Ray Kroc, the genius behind the meteoric rise of McDonald’s as a fast food chain, once said, “Look after the customers and the business will take care of itself.” This nugget of wisdom rings especially true in the Internet age, where the effects of poor customer service become amplified as dissatisfied customers of all stripes can vent their frustrations in social media. Reviews can be a gateway for welcoming many new customers but also a deterrent for plumping up further interest in the brand.
Reviews hold much sway on a business’ success. Indeed, it is possible to predict how successful a business will be based on its Yelp reviews, and having no reviews at all is a recipe for disaster. More unethical measures such as actively deleting or silencing customer feedback are liable to make the customers angrier and others wary. Managing reviews effectively is a key aspect of online reputation management for business, and it is vital to the business’ survival to do it right.
When dealing with reviews, good or bad, companies must remember that they are frequently a reflection of both their business’ service quality and how well- or ill-equipped they are to handle customer concerns. The reputation and overall wellbeing of your business hinge on the reviews your customers leave and where they leave them.
As a rule of thumb, feedback about your business should be encouraged and positive feedback should be made visible both offline and online. In addition to feedback inquiries in your brick-and-mortar shops, you should also have your social media accounts ready to receive queries and to assuage customer concerns. The infrastructure that facilitates online reputation repair and protection also serves as a bulwark for reviews and complaints for businesses.
Ensuring that your customer’s needs are met is the foundation of business success, and social media is a good barometer to determine how well your business is meeting these demands. Having people talk about your business’ ups and downs where you can easily spot them takes top priority.