Managing your business's online reputation

We have many clients who ask us what we think about review websites and should they be submitting themselves and their businesses to be reviewed publicly.
They are often concerned that ‘negative’ feedback will hurt business.. We are of the opinion that the online world is no different than the real one, if you please your customers you will be rewarded with good business and if you don’t then well… There is no need to be scared of facebook or twitter or Google Places, these should all be considered vast arenas for customers to shout your praises.
“Review websites are all too powerful to ignore these days”, admits Magnus Haltberg, strategic advisor and former head of product management at online reservations system Livebookings. “There’s really no difference between a business’s reputation online or offline – and sites like TripAdvisor aren’t going away soon’
Here are some tips for keeping your business’s reputation safe and sound online
Encourage Feedback/Reviews: People tend to voice their opinion in extremes (either very upset or very happy) encourage people in the middle to leave a review about you on social media or review sites.
Thank them for their input: Seek out the reviews and give your own feedback, say Thankyou!
Be Consistent: You should be able and willing to deal with complaints, Hultberg says “Having one person to deal with everything is a good thing, to give the same tone of voice”.
Be Polite: To not attack a customer for their point of view – they will never return and not on ly will they not return but they will spread the bad word about you x10! This doesn’t mean that you can’t retort. If they have gotten something wrong factually feel free to reply, leave emotion out of it though!
Share User Feedback With Staff: Share what people are saying online with your staff, let them know what the public think are good and bad, this is a brilliant way of improving on weaknesses and increasing on good points.
Follow The Competition: Watching how your competition handles their online rep is a brilliant way to work out how you should be handling yours. You have the benefit of seeing their client services right out in the open, all the good and the bad!
Tell The Truth: As tempting as it is to use the anonymity of the net to sing your own praises, it is not worth it! Get found and you will be in a much worse position than when you started. Do a good job and let the word spread organically!
Posted by Mise En Place Hospitality Recruitment