Zero Tolerance for Social Media

Why Are Businesses So Afraid of Online Reviews?

[caption id="attachment_3019" align="alignleft" width="300"] Embrace social media and online reviews -- and experience the rewards.
Photo credit: planetc1 / Foter / Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0)[/caption] In an old episode of Friends, the owner of Alessandro's Restaurant confronts Monica after she slams it in a review. I don't have any data on this, but I'm pretty sure this would only happen on TV. When most businesses receive bad reviews from professional reviewers, they swallow hard and strive to do better. But for some reason, some business owners have a hard time doing the same with reviews that their customers post online. Why should this be? After all, the only difference between a customer who writes an online review and a reviewer who works for a newspaper is a more pretentious vocabulary and better spelling. Customers can tell good food from bad, and prompt service from slow. They also vote with their dollars. In other words, a review from a customer is no less valid than one written by a well-known critic. You should treat an online review the same way you would treat one that appears in a glossy publication: take it in stride and resolve to improve. But some business are so afraid of customers' online reviews that they try to stop people from writing reviews even before the customer receives services. See the doctor's office in the UK that warned patients of a "zero tolerance" policy for social media, or the hotel in Upstate New York that threatened to fine guests $500 for negative reviews on Yelp. Words like "zero tolerance" and "fines" are antagonistic, putting customers on the defensive and making them think, "Just how bad is this business if they are so afraid of what I'll tweet about them?" Lastly, such policies put business in league with some interesting characters; the nation of Vietnam forces internet users to pay fines for "spreading propaganda against the state." Eesh. You don't want to sound like an autocrat, do you?

How to Approach Reviews on Social Media

If a customer flames your business on Facebook or sends unflattering tweets your way, don't argue. Don't hide. Instead, engage. Show the customer that you are willing to work with them to resolve the issue. The effects of such an exchange will extend far beyond one review and one customer: the conversation will be available for everyone, current and potential customers alike, to see. People can see for themselves that you are committed to customer satisfaction and have the wherewithal to resolve problems appropriately and professionally. It is understandable that businesses should be concerned about their reputations. But just as a bad review on Yelp can hurt a businesses reputation, a poor reaction to a bad review can hurt it far more. If you respond angrily to a bad review, your response might go viral. Instead, if you choose to be proactive and respond with respect, the damage to your reputation stops right there. In fact, if you really want to be proactive, post a sign that welcomes your clients' comments on social media. That way, instead of telegraphing your fear of bad reviews, you display confidence. You expect positive feedback because you know your services are top-notch. To learn from businesses that do social media successfully, check out this list from Fortune.