Recently we discussed the benefits of using and monitoring online review sites like Yelp to help support your customer service efforts. I wanted to share a story about how my family business recently used an online review site to connect with a customer and help defuse a negative situation.
As many of you may know my family owns a deli in Western Massachusetts, and like many restaurants we monitor online review sites and customer comment cards we provide in our restaurant to read our customer feedback. A few weeks ago we received a less then favorable review from a customer. In short, the customer was satisfied with the food and cleanliness we provided, but had such a horrible dining experience with service that he ranked the deli with one star (the lowest ranking).
While we could have been satisfied with the positive comments on our food and cleanliness and moved on from the comment, we felt it was important to reach out to this customer to see where we fell short. Listening to our customers negative (and positive) comments over the years has helped us make changes to the way we operate as well as reinforce the practices we’ve implemented. After reaching out to the customer and having a constructive back and forth conversation, the customer was left with a higher opinion of our deli. They even left a follow up comment on the site:
“A thoughtful and concerned email from the owner has me convinced of their sincerity and attempts to provide a solid service experience. I’m going to give them a second chance based on their sincere effort to reply. Every business fails but how they handle the failure is a mark of the best businesses. At the bare minimum, Ed has proven to be a gentleman and concerned about the quality of their business. Kudos to them for that!” Three Stars.
Though we’re pleased that this customer went back and made a follow up comment about our restaurant (and even changed their rating from “1 star” to “3 star”), more importantly we were thrilled they agreed to give us a second try. For the work put into reaching out and conversing with a customer, we potentially helped repair a broken relationship that can harvest reputation benefits down the road through word-of-mouth and other outlets.
We will continue to monitor our customer feedback and reach out to as many customers as we can, whether we’re simply thanking them for their comments or engaging in a back and forth conversation. You should view customer feedback and interaction as an extension of the time and effort you put into marketing as the power of customer relationships can help build your brand and bring customers through your doors.
Have you been actively monitoring your company’s reputation, either through online forums or by comment cards placed in your business? Have you made changes to the way you do business through comments you receive from customers?
