For any local business owner, having a good local reputation is essential. Whether you are running an independent business, or you are investing in a franchise like
Spoton.net
, the importance of this is exactly the same and great customer service is paramount for this.
Once upon a time it was a fairly easy to manage your reputation as customer service has always been at the forefront for any business. I remember watching a training video for Argos before the boom of the World Wide Web and they said that a happy customer would tell 3 or 4 of their friends if they have had a pleasant experience, but an unhappy customer would tell 14 of their friends if they had a bad experience. At the time I was surprised by these figures, but looking back I now see that 14 people is not even a drop in the ocean compared to what damage could be done now!
With the rise of the ever expanding WWW and the very influential power of social media, you now need to own your reputation on-line – and not just your domain name.
The damage that can be inflicted on a business if customer service is not managed correctly can be devastating. Customers and potential customers have a multitude of platforms at their disposal where they can vent their frustration and anger towards a business should they wish, and this can easily snowball (and has) to have a long lasting, damaging effect on the reputation of your company.
The idea of social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Linked In etc is for you to build up advocates of your company. But also from here you can address any problems or situations when they occur so people know you are a customer focused company. Every company will make mistakes along the way and that is to be expected, but it’s how you deal with them that will set you apart from your competitors.
Social media is such a powerful tool if it is embraced correctly. Not only does it actively promote your company but it also gives you the ability to manage your online reputation. You can prevent a potentially damaging situation and turn it into some great PR.