This is part one of a two-part series. Interestingly enough, I have experienced both the positive and negative side of online feedback in the same day! Let's start with the positive and figure out some takeaways.I am very active online and one of my favorite activities is reviewing restaurants and businesses on Yelp. I like to be honest about my experiences both good and bad but I am never nasty. I attempt to provide true and accurate feedback without being mean. I know that the business owner doesn't always feel that way but I have never received a negative or harassing message on Yelp. I have, however, received messages like this one:
Hello Talia,Your review was very fair, and I must say I chuckled a bit reading it. That being said it was frustrating I am sure to come in for a massage and receive a treatment that was poor. The lady you worked with is no longer employed in this clinic. Not based on your review but rather her overall satisfaction rate from clients. She was hired to help out with the busy online promotion and that turned out to be a poor idea. In any event, you were very honest and thanks for being kind with the 3 stars. I would like to make it up to you with a massage on the house with B or S, two therapists who often have great feedback (or try anyone who works in your schedule). We are open until 7:00 and also on the weekends now as well.All the bestDr. L
I tried to be fair in my review and like to sprinkle them with humor. In this case, I had a terrible massage and a bad experience. I hadn't planned on giving them a second chance but with a response like this one, how can you not?Now that is good business. Take the time to know what you customers are saying and where they are saying it and fix the problem. In all likelihood, I will go back to this company and try again. And I may have ended up as a customer for life, if I hadn't recently found the most amazing massage therapist in Denver (Denver Massage Associates). But more than getting repeat service from me, I will stop telling the story of the horrific massage I got where I felt like I was being basted for Thanksgiving and was the least relaxing of my life. Instead I will tell everyone I know about the incredible customer service and follow up I got from a company that didn't have to care. They have good ratings from most everyone else... he didn't have to respond to me.But he did. And that is GOOD BUSINESS.The key in this social media world is follow through and to listen. Listen to what people are saying about your brand. Listen on Facebook. Listen on Twitter. Listen on Yelp. Listen everywhere your customers are. I have had some of my students ask me, "Talia, if I can only pick on social media network to be on, which should it be?" My answer is never simple...The key here is to be listening on all of them. Own your brand name on Twitter and Facebook, even if you don't plan to have a presence. You don't want someone else communicating under your name (see the Heinz example) and you want to know what people are saying for you. Here is my advice to my students:
- Own your name everywhere
- Set up Google Alerts for all the permutations of your brand name, including with qu0tation marks
- Listen to your users and find out where THEY interact
- Be present where your demographic lives
- Always be ready to communicate on a variety of different mediums
- The worst thing you can do, in general, is ignore... especially if there is dissatisfaction with a product or service...
- Offer to fix it, comp it, give them a coupon, etc...
- You have to communicate with them or else you are the "big giant corporation that doesn't care"
So that is social media done right... but remember, you can apply this throughout your organization. It is so rare to get to speak to a person, a happy person is even more rare, these days. Think about the service you would like or you would like your mother to receive... then use that rule for your customers. Sure, you can't stay on the phone with one person for 8 hours... but a little patience goes a long way. So does a little positivity, a smile on your face when you are on the phone or in person and a thank you.I hope this helps! Have a great day!