Sometimes a person needs to be pushed into saying something nice because most people are not inclined to leave something positive. That is where reputation management tools come in handy. They can help a company stay one step ahead of its detractors. How can a company do that without facing issues like someone else stealing their ideas? What happens when they deal with a customer who will never be happy?
Understand the Crowd
Sometimes a company has to play with the audience to make them happy. “Making a movie is like performing live. Sometimes you have to play with the audience like it is a crowd of people.” Madonna, 1992 Do they respond right away? Is the feedback good, bad, or neutral? Do they dislike specific things? Do they dislike everything the company has done in general? These are the questions a company has to ask itself. It will go a long way to understanding why the audience is not happy. How can a company know how to fix a problem when they do not know what it is?
Do Not Hide the Truth
This is a problem some companies have. It is also why their reputations are less than favorable. Companies need to be honest about who they are and what they do. Some companies only have a handful of people assisting them. The only problem is that some companies are less than honest when disclosing things like that. One customer may complain their item did not come when it should have. Companies that are honest with their shipping services will have a more favorable response.
An example
Steve ordered a book online. The company took forever to ship it without explaining the reason for the delay to Steve. Steve is upset and decides not to use the company anymore. The company could have saved this bad review if they had explained to Steve why it took so long to ship. That is just one example of why companies face reputation management difficulties. They need the proper tools, such as Google Alerts and others, to track where they fall short.
Open the Ears and Eyes and Hear What They Are Saying
Some companies consider posting things online to be socially aware. That is part of it, but there is much more. Companies need to stay active online and read what people are saying. There are communities online that a company can go to see what their customers are saying. Reading a random post online first can save a lot of time later. The company can contact the person directly and find a way to resolve the problem.
Tools To Consider Using
1) Social Mention is one of the more popular tools to use. This tool will monitor the company to see how people feel about them and other companies. That way, they can get a competitive edge.
2) Image Raider is a great choice, too, primarily if the company depends on images. The tool files every image the company uses or intends to use. It will alert the company when someone else uses it or if the company has misused it, including false advertising and copyright infringement.
Some companies want simple feedback. They want to keep things basic. 3) Query is another popular choice. This tool will get the job done and is easy to set up.
