Company Press Release

DealerRater Debuts Certified Employee Program at the 16th Digital Dealer Conference

Expansion of Certified Dealer Program Increases Dealers’ Employee Visibility to Online Auto Shoppers

WALTHAM, Mass. - May 6, 2014 -  DealerRater, the world’s premier car dealer review site, today launched the Certified Employee Program, allowing dealership employees to leverage their individual reputations and stand apart from competitors when auto shoppers are researching dealers on DealerRater. The program, a new complimentary feature of DealerRater’s award-winning Certified Dealer Program, was unveiled at the 16^th Digital Dealer Convention and Exposition.

DealerRater employee-specific pages enable dealers to feature personal bios, videos and customer testimonials for dealer employees. The new Certified Employee Program takes this popular feature one step further by offering individual employees the opportunity to achieve Certified status to earn more reviews and increase their visibility to potential customers on DealerRater.  

"We've already seen a direct correlation between our top performers and their reviews on DealerRater, so we are truly excited for the Certified Employee program,” said Megan Barto, internet director at Ciocca Honda.  “It allows those employees who take advantage of the Certified Dealer Program to gain more visibility amongst the community.  It also offers us the unique opportunity to build even more reviews and drive more business for our sales and service staff through DealerRater."

Participating dealer employees must complete a proprietary, self-guided online training course and obtain a minimum of 10 new reviews quarterly.   Training will include best practices in building and leveraging online reviews for a competitive advantage and demonstrate the critical importance of reviews for auto shoppers.  Dealer employees who fulfill these requirements will gain priority placement on a list of top-rated Certified employees featured on result pages when DealerRater users search for dealers. Certified employees also receive an exclusive badge for their DealerRater online profile and a Certificate of Achievement that can be displayed at their dealership.

“Today’s auto shoppers are looking for more than just the right dealership,” explains DealerRater CEO Gary Tucker. “They are seeking the actual person they want to work with before stepping foot in the showroom. With this in mind, we’ve designed our Certified Employee Program to help consumers find the top-rated salespeople and service advisors in their area. This enhanced level of visibility into a dealer’s business offers ample opportunity for employees to better position themselves for success.”

Attendees of the 16^th Digital Dealer Conference and Exposition can learn more about DealerRater and the Certified Employee Program by visiting booth number 428. 

Tags: certified dealer program, online reviews, digital dealer