Most folks realize it is imperative to establish an online presence for their business, but some fail to realize the challenges they could potentially face. Once you have established an online presence for your company, the next challenge becomes protecting your business’ reputation.
Having Twitter and Facebook accounts for your business provides you with the opportunity to engage and interact with your fans and followers, but it also gives them the ability to post bad reviews. Just as you protect your company with business insurance, Illinois business owners also need to protect their business’ reputation. The best way to protect your business is to make sure you strive to provide impeccable service to your customers.
In the off chance that you do upset one of your customers and they say things that could tarnish your reputation, here are a few tips to repair and minimize the damage:
- Respond kindly to the complaint or poor review- Apologizing to the customer even if you feel their complaint was unwarranted will never hurt. It is always better to say sorry than to not say anything at all. It also would not be a bad idea to thank them for bringing the problem to your attention and assure them you are taking steps to correct the problem.
- Take corrective action- After you apologize and determine if their complaint was justified, the next step should be to fix the problem. If they had a legitimate complaint, then they have pointed out a flaw in your company that needs improving. Try not to see their complaint as negative and take as an opportunity to improve and then try to change their opinion of your product or service.
- Be polite- No matter what you do always be polite. A negative comment can have a big enough impact on your reputation and how you respond can either minimize the damage or make it worse. Showing that you value their opinion and are dedicated to fixing the problem will help mitigate the backlash. Even if you find their complaint to be unwarranted and the statement to be completely false, you can correct them, but do it as politely as possible. Protecting your business’ reputation is just as important as protecting your business assets.
