Yelp Reputation Management for Car Dealers; What Are Filtered Reviews?
In my opinion, which is based on having seen this situation on several occasions, the most prudent approach is NOT to slam Yelp for this Filtered Review system they have in place, nor is it wise to ignore the way Yelp functions in regards to their handling of dealership reviews… The right thing for dealers, including my friends at World Hyundai and other dealerships with their best reviews getting moved into the Yelp Filtered Reviews section, is to understand how the Yelp systems operate and manage the process for encouraging customers to post their reviews on Yelp.
There are many reasons I like the Yelp Enhanced Profile for dealers, not the least of which is that it gives dealers an enhanced ability to monitor and respond to all reviews, both positive and negative. Also, it has been my experience that Yelpers respond much more positively and seek to do business with dealers who respond appropriately to critical or less than perfect reviews. However, by the same token, dealers who respond with arrogance or a bad attitude towards criticism will suffer greatly in lost business. Yelp should be handled with great care, but the rewards are right up there with any of the other review sites when handled properly by the dealer.