WALTHAM, Mass. — DealerRater has released the iOS version of the DealerRater for Dealers App. An android version of the app is expected to be released soon.

The app, according to the company, is designed to help dealerships build trust, lower apprehension, and accelerate a successful showroom visit by allowing employees to communicate with customers earlier in the sales process.

“We developed an app that helps salespeople sell more cars,” said Gary Tucker, DealerRater CEO. “It’s an extension of a dealer’s showroom floor, opening a new digital channel that connects shoppers already engaging with employee profiles on DealerRater.com and individual salespeople. Because of these connections, consumers can now enter a dealership with confidence, knowing exactly who they will be working with and the buying experience they can expect.”

According to the company, the app helps dealership employees sell more cars by connecting them directly with in-market shoppers at the critical point in the buying journey, when consumers are deciding where to purchase a vehicle. The company states that half of consumers visit at most one or two dealerships through their car-buying process, so dealers often only have one chance to make a positive first impression.

The app also offers store managers a way to gamify the sales process. Built-in leaderboards, which rank salespeople by number of reviews and review rating, give supervisors a new way to incent employees to keep their employee pages up to date and realize the power reviews have to drive new business, according to the company.