Online Reputation Management = Customer Service Opportunities

If you are not certain that you do should take your online reputation management genuinely, check out the options it can open up for you in the case of best practice customer service.



Firstly it stands to reason that talking with your customers on a regular basis means that difficulties are less probable to brew and brew and can be ironed out faster than if you let contact get away and just take for granted that everything’s OK.



We’ve all witnessed, or been in the situation, where a consumer has been lost to a competitor without ever finding out the reason why - 9 times out of 10 it’s because we weren’t communicating with them; when we take the time to ask our clients questions and opinions then we make them feel important and they generally won’t leave, if we can offer what they require.



The online marketing world can make this procedure moderately simple because our customers are likely talking on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. They are directly accessible and ready to talk! People share opinions openly about everything nowadays! They insist on it!

But the customer service opportunities are about more than merely solving problems for existing customers. They can help us win business too.



It's in your hands to translate troublesome issues into benefits for your business - it’s like the fly in the soup scenario where you create good will by offering the customer their meal for free and a free bottle of wine next time they come to dine with you: it changes a negative situation into a chance to make that customer happy. Not just that but the other people in the restaurant witness what happened and they know that if they have any problems in the future they’ll be treated well. They will tell their friends, so you have turned a potentially negative result into a raving positive.



Now apply the restaurant case to a social media chat-room or the Wall of your business Facebook page. Can you identify the prospects you have to create a culture of care and customer service in your business?

As an owner of a small business in Redcliffe you may be thinking "well, that’s all well and good, but I don’t have the time to be hanging around social media sites all day". That’s a justicable comment and we’re not asking you to do that. You see, if you don’t have workforce that can do the job, it can with no trouble be outsourced; customer service doesn’t make money for your business directly, so that’s why many businesses have outsourced it in the past (note the call centers in India) - online customer service and reputation management is no different. Do you have a doubt about how online reputation management can work for your business then drop it in the comments below.



Join the new marketing revolution at Redcliffe Marketing and find out how to attract more local customers for your business. Get ideas on how to dramatically increase the effectiveness of even the smallest marketing budget. Visit http://www.RedcliffeMarketingLabs.com.au for more information.