Dear Champ,
In the last few years we’ve been trying to put more energy into our online presence (social media, website, etc.). Obviously we try to create a great experience for our customers every time, but occasionally we get an unhappy customer. I’m afraid of getting blasted with negative reviews. Anything we can do?

Anthony

Tony, Tone, Toni-

The only thing you can do to ensure you never receive a negative online review is … well … nothing.

There’s nothing I can tell you that will prevent you from having a customer decide that they need to take out their frustrations on your company in what has become a more public forum than we could have imagined.

What I can tell you is that, at the core, it always comes back to excellent customer service. However, the difference between customer service 10 years ago vs. today is that everything now happens in an environment where customers can, and will, talk about what we do and can share it with the world immediately.

There are plenty of companies sprouting up with online reputation management as their core competency. And this may be a viable option for some people.

But my professional opinion is that where there is fear, there is great opportunity. The beauty of the new social environment we are in is that people will talk about what we do and share it immediately. That means that if they have an amazing experience at your wash, they are more likely to share that with a much wider audience.

So, you want to keep negative reviews at bay? I say focus on the fundamentals, and turn the online conversation’s focus to the positive experiences your customers are having.

What if you do have a customer with a negative experience? Do the right thing for the customer, and turn that negative experience into a positive one. The benefit to your online reputation could be enormous.