“People Hate Us on Yelp”: Managing your Online Reputation One Customer at a Time

The world of social media has forever altered how people and businesses interact with one another. Today, virtually everybody and anybody can either sing your praises or worse, put a target on your back.

So how does one manage what people are saying about your business and to what extent do Yelp, Facebook, Twitter, and all those other outposts designed to gripe about a bad experience (say hello to PISSEDCONSUMER.COM) really matter?

That question came up recently with a client we’re working with who was faced with an online tirade from an unhappy customer who had decided to air their discontent on Yelp. “The thing that’s frustrating is that we actually know the guy, so I guess that’s why this bothers me so much that he’d do that without talking to us,” says my client.

It’s estimated that Yelp receives over 78 million visitors to its site, and the lion’s share of reviews revolve around customer service. Yelp’s power has resulted in an angry backlash towards hostile reviewers who can seem determined to muddy a company’s reputation (a tumblr site called F*CK YOU YELPERS, hilariously roasts some of those individuals.)  Yelp’s research claims that customers who praise a business’ customer service is more than five times as likely to give a 5-star review than a 1-star review.

On the other hand almost 70% of those who trash a business’ customer service wind up giving a 1-star review. So the short answer is: it pays to pay attention to what people are saying, but more important is to have the right strategy in place so that you’re a more active participant in what’s being said.

The now famous episode of FOX’s “Kitchen Nightmares” in which the owners of Amy’s Baking Company in Phoenix, Arizona went ballistic against both the online “haters” and the host of the show, Gordon Ramsay.

What’s the best way to manage a situation of an unhappy customer spouting off, whether true or not?

Rule #1: Let your customers know they can talk to you – and that you’re listening.

The fact is there are some people out there who are always going to be difficult to please. That’s just the nature of doing business.  Nevertheless it’s safe to say that there is often a grain of truth in what people are saying about you online and it pays to listen.

A great customer service strategy includes letting customer’s know that their satisfaction is key, and if there’s something wrong, to address the issue at the time of service – not later when they’ve left the store. If you’re a restaurant, either you or your server should always perform a “closer” and ask if there were any problems at all with the meal or the service. If there’s a problem then the manager should pay a visit to the table and acknowledge the problem.

Encourage the guest to come again and give another honest evaluation. By no means is this a guarantee that they won’t go home and yelp about it, but it will make the customer think twice.

A relatively new service called Talk To The Manager allows business owners to field comments directly from customers via text messages in an effort to mitigate negative social media and enhance a company’s customer service strategy.

Rule #2: Cherish your cheerleaders and encourage loyal customers to join the team.

While you can’t make a negative review go away, you can certainly lessen its impact by overwhelming the negative reviews with positive ones. Unfortunately, most happy customers don’t feel the need to share that with the world.  Let your loyalists know that you appreciate them and ask them to speak up on your behalf. Notice a customer coming in for a second time in less than two weeks? Acknowledge them and invite them to share their experience with their friends and followers.

Rule #3: Don’t fight fire with fire.

Some business owners think that following a negative review with a rebuttal will somehow sway readers in their favor. The fact is, it can come off as denial and can even lead to an ongoing tit-for-tat.

Instead, revert to Rule #2 and get those cheerleaders to make that negative reviewer look like one bad apple. Still, that one bad apple – like the person who wrote about my client – can sometimes cut deeply into customer perception and it can be worth taking an altogether different approach. Contact the reviewer directly and invite them to meet for coffee. Allow them to make their case directly to you and use Rule #1 as your guide: Acknowledge. Invite them to come in again and make sure they know that they can always speak to you first before complaining about it online.

Customer service is a juggling act that is dependent on great people, great training, and great managers. The goal is not just to serve but to listen and respond to how the customer perceives the quality of your service.

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