CASE STUDIES

Widewail Protects and Enhances Reputation of Longtime Customer, Bud Brown Volkswagen 

The Bud Brown family has been serving the automotive market in the Kansas City area for over 70 years. Today, the team at Bud Brown Volkswagen in Olathe, Kansas prides itself on continuing its tradition of providing a best-in-class car buying and ownership experience to their customers.

They have been working with Widewail for over four years, achieving exceptional results. By coupling Invite with Engage, the Bud Brown team has increased review volume by 52% and ensures every customer’s feedback is heard and addressed.

Using Resources Efficiently, Thanks to Widewail's Engage  

Between August 2019 and May 2023, Widewail’s expert team of review responders has crafted over 2,000 custom replies to Bud Brown Volkswagen’s reviews. These replies have been well-received by customers and the dealership’s president, Phil Brown, who said:

“The team’s immediate responses to positive customer reviews are unique and sincere, not scripted, and truly reflect our company’s commitment to providing the best customer experience.”

—Phil Brown, President of Bud Brown Volkswagen

Throughout the years, Widewail has provided reputation management guidance to the Bud Brown Volkswagen team, helping them solve difficult customer issues. 

“We’ve learned from Widewail that the most effective way to resolve a customer issue that’s resulted in a negative review is to contact the customer immediately and invite them to discuss the issue with a manager.”

—Phil Brown, President of Bud Brown Volkswagen

With every customer’s feedback addressed online, Phil Brown and his team have saved time and money: “With Widewail monitoring and responding for us, we can be more efficient with our resources.”

Invite Enables Major Boost in Review Volume

The Bud Brown Volkswagen team added Invite in January 2021, just months after the product was launched. Since then, the team has been using Invite to get more dealership reviews and in the first 2.5 years they’ve had impressive performance: 

• 1,216 new reviews
• 52% volume increase
• 6% overall negative sentiment (the average in automotive is 11%)

Results 

These commitments to best-in-class reputation management solutions have outcomes that place Bud Brown Volkswagen ahead of the pack. 

• 4.9 average star rating for sales department
• 4.7 average star rating for service department
• 33% decrease in negative sentiment
• 70% increase in website traffic from Google Business Profile

Results like these make a tangible difference in the lives of dealership leaders and employees and help grow the business. Phil Brown has recognized Widewail as a reliable partner that delivers positive results for Bud Brown Volkswagen reputation management, saying: 

“Widewail has provided us with several years of consistent and trouble-free service through their platform. We’ve worked hard to establish and protect our reputation within our industry and market and Widewail has been a valued partner in protecting and enhancing it.” 

—Phil Brown, President of Bud Brown Volkswagen

Learn more about how Widewail can help protect your dealership’s online reputation.