Customer satisfaction should be one of the most important measures of success for any company, as it directly influences the company’s success. While senior management must lead by example, every employee has a responsibility. Consumers must feel valued, and companies should aim to exceed customer expectations or risk losing them to a competitor.
Personalization will help to encourage brand loyalty across your consumer base and should also help to deter customers from looking elsewhere even when price is a factor.
Value of online reviews – customer satisfaction
Increasingly, customers are sharing their experiences, both good and bad, online. Online forums provide consumers with a platform to air their views without the need to enter into a potentially unpleasant face-to-face discussion. Managing this part of your online reputation is crucial as it can significantly influence consumer decisions and overall market value.
Developing a comprehensive strategy to achieve a positive reputation in business is essential, as it significantly contributes to overall success and requires ongoing effort to maintain.
Negative online reviews are more widely shared than positive ones and offer an opportunity for a customer to ‘let off steam’ anonymously. This means there can often be very damning reviews of a brand that consistently gets it wrong.
It’s important that brands take the feedback from online reviews on board. At first, it may seem daunting to see negativity discussed around your company, but reviews can provide you and your employees with an invaluable wealth of information. Effective online review management can help mitigate the impact of negative reviews and enhance your brand’s online reputation.
Companies can gain great insight into the way consumers see the company and where improvements can be made. According to Fresh Business Thinking, Vision Express now streams the latest consumer reviews live around their offices ensuring that any issues are immediately picked up by staff. Every company should monitor all customer feedback regularly and implement a consistent response strategy.
Dealing with negative online reviews
By being open about complaints and addressing them across teams and different levels of staff, everyone is encouraged to work together to create solutions for each issue. Reputation management involves actively monitoring and responding to feedback to maintain a positive brand image. Positive reviews should also be used in a similar way, and celebrated across teams to appreciate what is working well in the company. It ensures that staff are continually motivated and that their hard work is acknowledged.
If all staff are on the same page and everyone is aware of the job at hand, the experience customers gain will steadily become more positive, contributing to a positive brand reputation, and continual errors can be reduced from the business practice.
The Role of Employee Advocacy in Reputation Management
Beyond direct interactions with customers, employees also serve as ambassadors of the brand in their everyday lives, both online and offline. Their personal social media profiles, conversations with friends and family, and even casual remarks can influence public perception. Companies should encourage employees to engage positively with the brand and equip them with the right information to do so. Training and internal communications that foster a sense of pride and ownership in the company can turn employees into passionate advocates, which in turn can enhance the company’s reputation. When employees are aligned with the company’s values and feel connected to its mission, they are more likely to represent the brand favorably, creating a ripple effect that enhances overall customer satisfaction and brand loyalty.
Balancing good practice and reputation Management
But it’s not just about making sure your brand appeals to as many people as possible, as explained by Nathan Ansell, global director of loyalty, insight, and customer analytics at Marks & Spencer.
A strong brand’s reputation is essential for attracting loyal customers and enhancing overall business success.
He told the Daily Mail: “I don’t actually want everyone to like (Marks & Spencer), I want enough people to absolutely love (us).
“M&S Food is not built on everyone liking us a bit, it’s built on a number of people loving us a lot. If you don’t love food and you’re not interested in paying a bit more for quality then well thanks very much, Asda’s available… Brands have to be confident enough to be able to sack some customers.”
Utilizing search engines to manage online visibility and reputation is also crucial for shaping customer perceptions and behaviors.
It is important not to focus on individual negative reviews – it’s not always possible to please all the people all of the time. It is, however, important that you stay true to your brand and company values whilst maintaining a consistent and proactive approach to customer service and customer satisfaction, as consumers expect brands to meet their needs promptly and effectively.
Take control of your online reputation today by contacting Igniyte. Our expert team can help you manage customer feedback, enhance your brand’s image, and ensure your company’s success through strategic reputation management. Get in touch today to see how we can support you.
Managing Director at Igniyte – The Reputation Experts
Roz is an industry spokesperson on all areas of online reputation management and our resident digital media expert. She regularly writes about reputation management research, online reputation risk and industry best practice.
