Are Your Unhappy Customers Online…Yet?
I met with an owner of a business recently who told me a story about an unhappy customer who had to be asked to leave the premises. This is probably not an unfamiliar experience to anyone in business, although hopefully a very rare one. The business tried to satisfy the customer, but they simply were not going to be satisfied and the situation escalated. I can’t comment on the incident, but I do know this is a very reputable business with many happy customers and a good standing in the area.
In the past, this story would have been limited to this one unpleasant experience. The unhappy customers may have complained to their circle, but by and large the business would have continued to receive positive word of mouth from its other hundreds happy customers. However, fast forward to today. It did not end there. The unhappy customer took their complaint online. Now anyone searching for the company on Google/Yahoo/etc gets to form an impression of this company based on a very negative review.
Where do the unhappy reviews show up? Look at this example from Google below. If I am new in town and looking for a groomer, Google aggregates customer reviews from around the web.
The reviews for the shop below certainly don’t look good.
Now maybe this business has 100 happy customers to each dissatisfied customer, but I wouldn’t know it. I don’t think I will be going here.
The lesson for business owners is that regardless of how hard you try to do a good job and offer great service, if you have any unhappy customers, expect them to go online. Think of your most unpleasant customers and your most unpleasant experience and now imagine those being shared with your entire prospective customer base. If this hasn’t happened already, it is just a matter of time.
Prepare and manage for this situation ahead of time. Here is one article from the better business bureau with some tips for responding to online complaints. However, there are other vital things to do as well. Stay tuned…
Further Reading
Make it Easy for Your Fans
Where are your Raving Fans?
Customer Lobby Makes It Easy for Your Fans
