How do you manage this increasingly common problem?
Despite what quite a few shady companies purport to be able to do, there is no way to magically erase negative online reviews. The reality is that if people are saying bad things about you online, the best thing you can do is change their minds
If you run an organization that deals with the public, chances are that you’ve already encountered a crisis management scenario involving negative online reviews. Whether it’s blog dedicated to documenting your failures or an angry ex-customer who’s made it their business to tell everyone on Twitter how much you suck (no offense, they said it!). The fact that someone headed home and decided to dedicate a chunk of time to digging into your organization’s reputation will factor into the decision-making process of other potential customers.
With surveys showing that nearly 74% of consumers are conducting online research before making purchase decisions, you literally can not afford to have those negative reviews popping up prominently in search results.
What’s the first step, then? Actually, much like any good crisis management plan, this one starts before a crisis ever pops up. Make it very clear how people can contact you if they have complaints, questions or concerns, and actually RESPOND to their inquiries. If every organization actively manned their customer service phone lines and email accounts you’d see a lot less complaints making their way into the public arena.
Next up, fully investigate the complaint and if you find an issue, FIX the problem! Yes, there are those random trolls that put up bad reviews for no reason, but it’s far more likely that something you or your employees did has set someone off. Before you go any further, do a thorough, honest audit and be certain that your organizations is up to par in terms of operations, customer service, product quality, whatever the complaint was about.
Sure you’ve got everything straight at home? The next step is to get in touch with the upset parties. Approach them privately, if possible, with a compassionate stance and ask if they’ll give you another shot and write a followup review. It sounds so simple that many dismiss the idea, but in our experience this is the #1 way to remove negative search results online while demonstrating to potential future customers just how helpful and awesome your company really is.
Remember, everyone makes mistakes, and the public is more willing than to accept that fact than most expect. What they’re less willing to accept is someone who encounters a problem and does nothing about it.
Does an online reputation management problem still have you stymied? Go back that rule that solves so very many problems – The Golden Rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated, and your reputation will prosper.
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For more resources, see the Free Management Library topic: Crisis Management
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[Jonathan Bernstein is president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc., an international crisis management consultancy, author of Manager's Guide to Crisis Management and Keeping the Wolves at Bay - Media Training. Erik Bernstein is Social Media Manager for the firm, and also editor of its newsletter, Crisis Manager]
Jonathan L. Bernstein, president of Bernstein Crisis Management, Inc. has more than 25 years of experience in all aspects of crisis management – crisis response, vulnerability assessment, planning, training and simulations.
Erik Bernstein is a freelance writer and Bernstein Crisis Management's social media manager. He also edits Crisis Manager, a newsletter about crisis management.
