Experts in reputation management know that carelessness and inaction can negatively impact people’s views of a company, brand, or product. International reputation management firm Status Labs has detailed some of the reputational damage that can occur if a company doesn’t pay attention to its customers and the valuable feedback they provide in online reviews.
Reputation management that effectively incorporates review-based client feedback requires adhering to a standard set of practices. If your firm wants to harness customer feedback for reputation management, it should consider following some or all of these procedures.
Monitor Online Feedback
Observe and document the comments and ratings customers have left on various internet channels, such as dedicated review websites, social media platforms, and online directories. Reputation management solutions include the ability to get alerts whenever new reviews are posted and/or being able to manually check for updates. Business decision-making needs to take this input into account.
Collect and Catalog Customer Comments
Gather as much customer feedback as possible from various channels, then sort it according to recurring issues. This will allow you to provide superior service to your customer base. You can use this information to see where your business is succeeding and where it needs improvement. Ultimately, this will help your company manage its operations more strategically.
Analyze Public Sentiment and Look for Trends
To get a feel for how satisfied your target audience is, do a sentiment analysis of their reviews. You can learn more about which components of your reputation are most critical to people’s opinions of your firm by keeping an eye on recurring patterns, both positive and negative.
Respond Quickly to Reviews
If you want to interact favorably with your customers, you should respond to their reviews as soon as possible while maintaining a neutral stance. Try to resolve any problems highlighted in critical feedback, and show appreciation for positive comments. Demonstrate that you care about what your customers think and will work hard to address any issues that arise.
Take Corrective Action
Act on the insights you’ve learned from customer comments and make the necessary improvements to your goods, services, and business practices. This demonstrates that you care about your customers’ feedback and are working to address their concerns, both of which can boost your company’s reputation.
Promote Positive Reviews
Promote favorable reviews by sharing them on your social media pages, website testimonials section, and email newsletters. This will typically increase the percentage of satisfied consumers who leave glowing reviews. By emphasizing positive feedback, you can boost your company’s image and counteract any negative criticisms that have been posted online.
Learn from Negative Feedback
Negative reviews can reveal areas in which your company’s actions and practices can be improved, so don’t discount their value. Use this data to your advantage by making smarter decisions about where you can make changes and how you can implement reforms. This preventive measure has the potential to boost your reputation in the long run, so you should consider it carefully.
Encourage Further Feedback
Customers’ feedback can be solicited more effectively by following up with them via email, providing response forms, and conducting surveys. It’s important for customers to feel comfortable giving honest feedback to your company. Once a feedback loop is in place, you can keep learning more about customer issues and work on how to solve them.
Monitor and Adapt
Maintaining a positive reputation requires constant self-evaluation and course correction. If you listen to and act on customer input, you can keep your company’s reputation in pristine condition at all times. Adjust your methods as needed based on the input you’ve received from customers, in order to account for any developing trends or patterns.
It’s important to remember that improving your company’s image includes not just reacting to specific complaints voiced by customers, but also seeing customer input as a whole as a valuable asset. At the end of the day, your sales come from customers, and what customers say online has a direct bearing on whether their numbers increase or taper off.
