your customers to speak highly of your chauffeur hire service. Let’s take a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Make a direct request

Sometimes the best way to get something is to ask for it. How can you do this? At the end of the service, you can make a personal, direct request to the customer who traveled with you. For example, you could send a thank you message and add something like “if you are satisfied with the service, I would appreciate it if you could leave a review”.

You can also include a direct link to the review page in the message to make the process even easier.

Create loyalty programmes

To encourage your customers to leave reviews, you can make them part of a loyalty programme where customers earn points or benefits for each review they submit.

Introduce discounts or promotions

Directly related to the loyalty programme is the idea of offering a small discount 

or special promotion for the next trip in exchange for a review. This is certainly motivating for the customer, as it rewards them for the time they have spent writing the review, and also incentivises them to use your service again.

How to manage and respond to reviews 

Managing reviews is perhaps even more important than asking for them. Yes, because having reviews and not giving feedback can make the customer feel a lack of attention and attitude, especially if the reviews are negative.

There are different ways to deal with the chauffeur reviews you receive. Let’s look at what you can do.

Monitor all channels

Firstly, you should constantly monitor the reviews you receive on the platforms you work on, including social media if you have a Facebook or Google page. You can easily check what your customers are saying about you by keeping an eye on notifications, so you can respond in a timely manner.

Maintain your professionalism at all times

Regardless of the nature of the review, always maintain a professional and respectful tone. Even in the case of unfair criticism, don’t show nervousness: a calm and professional response will protect your reputation and may even turn a criticism into an opportunity to rebuild your relationship with the customer.

Personalize feedback

One of the most common mistakes when dealing with online reviews is giving generic or automated responses. To make your customers feel important, take the time to create a personalized interaction: this will let them know that their opinion has been genuinely heard and valued by you. 

Reply to reviews

Always respond to every review, whether positive or negative. For positive reviews, thank the customer for their feedback to show your interest. For negative reviews, however, we will discuss this specifically in the next section.

What and when to reply to negative reviews

Responding to positive reviews is easy and can even be enjoyable. Things get more complicated when negative reviews come into play. Of course, some customers may be dissatisfied with your service, for whatever reason. However, a professional chauffeur or car hire company has a responsibility to uphold its image and should act accordingly by responding to the review.

The first tip is to always respond to criticism quickly, without letting too many days pass since the comment was received. 

Start by acknowledging the customer’s negative feelings and showing empathy, with a sentence such as “We are sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations…” 

Next, you can offer an explanation or clarification of what happened, but avoid sounding overly defensive. The aim is to provide context, especially for those who will be reading this exchange, not to contradict (devalue or mock) the customer. 

The key to handling negative feedback is to be proactive: offer a solution or a way to correct the negative experience, such as a refund or an invitation to discuss what happened privately.

How can LiMO help you grow and manage your customer base?

LiMO is a worldwide community of drivers. In LiMO you will find over 5,000 professional chauffeurs, all rigorously certified, with whom you can exchange your redundant services and earn money.

In addition, LiMO offers a complete management system that allows you to track your clients’ bookings, record data, send invoices automatically, manage your fleet and free up your time. With this tool you can increase your productivity, digitise your business and make more money, all from one app.

Contact us now to find out more.