Reputation Management..Does it matter?

Reputation Management..Does it matter?

What results do you get, when you look for your name of business name? Are the results that comes for your name positive or negative?
It is amusing as well as surprisingly scary how every business is controlled by customer reviews today. The old definition of ‘tip’ referring to gratuity is almost getting replaced by online reviews. The other day I went to dine at a new restaurant with my friends. This wasn’t our usual hangout and we wanted to eat at a different place for a change. The food was delicious with a distinct flavor and when we were done the steward brought our bill. Quite surprisingly the steward seemed to be more interested in getting our feedback about the service on a piece of paper than getting a ‘tip’.

The world has changed because of online reviews and feedback, everyone is trying to be extra courteous and pay attention to the customer just to get a good review about them. It is good for the consumer, but a very big challenge to the business. I myself am quite astonished at the way my 13 year old daughter goes through product reviews before purchasing her little things online.

One bad apple spoils the entire bunch

As the old saying goes “one bad apple spoils the entire bunch”, one bad review can ruin the reputation of your entire business. By nature people hardly bother to praise someone for the good service but will be quick as lightening to post a negative feedback if they receive bad service. No matter how many positive reviews you have, these bad apples have a way of bubbling up on review sites.

The remedy then is to remove any rotten apples popping up before it spoils the entire bunch.

1. Find the cause – When you get a bad review, check why the customer was not satisfied. It is not very wise to ignore this or take it lightly. Okay, you cannot please everyone, however, you can avoid the same mistake from happening again, if you analyze it the first time. Find out if it was the customer’s fault or yours, and ways you can avoid the same thing happening in future.

2. Respond – This is perhaps the best defense. My advice is to write a response by apologizing and giving a telephone number or an email address to contact you, so that you can address the damage. By doing this you are putting a stop to that negative review getting more comments. Everyone sees that you care about customer’s satisfaction.

Remember this bad apple can be from your competitor, not necessarily from a dissatisfied customer. You would have solved the authenticity of this reviewer if you did part 1 of finding the cause. However if this was a genuine customer he would write or call you. Grab the opportunity to get a second chance of proving yourself or offer him a discount. He will turn to be your best customer and may even remove the bad review.

3. Manage your reputation – Being alert of what people say about you online is mandatory. It is not easy to do on your own, since there are endless websites where people can post their reviews. Let it be social media, local business profiles and review sites, it is not possible to avoid or stay away because whether you like it or not people will write about you if you are an owner of a business. Get a reputation management company who can do this for you, else you will not have the time to act promptly to guard your good name. You may never know what people say about you unless you watch your reputation. Act fast before it’s too late!

Contact Us to manage your reputation today.